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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Buddhism and the Eastern Middle Ground: In Buddhist tradition, our death falls into a plane of existence that continues even after our final breath -
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
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Monthly Archives: March 2011
“I Became a Woman the Day my Grandpa Died”
My childhood experience of loss, denial, and growing up
The story of Star, as told by Aurora Wells… My grandpa would give anyone the shirt off his back. And best of all, he loved his girls. Without being wealthy — or even what most would call secure, he managed … Continue reading
Cleveland Retirement Community Welcomes Creative Youth
The symbiotic power of intergenerational programming and the arts
An inspiring story from the AARP, below, profiles a pilot program at Judson’s retirement community; they offered two students at the Cleveland Institute of Music apartments in their facilities (once a swanky hotel) — in exchange for monthly recitals. The presence … Continue reading
In Remembrance
by Rev. Arnold Crompton
This poem is one of celebrant Irene Kane‘s favorite pieces to incorporate into the memorial services she leads; it both speaks to a universal sentiment, and readily lends itself to personalized adaptation. It reminds me of Suzette’s grandmother’s final words … Continue reading
Dying is Not Always a Sad Process
My grandmother's glorious last hurrah
We think of dying as something sad — a path paved only with despair. But my grandmother Ida taught me otherwise. One day, at age 78, she awoke with difficulty swallowing. My mother took her to the doctor, who fed a … Continue reading
The Afterlife Euthanasia Device
by Dunne & Raby
The Afterlife Battery project, organized by designers Auger Loizeau in 2009, asked 15 selected participants what they would do with an afterlife battery, charged by either themselves or a loved one. One of our favorite interpretations was by design duo … Continue reading
What is a Celebrant? An Interview with Irene Kane
A professional "celebrant" names the key ingredients for a successful memorial
“Celebrants” are nondenominational professionals who help meet the ceremonial and spiritual needs of families, most commonly called upon for weddings and memorials. As a highly respected celebrant, Irene Kane creates personalized and memorable ceremonies throughout California. Below, Irene shares her … Continue reading
“Help Me, Helen”
In sickness or in health, I never left his side
The story of Helen, as told by Aurora Wells… The hospice workers told me death would carry him off in his sleep. Like a moonlit wave from God’s gentle sea, quietly collecting his soul at high tide… But it wasn’t … Continue reading
Posted in Opening our Hearts
Tagged Caregiving, Dealing with an Illness, Grieving, Hospice, Losing a Partner, Palliative Care
2 Comments
These Arms that Held Me
Terminal illness, denial, and the tide of loss
The story of Aarika Wells, as told by her daughter, Aurora Wells… Even from the top of the staircase, her smile lit up the room below. Family, friends and neighbors held a collective breath as we watched her descend, bird … Continue reading
Posted in Opening our Hearts
Tagged Caregiving, Dealing with an Illness, Denial, Grieving, Healing, Palliative Care
1 Comment
We Pause in Memory of Elizabeth Taylor
It saddens me to announce that at age 79, Elizabeth Taylor passed away; and along with her, part of my American childhood also passed. Elizabeth Taylor was an icon to women of our generation. The first time we saw those famous … Continue reading
Do not stand at my grave and weep
by Mary Elizabeth Frye
Do not stand at my grave and weep, I am not there, I do not sleep. I am in a thousand winds that blow, I am the softly falling snow. I am the gentle showers of rain, I am the … Continue reading
Six Ways to Give Your Loved One the Best Death Possible
“The weariest and most loathed worldly life that age, ache, penury and imprisonment can lay on nature, is a paradise to what we fear of death.” — Claudio in Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure Years ago, when my mother cared for … Continue reading
Posted in Sharing Suzette
Tagged Aid in Dying, Caregiving, Dying at Home, Dying Compassionately, Easing Pain, Palliative Care
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What is a green funeral? An Interview with Esmerelda Kent
The founder of Kinkaraco Green Burial Products talks shrouds
Kinkaraco is a San Francisco based green business, providing elegant biodegradable burial and cremation shrouds, ranging in design from classic to ornate. These shrouds and other green burial products draw from a diverse history of sacred traditions — the company … Continue reading
Posted in Professional Advice
Tagged Cremation, Green Burial, History, Home Funeral, Shrouds
1 Comment
Life and Death in the Shadow of Vesuvius
The city buried in ash, now in Times Square...
From March 4th through September 5th 2011, the doors to the past will be flung open as visitors to New York’s Discovery Times Square Museum find themselves transported 2,000 years into the past — to Pompeii, a Roman city near … Continue reading
Empty Branch in the Orchard
by Mary Oliver
To have loved is everything, I loved, once, a hummingbird who came every afternoon– the freedom-loving male– who flew by himself to sample the sweets of the garden, to sit on a high, leafless branch with his red throat gleaming. … Continue reading
Widows Who Love
When I think of modern day widows, I think of the three women who were touched by death, and consequently touched my heart in recent months. Beth, who is middle aged, was discussing business with me last week when I … Continue reading
The Modern Mourner
Cherish those you Love; Remember those you've Lost.
The Modern Mourner was begun by a crafty lady in the Bay Area when she lost her mother and knit an urn cozy to capture her warmth. Now her project has grown to offer unique products from a collection of … Continue reading
Posted in Soulful Expressions
Tagged Art, Condolence, Cremation, Cremation Urn, Grieving, Healing, Urn
2 Comments
Must You Go? My Life with Harold Pinter
by Antonia Fraser
From a distance, the marriage of Antonia Fraser, a notable British biographer and author, and the late Harold Pinter, the 2005 Nobel Laureate of Literature, would seem an unlikely match; Pinter having been rather irritable and abrasive, while Fraser more … Continue reading
Posted in Lending Insight
Tagged Biography, Books and Literature, Caregiving, Dealing with an Illness, Grieving
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Our Family Secret
My Mother's End-of-Life Struggle and The Miracle of Silence
The story of Shari Shryock, as told by Aurora Wells…
My mother called me her beautiful flower child, a neighbor told me shortly after her death. I belonged to a generation of tongues – voices free, … Continue reading
Sex and Death
A night with Harold Pinter
I spent a night with Harold Pinter with Off Broadway West Theatre Company’s production of his two short plays, The Dumb Waiter and The Lover. I saw sex, death, and a whole lot of talent contained in two hours, and the adorably … Continue reading
“Birds sing after a storm; why shouldn’t people feel as free to delight in whatever remains to them?”
- Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy