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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Author Archives: Suzette Sherman (Founder, SevenPonds)
From The Old American Way of Death to the New American Way
A fan sends me a strong message to please examine the funeral business
As SevenPonds grows, I continue to be deeply touched by fans who reach out to me in a multitude of ways. I receive emails, calls, letters and some even approach me at conferences and events. I cannot begin to tell … Continue reading
Pondering the Last Taboo: Death & Dying
An informal chat with SevenPonds: Let's open the conversation on end-of-life!
Today, April 29th from 5:30 to 7:30, SevenPonds is hosting our very first for-the-public event here at our San Francisco office! We’ll be discussing: * What is advance care directives, POLST, a DNR? * What is a heart will (ethical … Continue reading
Posted in Inside SevenPonds
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Lotta’s Fountain and the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake
A San Francisco landmark is a poignant reminder of the past
Today marks the 107th anniversary of the Great 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Every year on this day, residents of San Francisco gather around Lotta’s fountain (located at the intersection of Market, Geary and Kearny) to commemorate that moment of silence, right … Continue reading
A Unique San Francisco Support Group for Children’s Grief “Josie’s Place”
Announces an evening benefitting grieving children and families entitled "Hope Springs"
More than a year ago I became aware of Josie’s Place, a San Francisco Bay Area support group for children and teens who have lost a loved one. The founder, Patricia Murphy, lost her own mother when she was a … Continue reading
Posted in Something Special
Tagged Bereavement, Children, Children and Death, Children and Grieving, Children's Grief, Fund Raiser, Grief Loss and Bereavement, Grief support, helping children cope with loss, How to Talk to Children About Death, Josie's Place, San Francisco Bay Area, Support group, Teens, Young Children and Death
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My Sunday Making Hearts With Page Hodel
Beautiful hearts made of all kinds of things in loving memory of Madalene
This past Sunday, I had the amazing experience of taking part in Page Hodel’s weekly ritual of making hearts in San Francisco. More than 8 years ago, Page Hodel moved into a new apartment in San Francisco when she met … Continue reading
Posted in Sharing Suzette
Tagged CA, Death of a Loved One, Heart, Hearts for Madalene, In Loving Memory, Loss of a friend, Loss of a Lover, Love and Loss, Making Hearts, Monday Hearts for Madalene, Oakland, Ovarian Cancer, Page Hodel, Priscilla Rice, Sayings About Death of a Friend, Women's Cancer Resource Center
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Monty Python – The Funniest Joke in the World
A lethal joke from which people died laughing
Posted in Laughter is Medicine
Tagged Comedy, Jokes about death, Laughter is Medicine, Monty Python
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John Donaldson Writes Us A Wonderful Note
Another heartwarming letter from a SevenPonds reader
Good morning Suzette, I found your website when I googled a quote I was looking for, spent a little time looking around and posted a comment on one of the blog posts. Very nice site and something that needs to get greater … Continue reading
For Those Who Have Lost A Spouse Today
They take pleasure in talking about their dead husband or wife in a loving way
It’s been a long month with a lot going on here at SevenPonds. Goodness, it’s all I can do to keep up with the influx of our growth! On top of the sheer workload, I’m also dating a wonderful man, … Continue reading
Beautiful Memorial Song: “I will always love you,” By Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston's most famous love song played at her own funeral
Originally written and performed by Dolly Parton, “I will always love you” was shot into international fame in 1992 when performed by Whitney Houston in the blockbuster movie, ” The Bodyguard.” Crazy enough, twenty years later, “I will always love you” was … Continue reading
Posted in A Right of Passage
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Beautiful Memorial Song: “A Candle in The Wind,” By Elton John
A song that deals with the loss of a national celebrity also can be interchanged to deal with the loss of a loved one
Back in 1997, the world watched as Elton John sang and played the piano at the unexpected funeral of the beloved Princess Diana. He had transformed the words in one of his most hauntingly beautiful tunes, “Candle in the Wind”, … Continue reading
Posted in A Right of Passage
Tagged Candle in the Wind, Diana Princess of Wales, Elton John, end-of-life, England, Lyrics, Memorial, Princess Diana
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How Did SevenPonds Come to Be?
We revisit our beginning
It’s been two years at SevenPonds since we launched our first blog post and it’s hard to believe we have arrived at our second anniversary already! What a wild ride it has been. I cannot begin to express how heartwarming … Continue reading
Speaking of Romantic Valentine’s Day Stories — it Starts With Sex and Then Love Kicks in
In the end we are left with the memories of the most romantic love letters ever
Oh yes,
A Look at the Funeral Industry Business
CNBC schedules a one-hour special "Death: It's a Living"
Tonight at 9pm ET/PT, CNBC is doing their first one-hour special documentary that takes an in-depth look at death as an industry. In our society, the funeral industry business remains largely a mystery, and we hope CNBC’s “Death: It’s a Living” will demystify … Continue reading
Letter from SevenPonds’ reader
SevenPonds' reader Cindy Garner expressed her thoughts on a new reality TV show, "Best Funeral Ever"
We recently did a blog post on Best Funeral Ever, a TV show based in Dallas, Texas. One of our readers, Cindy Garner, expressed her opinion on the show: “I watched it last Sunday night and, although the families seemed … Continue reading
Posted in Opening Letters
Tagged Best Funeral Ever, Controversy, Dallas, Funeral, Reality TV, Texas
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Cool Memorial Songs: American Idol Kris Allen Sings An Up Beat Rock Song
He belts out with fervor "Gotta live like we're dying"
“Live Like We’re Dying” is not your usual memorial song. The eighth season American Idol winner, 27 year old Kris Allen, almost screams as he sings his Live Like We’re Dying to instill an in the moment rush to grab … Continue reading
After Two Years of a Lot of Hard Work, Including Existing in a Mood-Altering State
This startup founder returns refreshed with a new perspective on life
As you may have noticed by the lack of my recent Sharing Suzette posts, I took a writing hiatus the month of December. Ok, ok, I admit it was longer but I had good reason. This is officially our two-year … Continue reading
Happy New Year’s Eve
As we bid farewell to 2012 we welcome the new beginnings of 2013!
Posted in Inside SevenPonds
Tagged New Year Greeting, New Year's Eve, New Year's Resolutions, New Years
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Our Beautiful Memorial Music: “Hey Hey My My”, by Neil Young
He sings that once you're gone, you can't come back
We all know rock and roll can never die and we can count on Neil Young to employ his wonderful lyrics to speak to us about the important things in life — including death. A classic icon of the Boomer … Continue reading
Posted in A Right of Passage
Tagged Funeral Music, Funeral Song List, Funeral Song Lyrics, Funeral Songs, Hey Hey My My, Lyrics for Memorial Service, Memorial lyrics, Memorial Music, Most Popular Funeral Songs, Neil Young, Neil Young Lyrics, Neil Young Songs, Our Beautiful Funeral Music, Popular Funeral Songs, Song Lyrics
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Have You Considered What to Read Before you Die?
A book about 1001 movies to see before you die nicely highlights the greatest moments of the Boomer generation
According to my earliest memory when considering my own death, albeit far in the future, I was still a child at the time. I had no fear of the possibility of dying and assumed I’d go in a most natural … Continue reading
Posted in Sharing Suzette
Tagged 1001 Movies to See Before You Die, Classic Film, Film, Filmmaking, I am Cuba, Psycho, Soy Cuba, The Big Chill
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