Featured Articles
The pale horse whispers
by Rebecca Rafferty September 29, 2023
“Emily Benner’s mother, Elizabeth, died at home in the afternoon. That evening, Emily sat next to her mom’s body, gently holding her hands and feet by turns as she painted her nails a bright, pinkish-red. Then she did her makeup.
Earlier in the day, Emily and other members of the family had helped wash Elizabeth’s body, applied special oils, dressed her, and for the next two days periodically changed out the melted ice from beneath her body while she laid where she wanted to linger, before her burial at Mt. Hope Cemetery.”…
Other Helpful Articles
Why writing a will and planning for your death is a 'lifetime gift' to loved ones
By Kavitha Cardoza December 21, 2022
“Talking about death makes most of us uncomfortable, so we don't plan for it.
That's a big mistake, because if you don't have an end-of-life plan, your state's laws decide who gets everything you own. A doctor you've never met could decide how you spend your last moments, and your loved ones could be saddled with untangling an expensive legal mess after you die.”…
Having Essential Conversations About Death
By Jill Smolowe December 11, 2023
“If your wishes remain unspoken, you will leave your loved ones in a quagmire of confusion.
Since our first encounter on a cyber dating site in 2010, my husband and I have had a fluid conversation about death. That includes what we expect from the other should we find ourself hospitalized. Or facing a debilitating condition. Or trapped in a twilight between life and death. In other words, we discuss what we're willing to endure. And what we are not.”…
After Your Death, Who Takes Care of the Dog?
By Paula Span September 28, 2024
“A pet trust designates a new guardian for companion animals and sets aside funds for their care. Better yet, it’s legally binding.”
Books
How we die: reflections on life’s final chapter
by Sherwin B. Nuland
“There are many books intended to help people deal with the trauma of bereavement, but few which explore the reality of death itself.
Sherwin B. Nuland - with over thirty years' experience as a surgeon - explains in detail the processes which take place in the body and strips away many illusions about death. The result is a unique and compelling book, addressing the one final fact that all of us must confront.”
Being Mortal: Illness, Medicine and What Matters in the End
by Atul Gawande
“So here is a book about the modern experience of mortality - about what it's like to get old and die, how medicine has changed this and how it hasn't, where our ideas about death have gone wrong.
With his trademark mix of perceptiveness and sensitivity, Atul Gawande outlines a story that crosses the globe, as he examines his experiences as a surgeon and those of his patients and family, and learns to accept the limits of what he can do.”
Die Wise: A Manifesto for Sanity and Soul
by Stephen Jenkinson
“Die Wise does not offer seven steps for coping with death. It does not suggest ways to make dying easier. It pours no honey to make the medicine go down. Instead, with lyrical prose, deep wisdom, and stories from his two decades of working with dying people and their families, Stephen Jenkinson places death at the center of the page and asks us to behold it in all its painful beauty.
Die Wise teaches the skills of dying, skills that have to be learned in the course of living deeply and well. Die Wise is for those who will fail to live forever.”