Category Archives: Personal
Academia: Letter to Myself
This was an assignment for a class in death and dying. Original Submission date: September 4, 2019 Dearest Raine, As stereotypical as it might sound, I’m staring death in the face but choosing to turn around and look back over … Continue reading
Personal: The Thought of Losing Wendy
Wendy is a mulish, grey, bossy, opininated American Bully who for some strange reason has completely captured my heart. I fell in love with her six years ago when I decided we needed another dog and we went to City … Continue reading
Memorials: Being Buried with Your People
A question was asked at a Death Cafe I participated in earlier this week about whether or not it mattered where you were buried. Should you be buried somewhere you had a plot? Should you be buried near family? Or … Continue reading
Grieving the Unacceptable
Grief is not just for the death of a corporeal being. Humans grieve the loss of jobs, the loss of dreams, the loss of situations. Anytime there is a loss, real or perceived, humans may feel the sadness, heaviness, and … Continue reading
Let this be a Moment of Remembering
Let this be a moment of rememberingThe first time I met youAs you ran and played, you kept coming back to meAs if to ask, “Will you be my mama?” Let this be a moment of rememberingThe bark you had … Continue reading
I want to start by saying that I really do admire and honor the work that Caitlin Doughty does in advocating for a good death and for challenging some of the norms of the funeral industry. I also want to … Continue reading
Ritual to Honor My Father
My father died the day after Thanksgiving in 2008. I’d known it was coming as he had lung cancer that had metastasized through his body. I was living 200 miles away and traveling even farther away for work every single … Continue reading
2008 Dead List
As a pagan, Halloween is one of the most holy days of the year as we believe it is the day when the veil between the world of the living and the world of the dead is the thinnest and … Continue reading