Do you ever find yourself surprised by surprise? Recently, while reading Belonging by Toko-pa Turner, I had an out-loud “huh” moment that caused me to shut the book for a long pause. In a passage about journeying through exile, Turner writes, “The initiated adult has learned to withstand uncertainty, has paid a debt to the… Continue reading The Eventual Ancestor
A written interview originally published by Mystic Mag How long have you been supporting people through grief and loss as an end-of-life doula? What first drew you to this path? I began my journey as a postpartum doula in 2009, and a few years later, expanded my path to become a childbirth educator and birth… Continue reading Holding Hands Through Life’s Thresholds
In many shamanic societies, if you came to a medicine person complaining of being disheartened, dispirited, or depressed, they would ask one of four questions: When did you stop dancing? When did you stop singing? When did you stop being enchanted by stories? When did you stop being comforted by the sweet territory of silence?… Continue reading Grief Art
There's a special mailbox tucked into a quiet walking trail in quaint Hinesburg, Vermont. For more than a decade, its origin story was unknown. In 2020, the person who originally installed it finally fessed up. It was Barry Lampke. He'd been missing the connection he had shared with his father before his death. They used… Continue reading Immortal Mail
Recently, my daughter and I were watching Grey's Anatomy. The character Mark Sloan (played by Eric Dane) slipped into a coma following an end-of-life "rally," or final burst of energy. The cast of clinicians then discussed Sloan's advance directives. He had requested to end life-prolonging interventions if there were no signs of recovery after 30 days.A… Continue reading Side Doors to Tough Talks: How to Approach Planning Conversations about the End of Life
Francesca Lynn Arnoldy 