A Path Home

Sarah has a conversation on medical decision making with the authors of Preparing for a Better End; Expert Lessons on Death and Dying for You and Your Loved Ones.  Dan and Shelley Morhaim share professional expertise and personal stories.  Along with discussing some of the reasons it's important to have Advance Directives in place, today's episode includes a conversation about home funerals and natural burial.
You can find out more about their book, including ordering information here: https://www.thebetterend.com/
And the website that Dan mentions regarding forms and guidance for filling out Advance Directives here: https://mydirectives.com/en/
Another helpful resource that Sarah uses regularly in her end-of-life planning workshops is here: https://theconversationproject.org/

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Carla Reed Brown shares the story of the home funeral she and her sister created for their mother.  Even though she died in the ICU, with the support of home funeral guide and educator, Olivia Bareham, Carla brought her mother's body home to care for her there.  Because her grandma loved candy, Carla's 6 year old daughter tucked a Snickers bar into her shroud, just in case.  Carla works for Olivia at Sacred Crossings. To find out more about their work click on the link below.
https://sacredcrossings.com/

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At this time of Thanksgiving, Sarah has a conversation with Valli Warren and Sharon Stewart. Together they share the story of the home funeral and green burial they provided for Valli's husband, Spencer, who faced the end of his life with gratitude and joy. 

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Film maker and home funeral guide, Heidi Boucher joins host Sarah Crews for a deeply personal conversation about caring for her brother and niece after a wave swept them off the tide pools they were exploring in Hawaii. In 2015 Heidi completed work on a  stunning documentary called In the Parlor: The Final Goodbye
http://intheparlordoc.com/

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On this episode I have a conversation with Marianne Dietzel about the fatal accident that took the lives of her daughter Nina and Nina's best friend, Kirsten. The girls were enjoying their last year of high school at a special place in upstate New York. Marianne describes how their new community came together to support the families and hold space for the girls as their souls transitioned together. Here are the links to learn more about the work of the Minnesota Threshold Network.
https://mnthresholdnetwork.wordpress.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Minnesota-Threshold-Network-127038763973093
Marianne's book, Laughing in a Waterfall, is available through her Facebook page, just leave a message for her there if you'd like to purchase one.
https://www.facebook.com/Marianne-Dietzel-134846096530958

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On this episode ecological landscape designer Michael Judd describes what it took to establish a cemetery on his family's homestead in rural Maryland, the memory of staying by his father's side throughout his dying process and the meaningful experience of the family taking charge of burying him in the cemetery space they had created together.
Here is the link to the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aX_ahYB1p-w
and to find out more about Michael's work, here is his website: https://www.ecologiadesign.com/

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On this episode I have a conversation with Peg Lorenz, a home funeral guide and death educator in Central Massachusetts. Peg has been teaching home funeral practices and supporting families for over 10 years. She is the founding director of Peaceful Passage at Home https://peacefulpassageathome.com/ Peg is a former Board member of the NHFA.

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On this episode writer Kelly Notaras recalls the details of caring for her beloved partner and best friend, Benjamin, before and after his death in 2017. The article she wrote about the experience is here: https://bestselfmedia.com/doing-death-differently/
Find the beautiful book The Grace in Dying by Kathleen Dowling Singh here:
https://bookshop.org/books/grace-in-dying-a-message-of-hope-comfort-and-spiritual-transformation/9780062515650
And here's the link to Kelly's company, get the support and motivation you need to write The Book You Were Born to Write https://knliterary.com/

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On this episode I'm joined by independent home funeral advocate, Bec Lyons, who shares the story of her nan's home funeral and the work she does with families choosing to care for their own in her corner of the world, on the island of Tasmania. 
https://yountaboo.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHET_Q5fok4

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Jamie asked to be buried under an oak tree in the yard of her home. Her partner honored her wish by finding a suitable place between the oak tree and Jamie's beloved lilacs. Today, Elizabeth Fournier, the green funeral director who was called in to assist with the plan, shares the experience from her perspective, honored to be invited in as a guest at Jamie's loving send-off.

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