Rabbi Melvin Glazer dedicates his life to helping people face loss because he has faced loss. Drawn to a life of service, he became a rabbi and then an expert in death and bereavement. What does he have to share about weaving Biblical stories into our dealings with death? Can he help us to see how to bring some faith into our grief? Whether we are Jewish, of some other faith, or of no faith at all, losing loved ones inspires some of the deepest spiritual questions we will ever face in our lives. What meaning do we find in our losses? Both a rabbi and a grief counselor, Rabbi Glazer intersects his life as a man leading his Jewish community with his life as a mourner and supporter of other mourners. From this unique position, he has a great deal to teach us about facing loss.

Betsy Rose has long used her music to express her deepest experiences, and has sung for others in order to open their hearts. So it was only natural that the loss of her father inspired her to create and compile songs she wrote for comfort in her own losses. A prolific recording artist and performer, her latest recording, Long for This World soothes and comforts in hard times of loss. Betsy now adds death and grief work to all her other accomplishments, which include singing at conferences and lending her voice to peace and social justice movements, and singing for leaders such as Thich Nhat Hanh, Matthew Fox, and Joanna Macy. brbr How has loss impacted Betsy's work, both early in her life and up until now? What thread of compassion developed out of exploring her own mourning? Join us for conversation and music as we near the heart of winter, that time of darkness before new life.

The world of elder care and assisted living can be exhausting and demoralizing. How does a daughter insure that the needs of her declining parents are met? How does she accept the deficits in a system of health care that sometimes does not care? Marcy Baskin learned first hand how ill prepared we are to advocate for our elders, especially when they are suffering from Alzheimers. She set out to learn all she could and, in the process, found a new calling. Trained in elder care, she wrote the book Assisted Living: Questions I Wish I Had Asked and now advocates for others experiencing what she did with her own parents.

What inspires a person to offer song to people at the end of their lives? Kate Munger, as a lover of choral music, felt a profound calling to offer people who were dying, incarcerated, newborn or in comas to receive the precious gift of music. She formed groups to offer song free to those who could benefit from it. What does she have to share having been with so many people at the threshold between the every day and something beyond? We'll talk about music, listen to some of songs Kate offers, and explore together what music touches when we stand at the threshold between this life and the beyond.

Caught off guard by the depth of his grief after the loss of his mother, Tom Sweetman searched for words of hope and encouragement, finding along with those two things encouragement to become his best self. Realizing he wanted others to have access to the people who encouraged him, part of his calling now includes getting the word out that grief can lead to beauty. Hear what inspired him and became the book From Grief to Greatness!

For Mary Potter Kenyon, her husband's cancer treatment resulted in some very positive changes in her marriage. She and her husband loved better, deeper and with a greater appreciation for each other after going through that most terrible of times. Then, five and a half years later, he died suddenly, of a heart attack, and Mary began a brand new journey of discovery, but without the person who had most supported and helped her through life. How did this loss, and the loss of her beloved mother and grandson, change Mary? Was she able to find a new way to live after such difficult times. What did she learn; about herself, about grief and ultimately about life? Her story will move you, touch you and inspire you.

Edie Hartshorne was a therapist, meditation practitioner and musician, comfortable with facilitating change and working for peace. But nothing could have prepared her for the loss of her 20 year old son and the possibility that he had killed himself. In Light in Blue Shadows, a deeply felt memoir, Edie takes us into her grief and plumbs the depths of her pain and non-acceptance through to making peace with her loss. Join us to talk about the necessity of grief, even for those of us who accept death as a fact of life. Hear how she slowly felt her way back to her joy and fulfillment without forcing herself to go faster than she could.

When a couple gets pregnant or a baby is born, family and friends gather around the them, joyfully supporting the news. But what happens when something goes wrong, when they experience miscarriage or stillbirth? The surrounding community often ignores the loss, or minimizes it. So healing professionals like Dr. Ivy Margulies make a critical difference, supporting grieving parents through the experience and helping them to honor their children and their grief. Find out what a death midwife does and how Dr. Margulies chose this work. Hear what she has to say about how we as a culture deal with perinatal loss and grief. Unresolved grief can carry into relationships with spouses and with other children in the family. Hear how critical services delivered at the opportune moment can ease the burden of loss and support a healthy grieving.

Although losses can't be compared, the loss of a baby is something most of us find hard to imagine. Sean and Kiley Hanish lost their son when he was still born at full term. Ultimately, their experience Impelled them to create Return to Zero, a film about a couple experiencing what they did. Hear what helped them to walk towards their experience of loss, head on, to create a true reflection of their grief, for the benefit of others. Now that Return to Zero has been launched in the world, hear what Kiley is doing to create a place for women facing losses such as hers to find their way, and move forward into lives of beauty.

How does a lifelong spiritual seeker face a serious cancer diagnosis? She commits to learning all she can from the experience. She gathers a team together of medical professionals, friends, healers and supporters who form a solid ground beneath her. She shares her experience for the benefit of others. She deepens her commitment to living in the moment and living life fully. She eliminates everything from her life that does not express what her heart is trying to communicate. She takes chances and tries new things. She observes. She loves herself through it. Be inspired by Bridgett Perry, coach and blogger, who truly lives with cancer!