Death Cafe profile for Laura Lyster-Mensh - HCC
Location: United States
http://congressionalcemetery.org/
About Laura Lyster-Mensh - HCC:
Death Doula in residence for 2023 at Historic Congressional Cemetery in Washington DC
What brings you to Death Cafe?
Gratitude.
What would you like your legacy to be?
Started a few good conversations, kept a sense of humor, and ate some good cake.
Contact Laura Lyster-Mensh - HCC
Laura Lyster-Mensh - HCC's posts on the Death Cafe website
Death Cafe write up: Death Cafe Capitol Hill
Posted by Laura Lyster-Mensh - HCC on Aug. 9, 2023, 9:06 a.m.
The second Death Cafe of 2023 at Congressional Cemetery drew two dozen people on a gorgeous spring evening. We split the group as the numbers rose and half met in the chapel and half outdoors. Participants enjoyed sweet treats offered by Congressional Cemetery staff and baked goods from participants.
Both groups had lively conversation touching on: letting go of expectations of reconciliation and ways to find conciliation before and after death of a loved one with whom the relationship was challenging, having conversation about dying and death with family and friends who are reluctant to speak on the topic, suicide as an option for the terminally ill, the ...
Death Cafe write up: Washington DC Congressional Cemetery Death Cafe
Posted by Laura Lyster-Mensh - HCC on Aug. 9, 2023, 9:02 a.m.
Our 4th death cafe of the year was held on August 8 in the cemetery’s historic chapel. The weather was warm but a welcome cooler respite from recent steamy and stormy evenings here in Washington DC. The cemetery staff put out a lovely spread of sweet treats, and iced tea to welcome participants. As always a few curious dogs ran into the building to see what was going on.
Twenty or so people gathered in a circle in the one-room chapel led by guest facilitator, Liz Gregg, a longtime Capitol Hill resident and end-of-life doula who works at Capitol Hill Village as Director of Volunteer and Care ...
Death Cafe: Washington DC Congressional Cemetery Death Cafe
Posted by Laura Lyster-Mensh - HCC on July 9, 2023, 3:20 p.m.
With Congressional Cemetery
Dec. 12, 2023, 6.00 p.m. - 7.30 p.m. (EDT)
Accepts donations
Join us for our every-other-month death cafes in the cemetery chapel.
Death Cafe: Washington DC Congressional Cemetery Death Cafe
Posted by Laura Lyster-Mensh - HCC on July 9, 2023, 3:19 p.m.
With Congressional Cemetery
Oct. 10, 2023, 6.00 p.m. - 7.30 p.m. (EDT)
Accepts donations
Join us for our every-other-month death cafes in the cemetery chapel.
Death Cafe: Washington DC Congressional Cemetery Death Cafe
Posted by Laura Lyster-Mensh - HCC on July 9, 2023, 3:03 p.m.
With Congressional Cemetery
Aug. 8, 2023, 6.00 p.m. - 7.30 p.m. (EDT)
Accepts donations
Join us for our every-other-month death cafes in the cemetery chapel.
Death Cafe write up: Capitol Hill Death Cafe
Posted by Laura Lyster-Mensh - HCC on June 15, 2023, 2:25 p.m.
We met in the cemetery chapel again this month, with a circle of about 20 people including both regular and first time participants. Our facilitator, Valoria Walker, convened the gathering with an invitation to fully feel our emotions as they came up. Topics evolved, including: the need to do better supporting families facing a death, fresh grief re-surfacing after a long time, new technologies for caring for bodies after death, differing cultural views of death, the role of rituals, finding respect across different spiritual and atheist belief systems, and signs we see from those beyond the grave. Our host, Congressional Cemetery, provided sweet treats and beverages, and tissues ...
With Congressional Cemetery
June 13, 2023, 6.00 p.m. - 7.30 p.m. (Eastern US)
Accepts donations
Death Cafe write up: Death Cafe Capitol Hill
Posted by Laura Lyster-Mensh - HCC on April 17, 2023, 4:55 p.m.
The second Death Cafe of 2023 at Congressional Cemetery drew two dozen people on a gorgeous spring evening. We split the group as the numbers rose and half met in the chapel and half outdoors. Participants enjoyed sweet treats offered by Congressional Cemetery staff and baked goods from participants.
Both groups had lively conversation touching on: letting go of expectations of reconciliation and ways to find conciliation before and after death of a loved one with whom the relationship was challenging, having conversation about dying and death with family and friends who are reluctant to speak on the topic, suicide as an option for the terminally ill, the ...
Death Cafe write up: Death Cafe Capitol Hill
Posted by Laura Lyster-Mensh - HCC on Feb. 9, 2023, 7:14 p.m.
At our first Death Cafe of 2023 we met in the chapel at the center of the historic Congressional Cemetery. So appropriate a setting for considering mortality.
We started with a grounding exercise of stomping our feet on the marble floor to send vibrations to the over 60,000 former DC residents surrounding us.
The conversation flowed through themes of control, death cleaning, losses of grandparents, and children's understanding of death.
We will meet every other month this year with a rotating panel of facilitators from the community.
With Historic Congressional Cemetery
Dec. 12, 2023, 6.00 p.m. - 7.30 p.m. (East Coast US )
Accepts donations
Death Cafes at Congressional Cemetery's chapel will be held every other month on the 2nd Tuesday 6:00-7:30pm. Seats are limited so please rsvp one month prior to ...
With Historic Congressional Cemetery
Oct. 10, 2023, 6.00 p.m. - 7.30 p.m. (East Coast US )
Accepts donations
Death Cafes at Congressional Cemetery's chapel will be held every other month on the 2nd Tuesday 6:00-7:30pm. Seats are limited so please rsvp one month prior to ...
With Historic Congressional Cemetery
Aug. 8, 2023, 6.00 p.m. - 7.30 p.m. (East Coast US )
Accepts donations
Death Cafes at Congressional Cemetery's chapel will be held every other month on the 2nd Tuesday 6:00-7:30pm. Seats are limited so please rsvp one month prior to ...
With Historic Congressional Cemetery
June 13, 2023, 6.00 p.m. - 7.30 p.m. (East Coast US )
Accepts donations
Death Cafes at Congressional Cemetery's chapel will be held every other month on the 2nd Tuesday 6:00-7:30pm. Seats are limited so please rsvp one month prior to ...
With Historic Congressional Cemetery
April 11, 2023, 6.00 p.m. - 7.30 p.m. (East Coast US )
Accepts donations
Death Cafes at Congressional Cemetery's chapel will be held every other month on the 2nd Tuesday 6:00-7:30pm. Seats are limited so please rsvp to reserve your chair!
With Historic Congressional Cemetery
Feb. 7, 2023, 6.00 p.m. - 7.30 p.m. (East Coast US )
Accepts donations
Death Cafes at Congressional Cemetery's chapel will be held every other month on the 2nd Tuesday 6:00-7:30pm. Seats are limited so please rsvp to reserve your chair!