Notes On A (Presumed) Death By Suicide – By Dr Annetta Mallon
Unexpected deaths are some of the most difficult and challenging to deal with for those left behind, and as we have had this occurrence recently in my personal circle I thought it timely to consider some of the things we can expect to have happen emotionally and time-wise, as well as a few observations about […]
Farewell Gladys – By Rebecca Lyons
Many of you would have seen a little while ago a post on our You n’ Taboo Facebook page letting you all know we were in the process of our very own home funeral. Gladys Mary Steele, my grandmother, at the grand old age of 98 took her leave of the world and our family […]
The drums of a Living Wake that awoke a sleepy town – By Maria Lazovic
Stan was 63 when diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer that had quickly metastasised to other organs. Immediately upon hearing this news an image came to me of Stan’s funny faces and popping noises he made for my daughter when she was little. They always amused me too.
Residing in the country home he had built himself, Stan had acquired the appearance of a robust, strong and handsomely weathered man living off salubrious air and his own grown vegetables. In this remote coastal Tasmanian town, known for its wild surf beach, secluded abodes and population of black cockatoos, Stan and his landscape shared a common vigour and unpretentiousness.
Dying Parents – By Maria Lazovic
As an End-of-Life Doula I often think about the fact that for most of us a natural progression of the cycle of life is when our roles as children start to shift and eventually we come to be the caretakers of our parents. This may begin by helping to clean their garage, driving on long distance trips, checking in more often, attending doctor appointments, organising medications or moving a parent into a retirement facility. As these experiences accumulate, the underlying message is that we are asked to slowly begin to make the significant shift of confronting our parent’s mortality.