The New Year is often a time for setting goals and making resolutions. While I agree this practice can be useful, it can also be disheartening, leading to feelings of failure and disappointment. The year 2017 was a bit like that for me. Beginning...
People are often surprised when they learn of my love-hate relationship with the term “Celebration of Life.” "But you're a Celebrant!" they say. "Doesn't that mean you like to celebrate?" Well, yes...and no. It depends. Let’s take a look at Google’s definition...
“How will I teach him to tie his shoelaces?” During those initial chaotic moments in the delivery room, that was my first coherent thought. His due date was July 1—Canada Day—but, fittingly, he arrived instead on the Fourth of July. Independence Day. “He will be...
As fewer and fewer North Americans seek what was once considered the norm, the ordinary funeral (often on the more "traditional" side) appears to be nearing the end of life. And there are many reasons and theories as to why this is occurring. We live in a more...
I have heard that writing a letter to someone who has died is helpful to the grief process and, while my mother is still very much alive, with every passing day, I mourn her loss. Over and over again, I am reminded, “It’s not her, it’s the disease.” And so, Dementia,...