Have you heard of the biocasket? –The environmentally friendly funeral casket that biodegrades over time to become a part of the soil surrounding it. It’s a product that does not use glues, metals, toxic-based inks, photographic materials, lacquers, varnishes…but uses woven natural materials (wicker, bamboo, willow, banana leaf, hemp) untreated jute, recycled paper and natural […]

Whether an anticipated death like that of Farrah Fawcett who’s battle with cancer was shared with millions of people on May 15, 2009 in a two-hour documentary called Farrah’s Story, or the personal battle of a close family member, or a sudden death like Cindy’s or Larry’s, or the grief of something intangible, none are […]

The impending death of a parent is a ‘big picture’ wakeup call. As we watch our parents deteriorate physically, and maybe mentally, we think of ourselves and wonder what will happen to us as we age. And our roles change. Sometimes they are the glue that holds a family together…a reason to get together for […]

On July 26th, 2007, the New England Journal of Medicine published an article by Dr. David Dosa…a true story about Oscar, the 2-year-old cat that was providing companionship to dying people in Providence, Rhode Island dementia ward. But more than that, Oscar has an uncanny knack for predicting when nursing home patients are going to […]

Do you have a loved one who is entering his/her final stage and life and want to know more about what changes to expect? Do you want to know more about how you can help your beloved prepare for his/her death? Or how to help a family member cope? Do you want more information about […]

Organ donation—such a personal issue involving so many ethical and moral considerations! Every case is unique…indeed, no two are the same…and how often do we really know enough about a situation from the media to be making a judgment about a case? Sometimes facts become distorted and people are misrepresented. And aren’t such matters a […]

A mother sits at the window, sipping tea, and contemplating her younger daughter’s upcoming birthday near the beginning of April. Springtime—a time of renewal, a time of perennial rebirth. She knows this should be a joyous time. But instead there is a pang of fear in this mother’s heart. All too soon…at the end of […]

“Did you see Oreo’s belly? When she came up the stairs her belly looked big. Have a look,” my husband implored. (That request was shared a little more than two weeks ago, on a Tuesday. And today, astonishingly, that one-year-old, black-and-white, short haired angel of a cat named Oreo is gone from this world. It […]

She simply sat there; her eyes semi-closed and her pupils hugely dilated even in broad daylight making them appear as large black glassy pools, looking up at me, like I had the answers. Her face was gaunt like the rest of her bony body (except for her large and uncomfortable looking belly). I walked over […]

Here is a story that has varying versions for the beginning as people have adapted it to themselves (Thanks for passing this version on to me Ken): I arrived at the address where someone had requested a taxi. I honked but no one came out. I honked again, nothing. So I walked to the door […]