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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Our Annual Seven Holiday Gifts for Someone Who Is Grieving, 2024 Edition: Gracious gifts that spread love and beauty -
“Making Mobiles” by Karolina Merska: An artist’s manual on how to create beautiful Polish pajaki -
“Hands Up to the Sky” by Michael Franti & Spearhead: A surprisingly upbeat song about acknowledging both loss and the beauty of life
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Categories
Tag Archives: Music
“Death With Dignity” by Sufjan Stevens
A memorial song that captures loss, longing and the pain of coming to terms with a parent's personal failures
In the first few lines in the first song off his newest album, Sufjan Stevens invokes a sacred silence, desire, confusion and fear: “Spirit of my silence I can hear you / But I am afraid to be near you.” In … Continue reading
Posted in A Rite of Passage
Tagged A Right of Passage, Carrie and Lowell, Death With Dignity, Grief, Longing, Loss, Memorial Songs, Music, SevenPonds, Sufjan Stevens
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Fighting Dementia with Music
There's mounting evidence that music can help combat aspects of dementia in the elderly
It’s no secret that music and memory seem to be inextricably bound – how many times does a song come on the radio and you feel instantly transported to a moment you thought you’d forgotten? This remarkable aspect of music … Continue reading
Posted in Science of Us
Tagged Alzheimer's disease, Dementia, Dementia and music, diseases of old age, Music, Old age
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What is the Threshold Choir? An Interview with Kate Munger
We discuss the Threshold Choir's mission to provide lovely, comforting songs to the ill and dying
Today SevenPonds speaks with Kate Munger who founded the Threshold Choir in 2000 with the idea of creating a chorus of women’s voices that could provide soothing song at people’s bedsides. She now administers a large network of of choirs … Continue reading
Sting Sings About Dying in The Last Ship
The 62-year old former frontman for The Police talks candidly about death and grief
Dying like a rock star often means tragedy. Whether from overdose, sickness or suicide, lurid, high profile deaths sweep across the media like natural disasters. Jimi Hendrix, Freddie Mercury and Kurt Cobain, to name a few, mark the long line … Continue reading
Posted in Something Special
Tagged British Rock, Classic Rock, Death in Music, Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, Loss in Music, Music, Sting
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How Can Learning the Harmonica Help the Elderly? An Interview with Bill Fried
Bill Fried shares what he has learned from giving harmonica lessons to senior citizens.
Today SevenPonds speaks with Bill Fried, who works with the elderly in skilled nursing centers, assisted living communities, senior centers and rehabilitation centers. He recently picked up playing the harmonica and quickly became passionate about it— enough, at least, to share … Continue reading
Posted in Professional Advice
Tagged Arts, education, Frère Jacques, Harmonica, Music, United States, Winds
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How Can We Plan A Memorial Service? An Interview with Rabbi Sara Shendelman
Rabbi Sara Shendelman discusses the services she offers for people planning a memorial service for a loved one
Today, SevenPonds speaks with Rabbi Sara Shendelman, a rabbi and cantor as well as a former ordained minister. Currently based in Berkeley, California, she officiates all types of weddings and conducts memorial services, both interfaith and Jewish, for individual families. … Continue reading
