May 2020 – End of Life University

Welcome to this weekly bonus series of brief stories designed to touch your heart and offer you comfort, joy, laughter, and inspiration as we face uncertain times together! Remember always to choose LOVE over fear!

Story 12: There’s something greater than us

There’s something greater than us

Featured Verse from The Tao of Death by Karen Wyatt

Verse 25

There is something greater than all the laws of Nature –
greater even than the Universe itself.
It exists outside of time,
perfect in its serenity, emptiness and wholeness.
It will never change and never die.
It is the source of all creation and all creativity.
We have no name for this infinite source and so we call it
The Way of Death.
The Way of Death exists within all things,
gives Life to all things, and
returns everything back to the original source.
The ancients say that there are four great powers in existence:
the Creative Force,
the Universe,
the Earth,
and Humankind.
Humankind must yield to the laws of the Earth.
The Earth must yield to the laws of the Universe.
The Universe must yield to the laws of the Creative Force.
The Creative Force operates through the Way of Death.

EOLPodcast

Ep. 248 The Human Journey: A Game for Families Facing Change with Sara Schneider PhD

May 25, 2020May 20, 2020 kwyattmd

Learn about an innovative game that helps families improve communication and face grief and change together.

My guest Sara Schneider is trained as a performance anthropologist and also has a background in writing and directing for the theatre. She is the creator of a unique game titled The Human Journey® which helps families and support groups develop the capacity for meaning-making and communication skills in the heart of change. Sara will discuss how this game can help families deal with grief in the face of change and loss. Learn more at her website:

www.the-human-journey.com

Listen here:

This episode includes:

How games and storytelling can be helpful for healing
How the Hero’s/Heroine’s Journey informs our personal and societal storytelling
The 3 “acts” of The Human Journey:
- I: the struggles and strengths dealt to us in life
- II: the hard decisions we have had to make in life
- III: re-imagining the future
How COVID-19 may be calling all of us to a “Hero’s Journey” to rediscover our interconnectedness
How families can play The Human Journey game in person and virtually to help them communicate and heal
How the game can benefit families with a loved one in hospice and who are distant from one another
Why a facilitator or “conductor” is necessary for the game
How to get training to be a conductor for the game and lead people through it

Links mentioned in this episode:

Get my book: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying
My YouTube Channel: End-of-Life University
YouTube videos:
- Suzanne O’Brien
- Alexandra Wenman
Learn more about The Human Journey
Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and get access to the EOLU mug: “Mind if we talk about death?” (only Patrons can purchase it). PLUS get our new bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously!

If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes! Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu! Your contributions make all the difference!

EOLPodcast, Spirituality

BONUS 11: Love Over Fear – Stories for Precarious Times

May 22, 2020May 21, 2020 kwyattmd

Story 11: To everything there is a season

To everything there is a season

Featured Verse: Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

End of Life, EOLPodcast

Ep. 247 Reimagining Death During the COVID-19 Pandemic with Lucinda Herring

May 18, 2020May 16, 2020 kwyattmd

Learn some new strategies for coping with after-death care needs at a time when the funeral industry is overwhelmed.

My guest Lucinda Herring is a home funeral and green burial consultant and guide and a licensed funeral director in the state of Washington. She is the author of Reimagining Death: Stories and Practical Wisdom for Home Funerals and Green Burials and will share with us how to rethink home funerals and green burials during this time of change due to the coronavirus. Learn more at her website:

www.lucindaherring.com

Listen here:

Reimagining Death During the COVID-19 Pandemic

This episode includes:

The work of a home funeral/green burial guide
What happens when funeral directors are overwhelmed during the pandemic
How some home funeral practices can benefit families who are dealing with unplanned deaths at home
How being in the presence of the dead can be a gift
Tips for shifting energy in the room after a loved one has died
- Clean and straighten the room
- Open windows
- Bring in flowers and candles
- Play music
- Cover the body with a lovely cloth or scarf
How creativity strengthens and heals us during difficult situations
How to “companion” dying loved ones at a distance
Why green burial could be a good alternative to traditional burial right now
How to find out where green burial grounds are located

COVID-19 is forcing us to re-weave death into our lives and into our medical system.”

Links mentioned in this episode:

Get my book: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying
YouTube videos:
- Suzanne O’Brien
- Alexandra Wenman
Get Lucinda’s book: Reimagining Death
Get Lucinda’s Audiobook here
Previous interview with Lucinda: Episode 190
Sign up for Lucinda’s email list and receive Checklist for Planning a Home Funeral/Green Burial
National Home Funeral Alliance website
NHFA Pandemic Resources
Ann Hoffner’s book: The Natural Burial Cemetery Guide
Green Burial Council website
Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and get access to the EOLU mug: “Mind if we talk about death?” (only Patrons can purchase it). PLUS get our new bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously!

If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes! Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest Patrons Bob Hoffman, Elizabeth Coplan, and Patty Emmitt! Your contributions make all the difference!

