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Traditional Chinese Burial Customs
How ancient beliefs continue to inspire Chinese funeral ritesThere are many interesting aspects of traditional Chinese funeral practices, but because there is so much to discuss, in this post I’m going to focus solely on the burial component. This is something that is taken very seriously in Chinese culture. There is a prescribed form of funeral rites for an elder; these have to…
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‘When I Die: Lessons from the Death Zone’ by Philip Gould [Video]
“In six weeks’ time I will be dead. I will be cremated. I will face huge fear,” Philip Gould opens this video in his final weeks before losing the battle to esophageal cancer. “But it IS an extraordinary experience…” he continues. Philip was committed to sharing his experiences through this difficult journey. He wanted to show…
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“After a Death”
Tomas Transtromer manages to convey all-consuming emotions in a concise poemMy search for a poem for this week was very short; as soon as I happened upon “After a Death,” by Swedish poet Tomas Transtromer, I knew I was hooked. The poem is short (and translated into English, by Robert Bly), but its images are so poignant that it seems perfectly self-contained: Once there was…
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Japan’s Hotel for the Dead
With the cremation rate in Japan at almost one hundred percent and the country’s death rate on the rise, it’s no surprise that the country faces the challenge of overcrowded crematoriums. In response, Yokohama-based Hisayoshi Teramura has opened Lastel, a “hotel” to house the remains of people who have died as they await cremation. Much like…
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“Queen of Disco” Donna Summer is Dead
A generation that “loves to love you baby” bids her farewellAmerican singer and songwriter Donna Summer, a.k.a. LaDonna Adrian Gaines, died today in Florida. The cause of death was cancer; she had been battling both lung and breast cancer. There has been speculation that particles from the 9/11 attacks were the cause of her cancer. Summer was deeply affected by the attacks, such that she…
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Taking Control of the End-of-Life
In her latest release Never Say Die: The Myth and Marketing of the New Old Age, Susan Jacoby offers a critique of the “new old age” — the belief that the baby boom generation just beginning to turn 65 can look forward to an old age unmarred by physical or mental deterioration, financial woes, or…
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“A Mother’s Lament”
Robert Burns’s poem conveys a mother’s perspective on the loss of her sonYesterday was Mother’s Day, and whether you were fortunate enough to get to spend time with yours or were perhaps laying flowers on her grave, I hope you took the time to appreciate her somehow. While SevenPonds paid tribute to departed mothers on the holiday, today I’m looking at a poem from a mother’s point…
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In Honor of All of Our Mothers
Read about the real Seven Ponds. Read our founder’s story about her mom and grandmother. Visit our gift suggestions for a mom who is healing from a loss.
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Memorial Poems for Mother’s Day
Your Mother is Always With You – Deborah R Culver Your mother is always with you… She’s the whisper of the leaves as you walk down the street. She’s the smell of bleach in your freshly laundered socks. She’s the cool hand on your brow when you’re not well. Your mother lives inside your…
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