What Attendees are Saying
about Une Bonne Mort 2020
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- "I was able to participate in a lot more than when at an in-person conference. The topics were great as well, especially the living funeral. Powerful weekend."
- "I loved discussion groups. This was the first online conference I have attended that was interactive in any meaningful way. For this same reason I loved the stretch and chats, the 'speed dating, and the meetup afterwards. I also thought it was a good mix of topics."
- "I appreciated the level of thought and care and heart put into the energy of the event. It felt like a safe container."
- " ... grateful for Savannah's beautiful voice and inspiration."
- "Thank you Lashanna and all the presenters -- so much love and appreciation for the work and the heart that you are all bringing to this work."
- "Thank you Daemond for pointing out that implicit bias is more dangerous than explicit. I suspected this, but it is great to have that affirmed. So much focus has gone into explicit racism in the press, and I have felt like we were missing most of it!"
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"Wow, that session with Davida was e v e r y t h i n g. I was frantically taking notes the whole time -- tysm to Davida + A Sacred Passing for making this weekend possible. My brain is sponging up the data like woah."
- "With suicidal ideation, instead of 'I want to kill myself,' I can now say, 'I'm noticing that I'm having a thought that I want to kill myself.'"
- "I love that! (Circle Breathing) So much trauma response is holding your breath, so keeping a continuous circle going is beautiful!"
- "Great session -- joy is foundational. Finding the sources can be easier than we think."
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Making the Space to Listen
By Katie Kadwell
Every Sunday I wake up early to sit by the phone, ready to listen to anyone who might need an ear. I wake up before dawn, shuffling to the bathroom in the deep black at 3:30 am.
I need to move carefully, untangling myself from the limbs of my husband and often our daughter, who usually ends up sleeping on the sofa near our heads at some point in the middle of the night.
It feels important that it’s Sunday morning, even though I’ve never been one for churchgoing, Sunday feels like a good day to create a space for the sacred act of listening, of holding another’s process up to light for them to see more clearly.
Make tea, grab my laptop, and head out to the camper next to our house, which acts as a home office. I get my laptop set up and make sure my phone is on for about the thousandth time. I’ve only gotten one call in four shifts, but it was a good call, and I continue to go over it in my head for what I could have done differently, as well as for the things I did that I feel proud of. I breathe in and out, feeling the space around me as a safe space for whoever may want to call today.
This four-hour shift has become an anchor for my week, when I set the tone for my next seven days. I feel accomplished and fulfilled at the end of the shift, even if I get no calls, because I’ve created an open, quiet space, not only for potential callers, but also for my own spirit, and in the midst of it, I’m reflecting on my own process and place in the world.
Learning to listen deeply and feel full within the silence is helping me to be more receptive and open in the rest of my life, to be more accepting and reflective with myself and others, rather than rushing to quantify, compare, or judge.
I feel truly grateful to be a part of this community.
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Non-Alcoholic Mulled Wine
- For Stove Top: Put all the ingredients in a pot (see Note 1). Simmer on low for 20 minutes. For stronger spiced flavor, simmer longer or turn it off and let it infuse for up to 1 hour).
- For Slow Cooker: Put all the ingredients in slow cooker (see Note 1) and cover with lid. Cook on LOW for 1.5 hours. Keep on WARM until ready to serve.
Notes
- Cut 1 orange into thin slices and use the second one to squeeze the juice out of it. You can also use 1 orange only. Make sure you buy organic oranges for this. If not, let them sit in hot water for 5-10 minutes and rinse under running water to get rid of any possible wax or pesticide residue.
- This recipe can be easily doubled, tripled, or halved.
- You can make this ahead of time and re-heat when needed. If you leave the spices in, they will infuse the juice more, making it stronger.
- This recipe does not call for any sugar as the cranberry juice used was sweet enough. A taste is recommended after it has been simmered, and add sugar if you feel it is needed.
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The Beauty of Death
Kahlil Gibran
Part One - The Calling
Let me sleep, for my soul is intoxicated with love and Let me rest, for my spirit has had its bounty of days and nights;
Light the candles and burn the incense around my bed, and
Scatter leaves of jasmine and roses over my body;
Embalm my hair with frankincense and sprinkle my feet with perfume,
And read what the hand of Death has written on my forehead.
Let me rest in the arms of Slumber, for my open eyes are tired;
Let the silver-stringed lyre quiver and soothe my spirit;
Weave from the harp and lute a veil around my withering heart.
Sing of the past as you behold the dawn of hope in my eyes, for It's magic meaning is a soft bed upon which my heart rests.
Dry your tears, my friends, and raise your heads as the flowers
Raise their crowns to greet the dawn.
Look at the bride of Death standing like a column of light
Between my bed and the infinite;
Hold your breath and listen with me to the beckoning rustle of
Her white wings.
Come close and bid me farewell; touch my eyes with smiling lips.
Let the children grasp my hands with soft and rosy fingers;
Let the ages place their veined hands upon my head and bless me;
Let the virgins come close and see the shadow of God in my eyes,
And hear the echo of His will racing with my breath.
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Becoming an Organ & Tissue Donor
December 2, 12-1pm (PST)
Did you know that according to the United Network for Organ Sharing, there are over 108,000 Americans on a transplant list? And 1,600 of those people are right here in Washington State!
Thinking about adding the little heart designation onto your driver's license, but have a few questions? This December we invite our members to learn more about Giving the Gift of Life.
Mary Graff from LifeCenter Northwest will be joining us to tackle those frequently asked questions (and dispel a few myths!) about organ donation. Learn about the literal life-saving work they have been doing since 1997, hear a story directly from the family of a transplant recipient ... and more!
This session is free and open to the public. Register today and reserve your seat for December 2, 12-1pm!
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Last week we had our first community member access A Place to Die. They were able to pick a safe location where they were supported by a their pod, a community volunteer, and their End of Life Washington Volunteer Client Advisor. As devastating as this loss of life was, the last couple hours of their life was in a space that was filled with honor, support, whimsy, last wishes, love, and beauty.
It was with a warm heart members of the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance emailed and thanked us for this community offering, sharing what a blessing it was for the people who needed it. The Hospice organization that the dying person was working with also shared how thankful they were for this resource.
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Do you have a space to offer? We are looking to grow this network, Washington wide.
Please know that if you have space, it's needed. The more houses we have, the easier it will be for individuals to access spaces without driving too far.
Please click the link below to Offer a Place, Seek a Place, or Volunteer to Support a Place
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Holidays can be hardest on those who are grieving, and this holiday season, nothing is or feels the same. What to do? How do we show up, or not at all? What kind of help is actually helpful?
Grief and loss leaders Alica Forneret, Chanel Reynolds, Megan Devine, and Rebecca Soffer share their expert advice and personal experience to help us all better navigate this particularly rough holiday season, when so many of us feel, or in fact are, alone.
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In June, five Black and Brown leaders in the death and dying community created a webinar, Sayin’ It Louder: A Conversation About “A Good Death” in a Racist Society. This webinar received thousands of sign-ups, live attendees, and social media shares, and was since featured in the LA Times, New York Times, and InStyle. The speakers in this webinar, and the conversation that they held, inspired our latest online course: Shifting Deathcare: Tools for a New Paradigm.
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The Listening Line is a place for folx to call and talk, where they will be met by a trained, non-medical person who will hold space and witness the words of the caller.
Learn more and volunteer:
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