Preparing for the End of Life

In early December I will be leading a 1-hour discussion as part of the series of Pursuit of Self-Reliance classes my Ward has been holding all this year.  After my Mom passed away in July I had commented that there were times when I could step back, almost take myself out of the situation and just observe and that it was such a learning experience.  Those experiences are what we will be talking about.

It also led me to write a booklet that I'll be using in the discussion and hopefully (cross your fingers for me folks!) publishing soon as an e-book.  Today I want to share my introduction to the book.  I've had a few people proofread the manuscript and they've all said that it was powerful and moved them because I included not just the scientific facts about the dying process but real examples from my own experience.  The feedback was that it took some of their fear away and helped them know what to expect.  Researching, writing and talking about it is a very healing thing for me to do.

This time I'm not going to offer it to you free, but I will make you a great pre-publication deal if you'd like to purchase a copy for $1.95.  (Not sure yet what the pricing will be after publication or if I'll still be able to offer it here, so this may be a very limited time kind of deal.)  Simply leave your email address/contact information in a separate comment that I will not make visible on the blog.  I'll send you my address and, once payment is received, email you the book in .PDF format.  Do likewise if you'd like to discuss having me make a presentation to your church group or civic organization about preparing for the end of life.

And now for the excerpt:

Death is a subject we all naturally shy away from.  It’s an uncomfortable and emotional thing to talk about… But it’s going to happen to every one of us.  Somewhere in that secret place deep inside we all have a goal to die well.  And each of us has a different definition of what that means and see it as a daunting task.  After all, dying is something we only do once.  We don’t get to practice for it.

That doesn’t mean we can’t do some things to prepare.  Just as each of us must come to terms with our own mortality, we also have to face the death of our loved ones.  Sometimes, as in my case, that comes with such a treasure of knowledge.  Knowledge is power.  Knowledge is freeing and can provide huge amounts of relief and assuage any guilt you may feel.  That’s why I choose to share my experience with you.

I’m going to focus on the 5 main areas that provided me with the greatest learning experiences and share information and insights that I gained as a full-time caregiver.

PHYSICALITY OF DEATH

EMOTIONS OF DYING

GETTING HELP TO DIE WELL

THE BUSINESS OF DEATH

GRIEVING WHEN A LOVED ONE DIES