Tonight was the first class of an eight week series of bereavement meetings.  The company I work for makes them available to families of our hospice patients, and, anyone in the Salt Lake Valley who is grieving the loss of a loved one. This is the fourth series of eight week get-togethers.  I’m reluctant to call them classes, because that insinuates that something is being taught.  There is a format, handouts for each week, and assignments such as journaling or activities for self-care.  It’s just that to call this a class somehow diminishes the alchemy of what takes place each week.  The classes have been small, less than 10 participants. …

The universe has a way of putting an idea or concept in front of me over and over until I finally get it. This week, it was about unmet expectations and upsets. The discussion started for me as I was driving to an appointment in rush-hour traffic, and the driver to my right would not allow me to merge in front of him and I missed my exit.  I stayed mad at a total stranger for over an hour and a half.  As I was complaining to my friend Susie, I had an aha moment; I was upset because I expected someone to behave a certain way and they did…

As a hospice chaplain, I have assisted hundreds of families with the process of writing an obituary.  Most mortuaries will provide surviving family members with obituary formats that consist of a simple fill in the blanks template that produces a perfectly acceptable result.  If all you want is the basic generic version, it can be easily achieved. The challenge comes from producing a life sketch that is engaging, and still supplies the necessary basic information.  I have a few favorites. There was the obituary where the patient who died ended up with three obituaries; one by the first wife, one by the second wife, and one written by the kids!…