New Venue
A write up of Saturday Death Cafe Portland, OR
By nomenoyou1
Today was our first Death Cafe on the westside of Portland at the Friendly House. The turnout was excellent with two large tables facilitated by Rosalie and Scott. My table was vibrant and engaged. One guest had recently lost her husband of 43 years. She was experiencing profound grief and loneliness. She had a small family and friends group leaving her with limited support. The group rallied around her, which gave us the opportunity to talk about grief and loss. We discussed many avenues of support and the importance of accepting help. We discussed terminal care and end-of-life care options. There was a long discussion of the importance of pets and interest in a pet death chat. We transitioned to a long discussion of what caused the fear of death in our culture. One guest discussed her NDE, which opened a long discussion. We ended up exploring suicide and how it is seen in our culture. There was more to say at the end of the time, and everyone was invited to our future events. It was a heartwarming cafe.