Death

  • A Blackbird’s Song

    Did the song of a blackbird bring comfort to my dying friend? ***** “A blackbird’s song can’t stop disease, but it can offer comfort.” So believes Rachel Clarke, the author of Your Life In My Hands: A Junior Doctor’s Story… Continue reading

    A Blackbird’s Song
  • Sisters Showing Up

    “We are each other’s reference point at our turning points.” This quote from Elizabeth Fishel’s book, Sisters: Shared Histories, Lifelong Ties — a compilation of more than 150 interviews and questionnaires with more than 150 women — describes what my… Continue reading

    Sisters Showing Up
  • Showing Up — Part Two

    My mother died the way she lived — stubbornly and privately. Two weeks earlier she had suffered a catastrophic stroke with no hope for recovery. She had signed an advance directive not to start or continue life-sustaining procedures and was… Continue reading

    Showing Up — Part Two
  • Showing Up — Part One

    “I’m sad that it took the death of my dad to re-connect us.” Three weeks ago on a late Thursday afternoon, I received an email from a former client from whom I hadn’t heard in nearly 13 years. “Hi Sharon… Continue reading

    Showing Up — Part One