EOLPodcast, Spirituality, Tragedy

BONUS 10: Love Over Fear – Stories for Precarious Tims

May 15, 2020 kwyattmd

Story 10: What Life is Bringing Me Now

What Life is Bringing Me Now

Featured Quote:

Viktor Frankl – Man’s Search for Meaning pp. 98-99

What was really needed was a fundamental change in our attitude toward life. We had to learn ourselves and, furthermore, we had to teach the despairing men, that it did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us. … Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual. … When a man finds that it is his destiny to suffer, he will have to accept his suffering as his task; his single and unique task. He will have to acknowledge the fact that even in suffering he is unique and alone in the universe. No one can relieve him of his suffering or suffer in his place His unique opportunity lies in the way in which he bears his burden.”
Viktor Frankl

EOLPodcast, Grief

Ep. 246 Mother’s Day Grief Dialogues for Motherless Daughters with Elizabeth Coplan

May 10, 2020May 10, 2020 kwyattmd

Learn how stories heal grief in this special episode for Mother’s Day.

My guest Elizabeth Coplan is a playwright, educator and speaker who created the non-profit Grief Dialogues where she uses theatre as the artistic expression to open new conversations about dying, death, and grief. Today, on Mother’s Day, we will talk about the grief experience of motherless daughters and she will share some stories from Grief Dialogues: The Book. Stories of Love and Loss. Learn more at her website:

www.griefdialogues.com

Listen here:

This episode includes:

How Elizabeth used writing to work through her own grief issues
How stories help us heal grief
The unique grief of motherless daughters
How Grief Dialogues is reaching out to healthcare professionals to address grief
Two stories from the book Grief Dialogues:
- I am a Marionette by Megan Vered
- Grief is Like Swimming in the Middle of the Ocean (and I hate the ocean) by Alica Forneret
How to submit your own story to Grief Dialogues

Out of grief comes art.”
Motto of GriefDialogues.com

Links mentioned in this episode:

Pre-order 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying – learn more here
Get Grief Dialogues: The Book
Link to Share Your Story with Elizabeth
Virtual events for Motherless Mother’s Day (and more) LetsReimagine.org
Book: Motherless Daughters by Hope Edelman
Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and get access to the EOLU mug: “Mind if we talk about death?” (only Patrons can purchase it). PLUS get our new bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously!

EOLPodcast, Grief

Special Episode: Vigil for Those Who are Grieving

May 9, 2020May 8, 2020 kwyattmd

On the ninth of each month we have been called to hold space in our communities on life, death and transformation by ObservetheNinth.org. Today’s vigil will honor those who are grieving. May it bring you peace and comfort.

Vigil for Those Who are Grieving

EOLPodcast, Spirituality

BONUS 9: Love Over Fear – Stories for Precarious Times

May 8, 2020May 15, 2020 kwyattmd

Story 9: Every Life is Precious

Every Life is Precious

Featured Poem:

Shoulders by Naomi Shihab Nye

A man crosses the street in rain,

stepping gently, looking two times north and south,

because his son is asleep on his shoulder.

No car must splash him.

No car drive too near to his shadow.

This man carries the world’s most sensitive cargo

but he’s not marked.

Nowhere does his jacket say FRAGILE,

HANDLE WITH CARE.

His ear fills up with breathing.

He hears the hum of a boy’s dream

deep inside him.

We’re not going to be able

to live in this world

if we’re not willing to do what he’s doing

with one another.

The road will only be wide.

The rain will never stop falling.

End of Life, EOLPodcast

Ep. 245 Virtual Funerals and Memorials: Innovation for Now and the Future with Noha Waibsnaider

May 4, 2020May 4, 2020 kwyattmd

Learn how online platforms are helping families gather for funerals and memorials during this time of isolation due to COVID-19.

My guest Noha Waibsnaider is the co-founder and CEO of GatheringUs, an online platform where communities can gather after the death of a loved one and create a memorial page or schedule an event. Her team helps people create customized ceremonies and gatherings to honor their loved ones and share comfort and support. After a very successful first year of business, Gathering Us is available at the perfect time right now to help families separated by the global pandemic come together in a meaningful way. Learn more at the website:

www.gatheringus.com

Listen here:

Virtual Funerals and Memorials

This episode includes:

The inspiration behind GatheringUs
One way in which virtual funerals can be better than in-person events
How a virtual funeral is conducted
How virtual funerals lend themselves to unique and creative celebrations
How virtual “reception rooms” facilitate more intimate sharing during the event
Why virtual funerals are likely to part of traditional funerals in the future after COVID-19
Why commemorations for our loved ones are especially important during this time of separation
How online memorial pages can help families deal with grief over time
“Grief Soup”: How to balance personal grief with overwhelming communal grief

Links mentioned in this episode:

Pre-order my book: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying
Interview on White Shores Podcast with Theresa Cheung
Interview on A Light in the Dark with Egan Orion
GatheringUs website
Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and get access to the EOLU mug: “Mind if we talk about death?” (only Patrons can purchase it). PLUS get our new bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously!

If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes! Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest Patron Alan Leon! Your contributions make all the difference!