-
A True Story: Our Year Long Journey Preparing for Loss
Matt’s wife was pregnant and dying of cancer.In 2003, author and actor Matt Croke’s wife Lisa saw her mother diagnosed with cancer. In 2005, shortly after the birth of Matt and Lisa’s second daughter, Lisa discovered the lump on her own breast. Though doctors at first thought it was related to breastfeeding, Lisa was eventually diagnosed with breast cancer. Two years later,…
/
-
“Elegy”
Natasha Trethewey’s poem offers her take on death, and so much moreAccording to this article in The Atlantic, Natasha Trethewey’s “Elegy” for her father is not actually about death. As the author states, “…what’s being elegized is…a kind of loss between father and daughter, a kind of estrangement.” Although the poem isn’t speaking to the loss of a life, its beauty lies in the fact that…
/
-
Lovely Email Letters
Another very special email from a new SevenPonds fan!Dear Readers, I confess it’s been a while since I posted an email from a new fan. We receive many emails every week from those around the world who have stumbled on SevenPonds letting us know how much they enjoy our site. I’m long over due to offer you a note from a new SevenPonds…
/
-
“Tomorrow Is Another Day”
Mathieu Lehanneur’s unique design inspires meditations on both life and deathFrench designer Mathieu Lehanneur has come up with a way to “see” the future: well, sort of. His art piece, “Tomorrow Is Another Day,” is a round, hanging projector that offers viewers a video image of the next day’s weather. It is updated according to real-time weather information collected from the Internet. Because it was…
/
-
What Is an Ombudsman? (Interview)
Ombudsmen in San Francisco face many challenges in their mission to protect residents of long-term care facilitiesBenson Nadell is Program Director of the San Francisco Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program. Long-term care ombudsmen are tasked with monitoring the quality of life at licensed LTC facilities, a tall order in this age of state budget crises, and economic and medical uncertainty. Mr. Nadell sat down with SevenPonds, and told us a little bit…
/
-
“Patch Adams”
How did the real Patch Adams feel about the Robin Williams movie?Based on the real-life story of Dr. Hunter “Patch” Adams, this 1998 film begins with Adams (Robin Williams) committing himself to a mental institution after contemplating suicide. While there, Adams realizes how lonely many of the patients are and finds a purpose to his life in helping them by offering humor and compassion. Because of…
/
-
“Stop worrying about the world ending today. It’s already tomorrow in Australia.”
-Charles M. SchulzPhoto Credit: Orange County Archives Flickr
/
-
“Nobody Wants to See a Clown in Pain”
Anthony Griffith made people laugh for a living, while suffering the ultimate heartbreakComedic actor Anthony Griffith was riding the final wave of the comedy boom in 1990 with three coveted appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. He did all this while watching his daughter die of cancer. “It was the best of times; it was the worst of times…” his story begins. Watch this heart-wrenching video…
/
-
“At That Hour”
Discussing love and death in James Joyce’s “At That Hour”I’ve written many times in this column about the wide range of interpretations that poetry is open to. I definitely faced that this week when I found “At That Hour,” by James Joyce. Joyce is, by nature, a very complex writer, and this is something I had to remind myself of when I read the…
/
Want an Easier Way to Plan a Memorial Event? Get our FREE guide
“7 Ways to Create an Amazing Celebration of Life”
