My Writing

There are more than 11 million widows and 3 million widowers in the U.S. Most are 65 or older.  Many people who have lost a partner want...

If you were suffering with a terminal illness and did not qualify for end of life medications, would you go to Switzerland? Many people...

What does your life look like in weeks?  If you could see a chart that represented 90 years of human life, where would you fall on it?...

Have you ever known a colleague in the workplace who died suddenly?   I remember when I first started a new job many years ago, a...

When I went back to work after my mom died, I did not expect such an outpouring of condolences from my staff. I was very touched by the...

With about 11 million employees in the US 65 years old or older, or about 7% of all workers, the workforce in this country has a wider...

I like the ritual of gently washing the human body after death. Jewish tradition calls this ritualized body washing and purification...

Death Literacy. This newish term keeps coming up. For me, it means we can talk about death, we can plan for our death, we can talk about...

Talking about death a lot makes me less afraid of dying. I have been leading Death Cafes online for the Elisabeth Kubler Ross Foundation...

Annika would not believe it but her TikTok videos have exceeded 40 million unique views! She doesn't know because she died.  Annika was...

I got so mad when Hospice called me a few months after my mom died for a 'grief check-in' call. My mom died 7 years ago and the call came...

The term "compressed morbidity" doesn't sound nearly as wonderful as it is. In Eastern philosophy, it refers to someone being in tune...

I don't want to die with regrets. Like you, I have no idea when death will come for me. But, I can say unequivocally, I am motivated by...

The crazy thing I want for every U.S. resident: When you register to vote or get your driver's license or register for college or the...

People equate hospice with death. If you think of the word 'Death,' you are not alone. It never ceases to amaze me that in the 50 years...

I want to gently, kindly, lovingly say 'Yes'! If your person has the time to prepare and plan and accept dying and you get to hear their...

That is my mom in the big silver urn, my sister in the blue swirly bottle and my father in the gold and blue box. Let me correct myself,...

When my mom died 5 years ago exactly, at the age of 94, she gave me one last surprise gift. It was liberation from the agonizing,...

As an End of Life Doula and Hospice Volunteer, I know of so many people who have experienced the loss of a loved one in the most dramatic...

I have often inadvertently pissed people off by speaking openly and honestly, violating the constraints and strictures of the majority...