“The year hastens to the close. What is it to me? That I am 25 or 58 is as nothing. Should I mourn that the spring flowers are gone, that the summer fruit has ripened, that the harvest is ripened, that the snow has fallen?”
“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!”WELCOME TO OUR BLOG
Welcome to the SevenPonds.com blog – a community-driven extension of SevenPonds.com! I hope you find comfort and community in the resources and stories featured here. I’m always happy to hear from readers and can be reached at suzette@sevenponds.com.
FEATURED
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10 Facts About Hospice Care You May Not Know" />
10 Facts About Hospice Care You May Not Know: NHPCO stresses that hospice is about living fully, not preparing for death. -
Man of Many Faces" />
Man of Many Faces: A niece says goodbye to her favorite gay uncle, in whom she confided about her own sexuality -
Last Rites: A Catholic Send-Off" />
Last Rites: A Catholic Send-Off: A look at the religion's final prayer procession for the dying
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Yearly Archives: 2011
Every man regards his own life as the New Year’s Eve of time.
- Jean Paul Richter
Posted in Sharing Suzette
Tagged Death Quotes, Famous Author Quotes, Jean Paul Richter, New Year Quote, New Year Saying, Quotes
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An Interview with Rebecca Katz: Part Two
The conclusion of our interview with the food and nourishment expert
Last week, we published the first part of our interview with Rebecca Katz, chef, nutritionist, cookbook author, culinary translator and expert at cooking for people with cancer. Here, the conclusion of the interview. Liz: On your website, you have a … Continue reading
Posted in Professional Advice
Tagged Cancer, cancer patient, Cancer Treatment, Caregiving, Chemotherapy, Food, recipes
1 Comment
SevenPonds Looks Back
Who Are Some of the Notable People That Died in 2011, and What Has Their Death Meant to Us
The New Year, of course, offers perhaps the most ideal time to reflect on our changes, accomplishments, and lessons learned over the past year. Many of us may feel compelled to compare the person we are today to the person … Continue reading
Remembering Life through Light
A look at this touching Jewish tradition
Hanukkah came to an end last night, marking the conclusion of eight consecutive nights of lighting candles. This is done in order to commemorate the rededication of the holy temple in Jerusalem. While you’re probably familiar with this Jewish celebration, … Continue reading
Posted in Cultural Perspectives
Tagged Death, Hanukkah, Judaism, Memorial, Tradition, Yahrzeit Candles
1 Comment
San Francisco’s Vigil for the Homeless Dead
The city honors the lives and deaths of an oft-overlooked population.
For over twenty years, a Vigil for the Homeless Dead has been organized each year during the holiday season across the street from San Francisco’s City Hall. This special celebration is a time for people to gather and honor those … Continue reading
Posted in Something Special
Tagged Christmas and holiday season, Death, Memorial, San Francisco, San Francisco Bay Area, Vigil
4 Comments
Appreciating Grief
Ella Wheeler Wilcox shows us the role of affliction
As we approach the end of the year and look forward to ringing in 2012, I thought I’d choose a poem about reflection and deference to all aspects of life—including death. The poem I’ve selected is “Sorrow’s Uses,” by Ella … Continue reading
An Interview with Rebecca Katz: Part One
Nationally-recognized food expert speaks about cancer and the power of nourishment
Rebecca Katz is a chef and nutritionist who specializes in cooking for cancer patients and survivors. She is Executive Chef at the Center for Mind-Body Medicine’s Food As Medicine and CancerGuides Professional Training Programs, and is visiting chef and nutrition … Continue reading
Posted in Professional Advice
Tagged Cancer, Cancer Treatment, Caregiving, Dealing with an Illness, Food, Health, Nourishment, Nutrition
1 Comment
Classic Film Review: It’s A Wonderful Life
Sometimes It Takes Perspective to See the Beauty of Life
Sometimes life can be a hard slog, full of struggles and losses and triumphs and fleeting periods of happiness. Meaning is elusive, and sometimes our impact on others can seem as negative as it is positive. And, of course, our … Continue reading
Posted in Lending Insight
Tagged Classic Film, Cultural Perspectives, Death, Film Review, It's a Wonderful Life, Life, Life lessons, Suicide
2 Comments
“You’re worth more dead than alive!”
Mr. Potter to George Bailey, It's a Wonderful Life
Posted in Laughter is Medicine
Tagged Death, George Bailey, It's a Wonderful Life, Mr. Potter
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Find New Ways to Connect this Holiday Season
Savoring the Final Memory
Research over the years has shown a surprising spike in death rates, particularly by natural causes, near or just after the holidays, compared with the rest of the year. Reasons for this are yet unknown, though a number of theories have … Continue reading
Posted in Cultural Perspectives
Tagged Christmas, Death, Family, Holidays, Memories, New Year
2 Comments
Happy Holidays from SevenPonds!
This Christmas, remember your loved ones with a growing memorial
In the spirit of spreading cheer, enjoy the lighter side of SevenPonds: Stars and Clover, the SevenPonds office foster kittens! Keep a smile on your face, and enjoy your friends, family, and loved ones this holiday season. Thank you for … Continue reading
“Sing No Sad Songs for Me”
Christina Rossetti's poem is still powerful and relevant, nearly 150 years later
It’s the holiday season, and unfortunately, this can be a difficult time for people who have lost loved ones. Although this makes it hard to get into the cheerful holiday spirit, we must keep in mind that whoever has passed, … Continue reading
Posted in The Next Chapter
Tagged Christina Rossetti, Holidays, Loss, Poetry, When I am dead my dearest
3 Comments
Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep
The Healing Power of Photography
Learn more from our interview with NILMDTS co-founder Sandy Puc’.
Posted in Soulful Expressions
Tagged Art, Family, Healing, Infants, Loss, Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, photography
3 Comments
How to Deal with the Loss of a Child? An Interview with Henry Allen
The co-founder of the Brain Candy Project discusses his work and offers his advice
Henry Allen co-founded The Brain Candy Project along with his son Cameron, who was diagnosed with brain cancer at age 11. The Brain Candy Project is a nonprofit organization that helps support parents and guardians of children suffering from critical … Continue reading
Posted in Professional Advice
Tagged Brain Cancer, Brain Candy Project, Cameron Allen, Critical Illness, Henry Allen
1 Comment
Book Review: Jane Fonda’s “Prime Time”
Taking a positive look at the way we age
Jane Fonda, one of the most admired actresses in Hollywood, has released a new book called Prime Time: Love, health, sex, fitness, friendship, spirit–making the most of all of your life that might just change the way we think about … Continue reading
Posted in Lending Insight
Tagged aging well, Death, Dying, end-of-life, Green Burial, Health, Jane Fonda, positivity in death, Prime Time: Love
3 Comments
An Unexpected Loss
How Losing My Mom Clarified My Life
This is the story of Jamaica, as told by Suzette Sherman. When it happened, I had no idea my mom was in Florida. My Aunt Janice found her. She was lying on the floor in my uncle’s kitchen, no cups … Continue reading