If only I had done such-and-such sooner. If only I hadn’t done such-and-such at all. If only I hadn’t said such an awful thing. Why couldn’t I have said I was so, so sorry? Why couldn’t I admit my mistakes? Why did I waste so much time staying? Why didn’t I leave sooner? Why didn’t …
By 2050, 19 million people will be 85 or older in this country. I will be age 97 in 2050 and I am certain that I will have passed to the great beyond by that milestone. Thank God. No one in my family has approached a century of living: my mother died at 80 and …
In a previous blog, I addressed my solitary ordeal in a wilderness: sliding into a severe clinical depression. I agree with author and activist, Parker Palmer that “embracing the mystery of one’s depression, illness, addiction, or trauma does not mean passivity or resignation. It means that we are to understand that we are descending toward …
Earlier in the summer, I promised readers a narrative on how God suffered with me during one of the toughest times of my life. After spending June and July travelling to see my kids, grandchildren, and working on my hospice manuscript, I am back to my blog. Here is an excerpt from a short story …
I would’ve never thought that home could seem like a wilderness: A place of confinement . . . . a solitary ordeal . . . foreign and suffocating. My home was always an oasis: a place of refuge from the world and a sanctuary of refreshment and peace. It was light and airy and brimming …
“We are all weathered by the seasons of life and gain serenity from surviving them all.” ~Franciscan Priest Richard Rohr Today I address the spiritual tasks of the latest stages of life: the “winter season.” Gerontologists tell us that there are three stages of being elderly: the first stage is ages 65-74, the second stage …
My collaboration with the Griffon String Quartet in early January was delightful for all of us: the Seniors from Scandia Village, the staff from WriteOn Door County, and caretakers. I was in Fish Creek for an opportunity to write in solitude for seven days. A treat. It was my first Writing Residency. I loved being …
When the Body Is Dying: Pain Meds, Fear, and Courage My guest author for this month is Barbara Karnes, RN. Barbara is a hospice pioneer and an award-winning, end-of-life (EOL) Educator, Author, and Speaker. She has authored six booklets on the dying experience that many end-of-life care providers rely on. Barbara received a nursing degree …
Is it really that difficult to find a hospice? Yes, it can be. It can be an overwhelming search for the totally uninitiated. And let’s face it, we are all uninitiated until we get that sobering life-limiting diagnosis or actual terminal prognosis. Remember what it was like sorting through all of the options available for …
All nursing home medical charts begin with what is called the “face page.” I flip through the binder to a photo of my newly-admitted hospice patient. It could pass for a mug shot: the stoic-looking woman stares out beyond the page, her strong jaw set in subtle defiance. Thin, white strands of hair are pulled …