My client AL’s father lived in a memory care community. It was a decision made in his best interest by her entire family. Still, AL struggled with guilt. Her mother had died at home, with her. It seemed unfair her father couldn’t do the same. But he had dementia. And he was a large man with a …
Your older sister had a meltdown because you never called to thank her for lunch. (But you said thank you when she dropped you off!) Your brother’s aggravated because you bailed on watching Casablanca with him and Dad today. (But your son finally has a day off to help you haul your parents’ old furniture to …
Ever have one of those days when you want to scream at an inanimate object? Like, for instance, a bed? That was me, standing in my father-in-law’s guest bedroom. His house was under contract. He’d put it on the market with hopes of moving to a nice condo in Florida. But when a heart problem landed him suddenly in …
I make caramel brownies every Christmas. You start with a cake mix, then add caramel, chocolate, pecans, and butter. LOTS of butter. Mom used to make these for every family gathering. The printed recipe itself is practically a family heirloom. Back in the 1980s, Mom clipped it from a bag of chocolate chips, taped it to an …
Alone in my own house, while the virus surges through the country, my mind wanders to dark places. Will my father’s care community become a hotspot? What if the economy goes so far south our family loses everything? What If one of us has to die alone? What if, what if, what if? This pandemic thing is …
How do we keep our loved ones close after they’ve passed? End-of-life doula Jim Brulé believes stories are one of the best ways to stay connected to loved ones. Collections of stories can become beloved family legacies passed down through generations. Jim is a spiritual storyteller and teacher, known in the Jewish tradition as a …