Tag Archives: God

“On Pain” by Kahlil Gibran

Timeless funeral poem coaches us to meet the lessons of pain with openness

Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding. Even as the stone of the fruit must break, that its heart may stand in the sun, so must you know pain. So begins Kahlil Gibran’s poem, “On … Continue reading

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“When Bad Things Happen to Good People” by Harold Kushner

An examination of why people have to suffer

When Rabbi Harold Kushner’s son, Aaron, was 3 years old, he was diagnosed with progeria. Progeria is a devastating disease that causes rapid aging. Most victims die in their early teens. Aaron died two days after his 14th birthday. Until … Continue reading

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“The Laughing Heart” by Charles Bukowski

Simple acknowledgment of mortality inspires deep clear living

American poet Charles Bukowski (1920-1994) is well-known in the literary world as an irreverent, tell-it-like-it-is kind of writer who spoke his truth — his whole truth — even when it was overtly opinionated, and especially when it would offend the … Continue reading

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Last Rites: A Catholic Send-Off

A look at the religion's final prayer procession for the dying

Catholicism has never been number-shy in its teachings. Confess a sin? Ten Hail Marys. Looking to convert? Get ready for a slew of Sunday or Bible school classes, then 1. Baptism, 2. Confirmation, and 3. First Communion. If your list … Continue reading

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“Proof of Heaven” by Eben Alexander, M.D.

Neurologist Eben Alexander describes his “visit to heaven” in a Near Death Experience

“It was like being struck by a freight train,” said neurosurgeon Eben Alexander in his book Proof of Heaven (2012) on the pain he felt at 4:30 A.M. on November 10th, 2008. As both a stubborn husband and a man … Continue reading

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What is End-of-Life Counseling? An Interview with Kathy Jacobson

"I shared with her what I believe – that the material world is just the tip of the iceberg, and that your spiritual body is tenuously encased in your physical form – though I held a space for her own beliefs and didn’t push mine onto her."

Kathy Jacobson is a body worker and life coach in San Francisco, who also works as an end-of-life counselor. I sat with her to discuss her entry into this burgeoning, and much needed, field of therapy. Most people do not … Continue reading

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