Summary for 03/10/2021 Death Cafe - Hillsborough
A write up of Online Death Cafe - Hillsborough Eastern Time (via Zoom)
By Neidra
Hello fellow mortals!
Thank you to those who delved and dipped into our death discussions during the March Death Café – Hillsborough (DC-H) Zoom call! Welcome to the eleven (!) new folx! Zoom offers a different dynamic from meeting in person and allows people to participate from long distances such as, this time, New York, Illinois, Florida, Washington, and even Vancouver, Canada. It was wonderful having four university students join in as part of their Death, Dying, and Bereavement courses. One of them kindly emailed afterward, “I just wanted to let you know that I really enjoyed attending my first Death Cafe. It was so interesting hearing other people’s stories and experiences. Thank you for doing this and now I can say I really do understand the impact of having a closed, nonjudgmental place where death is openly discussed. I hope to attend other Death Cafes also. Thank you again.” Bingo!
**Mark your calendars for the next DC-Hillsborough on May 12th, 6pm-8pm, via Zoom meeting. (Taking a break in April! Happy Spring!)Please look for a reminder I’ll email 2-3 days prior *which will include the Zoom link*.And the next Death Café – Mebane is 3/24, 6-8pm.
A heartfelt Thank You to Paula for sharing her “death story” with us! If you are interested and willing to share one of your “death stories” during a forthcoming DC-Hillsborough, please let me know at your convenience and I’ll make note to allow time (15-20 minutes) for your story. All stories are powerful and worth sharing. These stories may be emotional, which is completely natural. We can’t be a grief support group but we can hold a safe space for you to recount your experience. Stories can provide a springboard to fascinating discussions afterwards -- and we certainly have those!
SUMMARY:
Topics we discussed and shared (separated by **): **For a plethora of Green Burial information, go to the website of the NC-based non-profit Green Burial Project, founded by our very own Anne Weston, https://www.greenburialproject.org/, and the Green Burial Council https://www.greenburialcouncil.org/ **We spoke of Buddhists’ and Hindus’ teachings, as well as Rudolf Steiner’s, about when the spirit/soul/consciousness departs the physical body. I encourage you to search the internet if you are interested in learning more. I searched, and so much information popped up that I went into several “rabbit holes” and couldn’t decide which links to include here! **We also talked about how our beloved deceased communicate with us after their deaths and the signs that may be given. Some signs we spoke of were birds (cardinals and hawks mentioned specifically), ladybugs, butterflies, and magnolias. Sometimes these signs are not always obvious, such as it was in one participant’s story about seeing “the magnolias on the coin of a quarter” rather than a live flower or tree. **The Rhine Research Center was also mentioned (they “advance the science of parapsychology”). The center is offering an event this Wednesday 3/17 Understanding After Death Communications. https://www.rhineonline.org/**The conversations were rich and deep. Excellent feedback was shared in the ‘Zoom chat’ as well as in follow-up emails: “fascinating and wonderful” “good, deep” “very interesting” “great Death Café” “really enjoyed the conversations.”
Educational opportunities: **Advance Directives: The Medical Professional's Perspective--Tuesday, March 30th, 4-6 pm. Panelists will include a paramedic, a hospitalist, a palliative care specialist, a patient advocate, and a geriatric social worker. I have attached its flyer. Registration link: www.orangecountync.gov/AdvanceDirectives **The Conversation Project--Tuesday April 13th and Tuesday, May 11th, 4-6 pm. This 2-session event will address the strategies for engaging self, family, and doctors in meaningful conversations about your end of life wishes. **Please save the three attached documents for future reference. These list available educational, empowering presentations and workshops that may interest a group you know. Topics include: how to write an obituary, and a condolence card; the case for green burial; alternative body disposition practices; what End Of Life Doulas/Death Doulas do; creating a legacy project, and more.
Since we will next meet in two months versus one, I may email pertinent information and links in order to keep you updated. I’ll collect and consolidate these into one email so as to not overflow your inbox