Who is this for and who am I?

Who is this for?

Honestly, I believe that this work is relevant to everyone. Working in hospice with patients and families of all ages, walks of life and beliefs showed me that being open about these questions ~ to whatever degree you are able in the moment ~ helps bring about awareness, understanding, and oftentimes a sense of peace. There is no one right or wrong way to embark on the journey towards death. What is included here are questions and resources that serve as tools to help you identify what holds meaning for you on your own journey.

However, as a single woman, a single lesbian specifically, much of what I will share about relates to how women and lesbian or bisexual women can empower themselves to make decisions about their life and final days.

Who am I?

I am an Interfaith Chaplain, who is deeply spiritual and also quite irreverent at times. I am a practicing Buddhist, have a fondness for Christianity in a way that I never predicted when I was younger and had “rejected” that Christianity or organized religion could offer me.

I believe in giving others the space and tools to discover what holds meaning for them based on the book by Richard Groves found here.  And, the only thing I will preach to you about is the preciousness of your life. Yes, you! Your life matters and is precious! Which means, how you plan for your final days matters as well.

I am passionate and nerdy about research and statistics. Specifically, I often find myself reading articles, journals and reports that illuminate the impact financially, physically, emotionally and legally of being a woman in the US. In particular, the impact being a lesbian or bisexual woman.

I am passionate about having discussions about death and dying, hearing people’s stories, and prefer to go deep rather than simply scratch the surface.  You will also find me reading books about death and dying and one of my favorite movies is Life as a House with Kevin Kline.

Lastly, I have struggled with depression most of my life, survived a suicide attempt as a teenager and have had cancer.  Recently, after a bout with depression, I went through a several week period following an abnormal test result where I questioned if something was missed during surgery in 2010….

During that time, I found myself contemplating the question “What would it look like if I lived as if I was dying?”

Thus, this blog was born. Welcome!