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…
A Summer of Change. A guest blog by Felicia Peterson
Note: Felicia Peterson was our summer intern from Macalester College’s “MacNest” program. The prologue was February 21st when I walked into a room full of strangers. While I was excited to discover which startup I would devote ten weeks to, I felt overwhelmed trying to…
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 Purposeful Life by Father Timothy Backous O.S.B
Cathy’s note: My Dad attended St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota and was quite proud of the education he received at that central Minnesota institution. A member of the St. John’s alumni lunch group sent me this beautiful essay that reflects what End in Mind…
The End in Mind
It’s probably rare to find a staff meeting where the conversation turns to death and exploring how many hours and days each of us has left on earth. In my work, this isn’t out of the ordinary – let me explain. I am the Executive…
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,”…
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…
