Category Archives: Legacies and Remembrances

Queens & Funerary traditions

As a departure doula, I’m fascinated with the funerary and mourning rituals surrounding the death of Queen Elizabeth. Did you know most of our current “traditional” funeral customs came from another queen?

Some quick thoughts about howVictorian tradition shaped our modern funeral industry.

Memorial Day

I went to school with Steve five days a week, where he’d slam shut my locker, next to his, before I had my last books out. Or slam it and spin my lock so I’d have to start all over. He relished teasing me, but he’d also call me on the phone often, even decadesContinue reading “Memorial Day”

Visitation

My mother died in June of 2019. It took us months to decide on a gravestone, and the the pandemic slowed everything down. It was finally installed after Thanksgiving, but then it was winter. Yesterday we finally had a beautiful day to visit in person. Her sisters and mother (who turns 91 today. Happy birthday,Continue reading “Visitation”

Memorial Day, Legacies and Forgiveness

The emotional, mental and spiritual pain that infests so many of our veterans who come home and spend their days trying to escape it can be most easily defined as guilt – for things they have had to do or for surviving when so many others did not. Going back to address that wound is scary and incredibly difficult.

Music, Mortality and Mixtapes

As the mourners took their seats in preparation for spoken eulogies from his stepson and a minister, they heard playing from the speakers over their heads the boisterous sound of The Lone Ranger theme song. What should have been a moment for quiet reflection was interrupted by the sound of giggling and surprise. My husbandContinue reading “Music, Mortality and Mixtapes”