The Gift of Gratitude
“Wonderful work, dear lady!” the email from a past client’s family read. “Words cannot describe how grateful we are for the support you have given our family. Never doubt the importance of what you do. Thank you, thank you, thank you!” In my files at…
What’s Your Story?
I recently had the honor of attending the 10th anniversary of the storytelling project A Peace of My Mind by the photographer John Noltner; a project that began simply by asking the question, “What does peace mean to you?” Ten years, two books, hundreds of interviews and thousands…
A Deathbed Playlist
The other day, I was driving to a friend’s house when a song I have long loved came on the radio, She Used to Be Mine, by Sara Bareilles. There are days when the song moves me to tears on its own, but as I…
The Death You Want
“Have you given any thought to how you want your end of life to go?” I gently asked my nearly-94-year-old grandma that question one afternoon as we talked about her younger brother who had died two years earlier. “I don’t want a stranger to find me.” “OK,”…
Dancing with Life and Death
On New Year’s Day, I bid farewell to a dear friend – a beautiful, vibrant woman whom I’ve considered my soul sister since we first met more than 20 years ago. Though she lived 1,500 miles away, I was fortunate to be with her when…
Give the gift of “I Love You”
By Christy Moe Marek This holiday season, I find myself reflecting on the ways we can do end of life better. After a doozy of an autumn that brought mortality to my doorstep, several times, both personally and professionally, I am reminded that even when…
Grief and Gratitude
This is a blog post by our friend Christy Moe Marek. A certified death doula who asks the question: “Can we be grateful for our grief?” In this time of Thanksgiving, it is a question I’m trying to answer in the wake of my beloved…
Reminders of Impermanence
Reminders of Impermanence By Christy Moe Marek “I’m in an ambulance on my way to the hospital,” my husband told me as I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. “Wait. You’re what?” was all I could think of to say. It was almost 2:00am…
Message Received
Message Received By Christy Moe-Marek “I heard my mother talking to me yesterday,” a client recently told me. “I was half asleep and I had just been talking about her, so it was probably nothing. I’m sure it was just a dream,” her tone quieted…
