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How Pope Francis Was Laid to Rest
Outlets report details about his funeral and how his body was prepared to lie in stateThe death of a pope signals the beginning of a number of traditions and ceremonies within the Catholic Church, and more specifically, the Vatican. Among these, the handling of a pope’s mortal remains is a process that has long been prescribed – relatively openly – despite the shroud of secrecy that surrounds many other Vatican…
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Finding the Right Hospice Is Easier Than Ever
10 years later, U.S. database of end-of-life care provides increasing help to familiesFor families navigating end-of-life care options, choosing the right hospice can be a deeply emotional decision. To help guide this critically important process, the U.S. government a decade ago launched a national database that ranks hospice providers based on opinions and experience of those who should know — patients’ families and caregivers. Its usefulness has…
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Reclaiming Keening (Interview)
An interview with Jude Lally of Ancestral Mothers of ScotlandJude Lally is an artist, dollmaker and hillwalker on the West Coast of Scotland who has been hosting workshops and retreats on pre-Christian Gaelic spirituality in person and online for years. With a special focus on matriarchal deity figures in the land, she runs the Ancestral Mothers of Scotland substack, and has recently launched a…
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“They Will Not Go Quietly”
A poem acknowledges the grieving that follows the loss of a beloved petThey will not go quietly, the pets who’ve shared our lives. In subtle ways they let us knowtheir spirit still survives. Old habits still make us think we hear them at the door Or step back when we drop a tasty morsel on the floor. Our feet still go around the placethe food dish used…
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“If You Hadn’t Been There”
A moving tribute to the popular singer’s recently deceased husbandIf you hadn’t been thereWhere would I be?Without your trustLove and belief The ups and downsWe’ve always sharedAnd I wouldn’t be hereIf you hadn’t been there Megastar Dolly Parton has always had a knack for writing songs that connect with the listener in a way that feels personal. And it’s likely that many people who…
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John Mulaney’s “Funeral Planning” on Netflix: No Real Plan
His offbeat take on the talk show format made conversation about end-of-life matters scattered, and frustratingOn his Netflix show, “Everybody’s Live with John Mulaney,” the popular comedian lends his trademark deadpan delivery and observational humor to the late-night talk show format in episodes such as “Lending People Money” and “Squatters.” Considering the theme of Episode 3, “Funeral Planning,” with Pete Davidson, Luenell, Henry Winkler and funeral director Raymundo Perez-Plascencia, viewers…
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Who Wrote the Saddest Song of the Century?
Oh Where Oh Where Can My Baby Be?Everybody knows the song “Last Kiss.” Everybody’s heard it at least once, and after they do, they tend to remember it. The haunting refrain “Oh Where Oh Where Can My Baby Be?” just stays with you, cuts through whatever else is going on around you and makes you listen a little closer. It makes you…
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An Interview with Dr. Marc E. Agronin
The author of “How We Age” breaks it downHow We Age is Dr. Marc E. Agronin’s memoir about his exposure to aging and death, primarily through his medical practice at a Miami nursing home many call “God’s waiting room.” Through interviews with his patients, personal anecdotes, and expert medical insight, Marc Agronin delivers a deeply sensitive and hopeful treatise on the condition of…
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“Nothing Gold Can Stay” by Robert Frost
A reflection on the transient nature of precious thingsNature’s first green is gold, Her hardest hue to hold.Her early leaf’s a flower;But only so an hour.Then leaf subsides to leaf. So Eden sank to grief,So dawn goes down to day.Nothing gold can stay. Though it’s a mere eight lines, Robert Frost’s compact poem about the inevitability of loss has found an enduring place…
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