The first time I saw this photo last fall, it took my breath away. I just felt hushed and could sense the stillness of the scene. I originally saw it while reading my In Defense of Animal’s newsletter. Here is IDA’s story about Dorothy’s passing in September 2008.

Currently, the photo of Dorothy being grieved by her companions is circulating around the world, in the Telegraph article and National Geographic’s November issue. I wonder what kind of international dialogue will spring up around it.

If you take a look, I am curious to hear your thoughts.

Kristine

Last week I got a call from a TV Producer researching  trends in green burial and family-led home funerals. We enjoyed an open and engaging dialogue. She mentioned how she and her colleagues have discussed the topic for a few months.

More and more people are considering and even talking about (!) simpler, more meaningful after-death care and burial alternatives. I observe people seeking more personal relevance, less impact on family finances and more earth friendliness than what they usually find in today’s standard funeral practices. A recent USA Today article about the green burial trend in South Dakota reads, “People, especially baby boomers, are seeking a return to simpler times, simpler practices.” Wendell Thompson’s quote in this article nails it:

“I want something simple, dignified and environmentally sound.”

I serve as a Life Cycle Celebrant and Home Funeral Guide to help this dialogue flourish in southern Arizona. Based on training and first-hand work I’ve completed, I believe how profoundly meaningful and surprisingly achievable after-death care within families and communities is, when it fits for people.

The TV Producer’s questions indicated she is not just skimming the surface of this subject.  I hope her research efforts lead to an awareness-building production. If folks in Beverly Hills are exploring ways we can more meaningfully handle after-death care and the funeral process – and thoughtfully highlight the theme on TV somehow – I am encouraged.

Meanwhile, onward with the positive trend!

In love,

Kristine

P.S. Next week I head to California, to complete four days of home funeral guide training with Jerrigrace Lyons of Final Passages. I am humbled with the opportunity to weave what I learn into my services at Sweetgrass. I’ll let you know how the weekend goes.

I am recharged and ready to revise a draft mother blessing ceremony this week.

I spent the weekend camping with friends, south of Arivaca, Arizona. We hiked, ate stone soup, sang by the fire, laughed and told stories. Did I mention yet that I love hearing and telling stories? Well, yes. And I love poetry, too. (A good thing, because stories and poems are two of my richest resources as a weaver of ceremonies!)

While camping, mother nature reminded me why I am often inspired by Mary Oliver’s poetry. As I viewed an inky night sky through my tent window, seeing a sparkling moon rise over the mountains, I thought of her poem When (from the Fall 2009 Parabola). If you haven’t read her work, it gives you a good taste:

When it’s over, it’s over, and we don’t know

any of us, what happens then.

So I try not to miss anything.

I think, in my whole life, I have never missed

the full moon

or the slipper of its coming back.

Or, a kiss.

Well yes, especially a kiss.

Mmmmm, a kiss! If you already know her work, do you have any favorite Mary Oliver poems you would like to share?

Kristine

I am a Life Cycle Celebrant.

I compose and lead celebrations for a full spectrum of major life events. We are all familiar with the ‘big three’: birth, marriage and death. Pause for a second though – to ponder the other major events we may experience. Just to name a few: adopting a child, empty nesting, surviving illness, aging or moving an elderly parent into a care facility. Traditionally, our culture does not recognize these passages with either ritual or ceremony. We usually go through the motions, just suck it up and get ready for the next day of work.

Alternatively, we can choose to acknowledge events outside the ‘big three’ with meaningful ceremonies, to simply help us grasp what is truly happening. In some instances, this may occur within spiritual communities or churches, like the story below . If you do not participate in either, you might consider creating a customized celebration with Sweetgrass Ceremonies. (Yes. ;~D A shameless little nudge in a creative direction!)

Take an adoption blessing for example, where parents of a newly adopted child mark their transition into family status. Actress Nia Vardalos wrote a heart felt post about her own experience with her newly formed family and adopted daughter. I love Nia’s concluding words:

“Curiously, we humans seem to need these rituals to get things into our skulls. There isn’t just one reason we need these rites. Sometimes we need to witness, sometimes we need the catharsis. That ceremony on that day was healing and more importantly, helped it sink in that I am a parent, no matter how my child came to me.”

Good food for thought on a few levels!

Kristine