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
-
Final Messages of the Dying: Finding meaning in metaphors and symbolic language -
Will I Die in Pain?: For patients living with a terminal illness, the fear of pain is very real -
When A Child Has A Terminal Illness: Reflections on a short, full life, part two
-
Categories
Author Archives: Ariana Barnes (Magazine Writer)
Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy for Near-Death Experiences May Reduce Death Anxiety
Recent study shows that immersive VR exposure to death significantly reduced anxious thoughts about death
Death and mortality are often considered taboo subjects in many cultures, especially in many parts of North America and Europe. Thoughts surrounding death may even bring about anxiety and stress for many, which can interfere with daily life. While normalizing … Continue reading
Posted in Something Special
Leave a comment
7 Thoughtful Holiday Gifts for Someone Grieving: 2025 Edition
Suggestions for some beautiful and thoughtful gifts for a loved one going through loss
Grief affects everyone differently, but the holiday season is typically a difficult time for most people who have gone through the loss of a loved one. If you know someone (including yourself) who is grieving, there are a few gifts … Continue reading
Posted in Practical Tips
Leave a comment
Recent Study Shows Physicians Choose Much Different Treatment Options for Themselves vs. Their Patients
Doctors often prefer to refuse invasive medical interventions if faced with their own terminal illnesses.
A 2025 international study published in the Journal of Medical Ethics and reported by Medscape revealed a surprising disconnect in end-of-life care for physicians between what they offer patients and what they’d choose for themselves. While most physicians indicated that … Continue reading
Posted in Something Special
Leave a comment
On Loss and Absence: Textiles of Mourning and Survival at the Art Institute of Chicago
Fiber art across many centuries and cultures highlights both cultural and personal loss.
In Chicago, threads of memory and grief are woven over time in a new exhibit that started in September 2025. Titled “On Loss and Absence: Textiles of Mourning and Survival,” it examines how people have used art, specifically fabric art, … Continue reading
Posted in Soulful Expressions
Leave a comment
Scotland Will Be One of the First in the UK to Regulate Water Cremation
This sustainable alternative will be the country’s largest change to burial methods in over a century.
Scotland is soon to join the ranks of countries, including over half of the United States, that offer alkaline hydrolysis, commonly dubbed as water cremation by the funeral industry, as a form of body disposition after death. It will be … Continue reading
Posted in Something Special
Leave a comment
“A Monster Calls” Movie Review: J.A. Bayona Looks at Terminal Illness and Anticipatory Grief from a Child’s Perspective
The film uses an intriguing dark fantasy storytelling element to explore the complexities of a child’s grief for his seriously ill mother
In the 2016 film “A Monster Calls,” directed by J. A. Bayona, a 12-year-old child, Conor O’Malley, portrayed by Lewis MacDougall, endures a complicated and heartwrenching journey through his mother’s terminal illness. Based on Patrick Ness’s novel of the same … Continue reading
Posted in Lending Insight
Leave a comment
