Rossmoor End of Life Concerns Club

Jim Greenberg, President EOLCC

President’s Musings

The Changing of the Seasons of My Mind

Jim Greenberg

Last night I dreamed

a mountain stream ran

inside my heart.

A year of seasons

collapsed into the brief

electric music of the mind—

how long it truly lasted

I will never know.

Ice loosened,

a thin rivulet fed by scatterings

of melt and memory,

quickening,

until spring painted the banks

from ash to green.

Summer rose to a hum—

wings, burrows, feathers, fur—

each small life bracing itself

to cross the widening rush.

Then cooling air slowed the surge.

Leaves fell,

soft hands upon the current,

never stopping it,

only teaching it patience.



And still the water moved

as winter returned,

quiet, enduring,

flowing on

inside my heart.

Jim Greenberg, President EOLCC

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CLUB PRESIDENT JIM GREENBERG AND BESS CHOSAK, DEATH CAFE CO-FACILiTATORS

The Rossmoor Death Café will meet on March 13, 3:30-5:00 PM in the Vista Room at the Hillside Clubhouse.

Though not a grief support or therapy group, our Death Café offers a safe place for participants to bring up such end-of-life issues as Advanced Healthcare Directives, how to talk about final plans and wishes with your family, and other late life concerns.

Richard Naegle opened the gathering with this poem.

When Someone Deeply Listens To You

When someone deeply listens to you it is like holding out a dented cup you've had since childhood and watching it fill up with cold, fresh water.

When it balances on top of the brim, you are understood.

When it overflows and touches your skin, you are loved.

When someone deeply listens to you the room where you stay starts a new life

and the place where you wrote your first poem begins to glow in your mind's eye.

It is as if gold has been discovered!

When someone deeply listens to you your bare-feet are on the earth and a beloved land that seemed distant is now at home within you.

— John Fox

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Film Monday, March 16, 1:00 PM Peacock Theater, Gateway

Away From Her (2006) is a Canadian drama staring Julie Christie and Gordon Pinsent, about a long-married couple whose relationship is tested by the wife's Alzheimer's disease.

This event is open to all Rossmoor residents.

Bill Patten, Film Chair

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A Special Two Part Series: Wednesday, April 22 and 29, 1 PM, Room 2, Gateway

Living with Loss and Finding Light

By Marcia Liberson MSW, MPH

“Living with Loss and Finding Light” is a new 2-part course offered by the End of Life Concerns Club on April 22 and April 29 from 1-3 p.m. in Multipurpose Room 2 at Gateway. The course, based on the Wise Aging Curriculum created by Linda Thal, PhD. and Rabbi Rachel Cowan, will be taught by Rossmoor resident Marcia Liberson, MSW, MPH.

“Living with Loss and Finding Light” is non-denominational and includes many forms of spirituality such as poetry, meditation, readings, reflection. These will be starting points for our conversations on “appreciating our complexity, accepting our limitations, and developing a new kind of inner confidence and wisdom.” 

Although the class does not function as a bereavement support group, we will acknowledge the challenges of aging and loss but also take time to explore ways of finding new joy and meaning in life so we can still lead rich and loving lives.

For questions, please email Marcia Liberson at Bubbe2799@gmail.com. This class is limited to 24 members and tends to fill up quickly. Registration closes April 13. 

You must be willing to engage in class discussions and be able to attend both sessions. The class is free for 2026 paid members of the End of Life Concerns Club and priority will be given to them. The cost for nonmembers is $50.

To inquire about your EOLCC membership status, or to become a member, contact Membership Chair Marley Middlebrook at marleypsyd@me.com.

Marcia Liberson, MSW, MPH is a retired Medical Ethicist and social worker specializing in end-of-life care, death and dying. She is a facilitator of the Wise Aging Curriculum in Rossmoor and at local synagogues. She serves as Program Chair on the Board of Rossmoor’s End of Life Concerns Club.

Marcia Liberson, Program Chair

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From the Rossmoor Giving Tree Club and Cecilia Wambach

Ending Your Own Life: A Talk by Jim Van Buskirk

Ten years ago, California’s Death with Dignity Act made it legal for patients to request—and physicians to prescribe—life-ending medications. Other options include Voluntarily Stopping Eating and Drinking (VSED), Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) at various Swiss clinics, and the Final Exit Network (FEN) which grew out of the Hemlock Society and supports those who want to hasten their own deaths by thoughtful, intentional suicide. 

The Rossmoor Giving Tree Club will host a talk by Jim Van Buskirk on Monday, March 30, 3:30-5:00pm in the Fireside Room. Van Buskirk, a supporter of the right-to-die movement, is the author of There At The End: Voices from Final Exit Network.

Van Buskirk will focus on what FEN does, how it addresses the needs of clients who are not terminally ill, and how you can learn more about the process. The charge is $10.

For more information contact Marny Hall (marnyhall@gmail.com) or Cecelia Wambach (ccwamba@yahoo.com).

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Club Website, Please Visit!

 https://www.rossmooreolcc.org/

Our lending library is open to currently paid-up members. We have more than 20 titles available. To access the available titles, go to our website. Titles with an asterisk are available for borrowing.

For information, or to borrow a book, please contact Jim Greenberg, EOLCC President.

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Marley Middlebrook, Membership Chair

2026 MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL

As a reminder, we offer programs related to issues of concern such as when we can no longer live alone, preparing Health Care Directives, filling out POLST forms and understanding MAiD (Medical Aid in Dying). We also present films with themes of death and dying and send out a monthly newsletter.

Your membership renewals support our expenses which include offering you free of charge informative publications about death and dying, presentations by knowledgeable speakers, feature films, room rentals, and maintaining our website.

Please make check payable to EOLCC. Options for renewal include dropping off your renewal at the Gateway mail slot, next Death Cafe, program or film. If you prefer postal mail, send to the Membership Chair at the following address:

EOLCC

Marley Middlebrook

5954 Autumnwood Dr 2A

Walnut Creek, CA 94595

Thank you,

Marley Middlebrook

marleypsyd@me.com or (925) 385-0336

Jim Greenberg, President

endoflifeconcerns@gmail.com

(412) 736-2317