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The Ancient Practice of Sky Burial
How the nomads of Mongolia return their loved ones to the universeFor thousands of years, the nomads of Mongolia have roamed the steppes of Central Asia, carrying their belongings and setting up their tents, called “gers,” on the harsh, inhospitable land. One of the last remaining nomadic cultures on Earth, these Mongol people maintain many of their ancient traditions and customs, including a deep, abiding respect…
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Mother Donates Breast Milk to Honor Her Stillborn Son
Amy Anderson donated 92 gallons of breast milk and is shifting the law to help lactating womenAmy Anderson of Caribou, Maine, has two living sons and several other children who were lost to miscarriage. “Lost” isn’t quite the word for it, though, because Anderson continues to have a relationship with them — particularly Bryson, who was stillborn at 20 weeks in 2010. When Bryson died, Anderson’s milk came in. Instead of binding…
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Managing Breathlessness at the End of Life
Dying from lung disease can be a peaceful end“Is my husband going to suffocate in the end?” That’s a fearfully whispered question I often hear when a person has terminal lung disease. What can be scarier than not being able to catch your breath or watching your loved one struggle to breathe? People with lung disease may have experienced increasing difficulty in breathing over months…
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Monday Hearts for Madalene
Page Hodel creates the most beautiful hearts in an ongoing celebration of loveMerry Christmas! It’s an honor for SevenPonds to share with our readers the story of the Monday Hearts for Madalene project, a true account of the power of love in the midst of death. The project’s origins take us to 2005: the moment Page Hodel encountered Madalene Rodriguez and fell “instantly, dizzyingly in love with her.” The couple’s first…
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Clothes As Bodies: The Art of Christian Boltanski
“No Man’s Land” highlights death and the human conditionWhen Christian Boltanski proposed his idea for an art installation at the Park Avenue Armory in 2010, no one expected him to use so many clothes. Sitting at the center of the expansive installation was a 40-foot-tall mound of clothing, flanked by an industrial crane. For Boltanski, clothes are simply a placeholder for real human beings who lived…
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Our Weekly Tip: Estate Planning and Naming a Guardian for Your Young Child
How to elect the right guardian for your minor child in the event of your premature deathOur Tip of the Week: The majority of parents of minor children in the United States do not have wills. If you are the parent of a minor child, the idea of choosing an appointed guardian in the event of your premature death can feel incredibly daunting. Some parents are so overwhelmed by the decision that…
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What Can Hospice Teach Us About Coping? (Interview)
Hospice volunteers tell personal stories through the Windows Within ProjectToday, SevenPonds speaks with Mary York, founder of the Windows Within Project, part of the Hospice Volunteer program. An experienced hospice volunteer, Mary also interviews fellow hospice volunteers for the Windows Within Project website, whose goal is to educate readers on end-of-life issues. A Kentucky resident, Mary works with hospice volunteer coordinators to gather personal…
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“Die Wise“
A book that takes an unflinching look at dying in North America, offering something more powerful than comfortYou and I will die. This is a given, entirely proper…. But the manner of our dying is not a given. That, with deep labour, is up to us. This is one of the life gifts entrusted to us at birth, dazzling as the night sky and burdensome as any vision is of how it…
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