Tag: death

Meditation on death, impermanence and post traumatic stress

fall leaves death, impermanence

Update 2026: on death and impermanence...death became part of my life earlier than it does for many people. I started losing friends and people I loved in highschool. One of my closest friends died of AIDS when I was 21. That led me to work in hospice with many young dying people in San Francisco by the time I was 23. That led to my first social work position. Working with folks with HIV and AIDS at the beginning of that cruel epidemic that took so many young, vibrant lives. It shaped me. Death remains something familiar and has always been part of my work.

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Grieving and praising life are twins

griefwalker documentary cover

I've been sitting vigil with my dying kitty for about 24 hours now. I have not slept. She has consistently needed tending to as she can no longer stand but clearly indicates a need to move and shift her body that she might be comfortable. This is precious, delicious time. ....

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Grief is the human angel in the world

fresco of angle in over window

Grief is the human angel in the world. Grief is not in the order of despair, depression, you know, “I give up.” Grief is the deep getting of it, and the deep being gotten by it. Grief is the willingness to be claimed by a story bigger than the one you wish for. So in that sense grief is a willingness to know. That’s what it is. Grief is the human angel in the world. ....

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Living after loss: the Adventure of Grief

I'd like to note that the message in this video can be generalized to all kinds of loss and trauma too. Not just the loss of a loved one.

We must feel our emotions!! And embrace all of life! Psychiatry is a whole field of medicine dedicated to the suppression of emotions and the darkness of our psyches. The healing involved in coming out of decades of this suppression is phenomenally difficult and perhaps sometimes impossible. This is why I do the work I do, that people today learn to embrace their lives rather than drug it away. If you block the negative emotions you in turn block all the positive emotions. … [click on title for the rest of the post]

Grief: a love story

A Japanese artist travels to the salt flats of western Utah to discuss life, death, rebirth, and making art from salt.

Rest in peace my sweet little Pippin

Pippin 2002 - 2012 Our pets lives and deaths are reminders of the nature of impermanence. So much joy they give us, I want to now celebrate that and not the last part of her life which was so difficult after she went blind. Pippin has been with us since we moved to North Carolina.... Continue Reading →

Fear and death: how it’s all part of life

person in death reaper costume posing in abandoned office for fear of death

For to fear death, my friends, is only to think ourselves wise without really being wise, for it is to think that we know what we do not know. For no one knows whether death may not be the greatest good that can happen to man.”― Plato, Apology “Just as when we come into the world, when... Continue Reading →

Compassion and the true meaning of empathy

Buddhist roshi Joan Halifax works with people at the last stage of life (in hospice and on death row). She shares what she's learned about compassion in the face of death and dying, and a deep insight into the nature of empathy. These insights touch all of us regardless of stage of life or the... Continue Reading →

A child is murdered — psychotropic drugs used instead of care part of the dark story

Here we see Fred Grimm call a spade a spade in the Miami Herald: Calling the death of Gabriel Myers a ''suicide'' lets his killers off the hook. The 7-year-old was propelled by a vast conspiracy of abuse and neglect and malpractice. The boy only finished the job on April 15, when he locked himself... Continue Reading →

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Happy Birthday dear dear brother (in memorium)

My brother died a year and a half ago due to complications related to the treatment of his cancer. I left this comment (edited) on another blog the other day: My brother died of cancer almost a year and a half ago. I associate Easter with him as well because his birthday is on April... Continue Reading →

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A small anecdote from my life—about death

I left this in a comment on a Buddhist blog I ran across. The topic was on death and how nothing happens when you die. This story I share doesn't actually respond directly to the post but it was triggered by some of the comments after the post. I thought I would share it here.... Continue Reading →

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