My dear friend’s mother died recently.  Helen was 88 years old and had been sick with kidney disease for 3 years.  Her decline was not quick or pretty.  And yet, her dying had a certain beauty to it . . . a peaceful acceptance . . . a surrendered willingness.

 I attended an intimate ceremony this week celebrating the release of Helen’s spirit.  It wasn’t a memorial service or funeral in the traditional sense.  It was more of a spiritual send-off, a loving support of her transition to a nonphysical existence.

Martha spoke about her mother’s final months.  She shared with us Helen’s mantra: “I only want to know the peace of God.  God’s peace is all that I want.”  As Helen shed her attachment to the world of form, she became calmly focused on a goal that most of us miss in the busyness of our daily lives.

I’ve heard that a dying person can become radiant as they prepare to leave this earth.  Helen did.  Her passing reminded me how simple and blissful the death of a body can be when it occurs without resistance or struggle.  From what I’ve seen, it can indeed be the most natural transition of our lives . . . even the most beautiful.

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I’ve written before about trying to sell my former home in Rye.  For months and months I employed the traditional sales methods: open houses, advertisements, and heavy marketing.  For months and months I experimented with nontraditional sales methods:  rituals, sage smudges, and statue burials.  Nothing. (more…)

A sea of mortarboard caps . . . seniors with tear-soaked tissues . . . parents dabbing at moist eyes.  Pomp.  Circumstance.  Ah . . . graduation.

When I graduated from high school, I was overcome by the end of life as I knew it.  It was not only the end of school but also the end of my residence in Texas and the end of living with my parents.  When I graduated from college, I was likewise cognizant of the ‘death’ of everything familiar. (more…)

My daughter Victoria has just turned 13.  There are now 4 teenagers in my household – 3 of whom are female. Unbelievable!  Can you imagine such a concentration of hormones under one roof? (more…)

Spring has sprung here in New England . . . or rather winter has ended, more or less.  Some days are surprisingly warm and sunny.  Other days are soggy and muddy.  It appears that the Easter bunny will not be leaving eggs nestled in snow clumps this year. (more…)