Author Archives: Julie Gesin (Blog Writer, SevenPonds)

Here They Talk About Death

How choosing their end-of-life care helped residents of La Crosse reduce their healthcare costs

While healthcare costs are among the top concerns for an average American, the small city of La Crosse, Wisconsin spends less on the end-of-life care than any other place in the country. Saving money was not the main goal for … Continue reading

Posted in Something Special | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again” from “The Phantom of the Opera”

The young heroine grieves the loss of her father in an unforgettable memorial song

Christine Daaé, once an obscure ballerina, is given a lead singing role in “Don Juan”, an opera written by the Phantom of the Opera, a disfigured man who is obsessed with the lovely, young woman. This opera is actually a … Continue reading

Posted in Expressive Music | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Return of the Shrouding Women

Women are reclaiming jobs as funeral directors – a death-care profession dominated by men for over a century

Once death care was viewed as a woman’s job. The shrouding women washed the body of the deceased, anointed it with herbs, dressed and prepared it for a funeral or a wake. Women helped bring life into this world and … Continue reading

Posted in Something Special | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“When I die, will someone please go to my funeral dressed like the Grim Reaper? You don’t say anything, just stand there…”

- Unknown
Posted in Laughter is Medicine | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

A Prairie for Emily

A grieving father restores a prairie habitat in memory of a dead daughter

Lush prairie grasses sway in the breeze and the golden crowns of black-eyed Susans turn towards the summer sun. Emily’s Prairie runs along Salt Creek, behind the Rolling Meadows High School in the suburban town of Arlington Heights, Illinois. Once … Continue reading

Posted in Something Special | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Turn Me into Dirt and Flowers

Seattle-based architect, Katrina Spade, hopes that her Urban Death Project will provide communities with a meaningful and ecological option for their bodies after death

Growing up in a family whose idea of a vacation was constructing a chicken coop or putting shingles on a house, it’s no surprise that Katrina Spade chose architecture as a career. Her collaboration with Jamie Corn has produced playful … Continue reading

Posted in Soulful Expressions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment