A Path Home (National Home Funeral Alliance)
Explorez tous les épisodes de A Path Home
| Date | Titre | Durée | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Feb 2022 | Threshold Care Circle | 00:46:57 | |
Today I have a conversation with four members of the Threshold Care Circle in Viroqua, Wisconsin; Charlene Elderkin, Susan Nesbitt, Kelly Whited-Ford, and Tracy Mangold. Threshold Care Circle began as a community death care collective in 2006. On this episode, we’ll hear how they got started and eventually evolved into an educational 501c3 providing workshops, death care support and advocating for green burial. | |||
| 25 Feb 2022 | A Green Burial for a Green Builder | 00:42:36 | |
Today I have a conversation with Kelly Parker. Kelly’s husband Rick Robson died in late January and was buried at Heart Land Prairie Cemetery earlier this month. Rick had determined that he wanted to have a green burial and sent an email to me through the cemetery website inquiring about building his own casket. Over the course of the next few months, Kelly and Rick, educated themselves about the logistics and legalities of home funeral practice. They ultimately decided that not only would he have a natural burial in a homemade casket, but that Kelly, along with their family and the support of their community of friends and hospice would make all the arrangements, care for his body themselves, and keep him in the home he designed and built with Kelly until it was time for the burial. | |||
| 11 Mar 2022 | Lola in the Garden | 00:32:37 | |
Sarah has a conversation with North Carolina based singer songwriter Laurelyn Dossett who shares the story of the burial she and her brothers provided for their mother in a hand crafted wooden box in Laurelyn’s garden. | |||
| 25 Mar 2022 | Bringing A Homeless Son Home | 00:38:37 | |
On this episode Sarah has a conversation with three members of a community led death care group in Canada. They share the touching story of bringing Gypsy's son, Andrew, home to the island to care for his body and lay him to rest in a natural burial. | |||
| 08 Apr 2022 | Healing Through Participation | 00:36:11 | |
Tim Johnson shares the story of choosing to care for his dad at home, and his journey getting there through the stories of two other significant deaths in the family. | |||
| 22 Apr 2022 | Crossroads Community DeathCare | 00:50:36 | |
Sarah is joined by Angela and Michael Franklin, founders of Crossroads Community DeathCare, for an in-depth conversation on how engaging in community led death care has the potential to shift the culture around dying and death. | |||
| 06 May 2022 | Arizona Community Death Care | 00:43:29 | |
Today we hear from two members of the Arizona Community Death Care collective, Dani LaVoire and Jade Sherer. This is another episode that will be of interest to those listeners who are either already engaged in or just beginning to form community groups. If you have any questions for the AZ collective you can reach out to them here: https://www.azcommunitydeathcare.org/mission | |||
| 20 May 2022 | Bound by the Ropes of Love | 00:41:54 | |
In early December, 2021, Adrienne Parker discovered that her oldest child, Brandyn, had died in his car. Brandyn's life had been caught in a cycle of mental illness and incarceration, resulting in his being homeless and living in his car. His body needed to be examined by the coroner before Adrienne, with the help of her friend, Rebecca, had him brought back home to be cared for there by his loving family. | |||
| 07 Oct 2022 | Jen's Last Ceremony | 00:38:51 | |
Today I have a conversation with Darshan Stevens on Cortes Island in British Columbia. Darshan and her mother, Jennifer, lived on the same property when Jen was diagnosed with cancer. For two years they navigated her cancer treatments. In the end, Jen chose MAID, Medical Assistance In Dying. Darshan shares the story of her mum's dying, death, the after-death care and the natural burial that they and the family co-created along with the help of the community-led death care collective on the island. | |||
| 21 Oct 2022 | Caring for a Baby Brother, Decades Later. | 00:24:10 | |
Today I have a conversation with Karen van Vuuren, founder of the educational non-profit, Natural Transitions, a founding member of the NHFA, and co-founder of The Natural Funeral in Lafayette, Colorado. Karen has been an integral part of the natural death care movement for more than 20 years. She is also an award-winning documentary film maker of two movies, Dying Wish and Go In Peace (links below). | |||
| 04 Nov 2022 | Holding Hands | 00:48:50 | |
Today I have a conversation with Karry Sawatsky. She shares with us the story of her grandfather’s death and how she supported her grandmother throughout the process. Karry is a full-time death doula and founder of Modern Deathcare. She works with adult-children and spouses supporting a dear one with a life limiting illness and is launching The Life and Death Academy death doula training program in January. Karry’s own challenging experiences with the death of several loved ones called her to this vocation. Here is the link to Karry's website: http://moderndeathcare.com | |||
| 19 Nov 2022 | Herland Forest: Natural Organic Reduction | 00:32:40 | |
On this episode Sarah has a conversation with Walt Patrick, the steward of Herland Forest in Washington State, a natural burial ground and licensed human composting facility, (also called natural organic reduction) and Elizabeth Fournier, a progressive funeral director and author of the The Green Burial Guidebook, who often works with Walt. Today they share with us what a “laying in” ceremony for a natural organic reduction entails at Herland Forest. “Laying in” is the first part of the process, literally placing the body in the composting cradle. | |||
| 02 Dec 2022 | Making Space for Grief with Sarah Hines | 00:35:37 | |
Today I have a conversation about grief with Sarah Hines. Based in Canada, Sarah has founded The Lodge Project where she and her team, coach the leadership of organizations and corporations to respond to grief compassionately and include grief support and awareness in the culture of their companies. Sarah acknowledges that a well lived life must include grief. | |||
| 20 Jan 2023 | A Soft Place to Land | 00:34:09 | |
Today I have a conversation with Donna Vidam about a home funeral she created for her mom, Janet. In 2020, Janet was hospitalized when it became clear that she wouldn't recover, so Donna made the choice to bring her home to die there. Following Janet's death, Donna with the help of Janet's best friends, cared for her body at home and invited friends and neighbors over to pay their respects. | |||
| 03 Feb 2023 | Ann's Last Act of Rebellion | 00:42:56 | |
On this episode, Sarah has a conversation with sisters, Lucinda, Maud and Cecily in Ashland, Oregon. The three of them share the story of creating a home funeral for their mother, former Civil Rights attorney turned Oracle, Ann Macrory. | |||
| 18 Feb 2023 | Precious Bird | 00:07:15 | |
A call to listeners to reach out and share their stories, followed by Sarah's original song, Precious Bird, in honor of her friend Puja. | |||
| 04 Mar 2023 | Changing Lives through Tending Death | 00:35:51 | |
On this episode I talk with Margaret Henderson and Robin Cottrell in Ukiah, California. The two serve as death midwives and home funeral guides in their community. They are also singers and members of a Threshold Choir who bring songs to the bedside of terminally ill people. | |||
| 17 Mar 2023 | Dr. Annetta Mallon, Down Under | 00:37:28 | |
On today's episode I have a conversation with Dr. Annetta Mallon, founder of Gentle Death Education and Planning, in Tasmania. We talk about her work in the community and the state of green burial in Australia. For more information on Annetta's work, click here: https://www.gdep.com.au/ | |||
| 31 Mar 2023 | Nora "Bird" Takes Flight | 00:44:05 | |
Today I have a conversation with Lauren Sample about the home funeral and natural burial her family held for her daughter Nora, nicknamed "Bird," and the many final acts of love provided to Bird in her last hours of living and following her death. | |||
| 15 Apr 2023 | Following Sue's Lead | 00:34:19 | |
On today's episode Sarah has a conversation with David Schinsing about his wife Sue's experience with ovarian cancer and the home funeral they planned together. Sue was a nurse, a birth doula and home-schooled their children. | |||
| 06 Oct 2023 | The Weaver Boys Take Care of Dad | 00:52:04 | |
On this first episode of Season 5, Sarah sits down with three brothers, Zach, Kevin and Sky Weaver, who share the story of preparing their dad, Phil for a natural burial. | |||
| 27 Oct 2023 | Sally's Last Gathering | 00:39:12 | |
Sarah has a conversation with Anne Archbold and Paul Sommers about the plan Paul's mom, Sally made to donate her body to the medical school at the University of Minnesota after she died. Sally also requested a natural burial. Everything aligned in order for Sally to accomplish both. | |||
| 18 Nov 2023 | Glenda Villegas of Thresholds, Home and Family-Directed Funerals | 00:41:12 | |
Glenda Villegas is the funeral director at Thresholds, Home and Family-Directed Funerals, LLC. based in San Diego, California. Glenda represents a growing group of progressive funeral professionals who recognize the value of supporting families who choose to do most of the after-death care themselves. | |||
| 09 Dec 2023 | Community Deathcare Ottawa | 00:46:56 | |
On today's episode Sarah has a conversation with three members of the Ottawa Death Care Collective in Ottawa, Canada. Kelly Butler, Heather Martel and Deb Charbonneau share with us the personal paths that led each of them to engage in the important work of community death care. You'll find their website here: | |||
| 20 Dec 2023 | The Deathwives on Grief | 00:47:08 | |
For today's bonus Winter Solstice episode, Sarah has a conversation about grief with Colorado-based Deathwives, Lauren Carroll and Erin Merelli. | |||
| 19 Jan 2024 | Grandfather Hank | 00:37:26 | |
Today, Sarah speaks with Krista Marshall in upstate NY who shares the story of the after-death care provided to an elder in the community she lived in for a time in Vermont. Grandfather Hank was beloved in the area for his presence and helpful spirit from his work with teens to his active pursuit of making life better for the people in his ever-widening circles. | |||
| 12 Feb 2024 | Holding her Heart | 00:48:09 | |
Today, Sarah has a conversation with Leslie Stager about the after-death care she and a small circle of friends provided to her mom at her home in Maine. Leslie's mom died unexpectedly which made keeping her home a little challenging. | |||
| 08 Mar 2024 | Known for Her Smile | 00:50:05 | |
On today's episode, Carolyn Dehnbostel describes the home funeral she and her family provided for her mom, Betty, at their cabin in Minnesota, followed by a natural burial on their own land and the logistics involved in getting it all arranged. | |||
| 12 Apr 2024 | Caring for Jeff at the Ashram | 00:39:26 | |
Naomi Worob and Tina Zuccarello share the story of bringing Jeff to the ashram he loved to spend his final weeks surrounded by people who loved him and bury him on the property. | |||
| 21 May 2024 | The Path Brent Took | 00:45:11 | |
On this episode Sarah has a conversation with Ed Nelson and his son, Erick Nelson. In February of 2023 Ed's brother Brent died from throat cancer. He had mentioned to Ed that he wanted a natural burial. Erick arrived in Kansas a couple of days before the scheduled burial and participated in an anointing ceremony with his dad, honoring his uncle. | |||
| 12 Oct 2024 | Father in the Garden | 01:06:20 | |
On this first episode of Season 6, Sarah talks with Csenge Kolozsvari who, along with her four year old daughter, traveled from Montreal to her home village in Hungary to accompany her father on his dying journey. She shares the intimate and personal details of being present to her father's needs during his final weeks. Csenge is an artist and bodyworker. You can reach her here: | |||
| 26 Sep 2019 | Introducing A Path Home | 00:05:21 | |
On this podcast we’ll be focusing on reclaiming our innate right to care for our own loved ones at death in natural, and often, environmentally friendly ways. We’ll demystify the tasks related to after death care through hearing stories from people who have ventured into culturally unfamiliar territory and cared for their own deceased loved ones at home, chose a natural burial or both. In this introductory episode, host, Sarah Crews, will identify some of the terminology we'll be using in these conversations. A Path Home is a production of the National Home Funeral Alliance. | |||
| 26 Sep 2019 | Reimagining Death with Lucinda Herring | 00:44:08 | |
Today we hear from author, home funeral guide and green burial consultant, Lucinda Herring. Lucinda has worked at the cutting edge of the green funeral movement for more than twenty years, beginning with fulfilling a friend's request to care for her body at home. Lucinda is also an interfaith minister and a licensed funeral director in the state of Washington. | |||
| 27 Sep 2019 | Bringing Nora Rose home | 00:30:39 | |
On this episode we’ll be hearing from Lauren and Christopher Akins. By letting love guide them, along with some practical information they found on line, Lauren and Chris bravely ventured into unfamiliar territory and held a home funeral for their beloved daughter, Nora Rose. Nora Rose died in the hospital while waiting on a liver transplant. She was 11 months old. Chris made a couple of moving videos of their family’s journey through this, a photo montage and a music compilation for Nora Rose. In honoring Nora’s journey, they are devoted to raising awareness about pediatric organ donation. | |||
| 17 Oct 2019 | A Conversation with Dani LaVoire and her family | 00:38:17 | |
On this episode, NHFA President, Dani LaVoire talks with her family about the home funeral they all created for her grandmother, Sherryl Schwartz Morantz in New York State. New York is one of the states with laws limiting family's rights to having full independence in carrying out a funeral for a loved one. Holding a home funeral is still legal in New York, but a licensed funeral director must be hired to supervise the process. Visit the website of the NHFA for more information, or go to funeralethics.org for a comprehensive state by state list of funeral regulations. | |||
| 01 Nov 2019 | The Village Al Made, with Rita Cantu | 00:39:24 | |
On this episode we hear from Rita Cantu. With the help of a large and caring community that formed around her husband, Al Carr, during his dying time in 2004, Rita was supported in keeping his body at home and created a final send off unique to Al's playful personality. | |||
| 16 Nov 2019 | Dorothy's Last Days on the Sun Porch | 00:43:19 | |
On this episode we hear from Marcia Klingzell and her daughters Stephanie and Cortnie who share the details of the beautiful send off they created for their dearly loved family matriarch, Dorothy. | |||
| 29 Nov 2019 | Farewell to a Gentle Giant | 00:37:41 | |
On this episode we hear about the sudden, unexpected death of a young man, Ruis Owin-Brown, and the way his community came together to create a farewell perfectly suited to Ruis' passion for friendship. His father Jeff Brown, and step-mother, Kate Adamson describe the logistical challenges and the healing rituals they experienced along the way. | |||
| 12 Dec 2019 | Finding Comfort | 00:35:25 | |
After a challenging meeting with a funeral director, Louise Comfort discovered from a friend that there was an alternative approach that felt right to her and her husband, Doug, who was dying from breast cancer. Louise shares the details of how she and Doug made plans together to care for his body at home, the celebration of life and the service that followed as Doug was laid out the library room. | |||
| 20 Dec 2019 | Grief and the Holidays | 00:12:45 | |
On this path home, Sarah Crews shares some helpful ideas for walking with grief through the holiday season. Sarah ends this episode with her song, I need a boat. Here are links to the resources she mentions: | |||
| 10 Jan 2020 | Becoming a Caring Community | 00:28:29 | |
Margaret stepped into participating in the after-death care for two community members and her own father after learning it was possible through attending a Death Cafe in her community. Margaret's story illustrates the varying forms home funeral practice can take. It may involve collaborating with funeral professionals in your community. It may not even happen at home. | |||
| 24 Jan 2020 | Healing Heartbreak - Robert's Story | 00:39:56 | |
Robert Thurlin Alexander died while undergoing heart surgery in 2018. Robert's mother, Karen Knutson arrived in Oklahoma the night before the surgery. His sister, Tawnya Musser traveled there upon hearing that he didn't survive the surgery to arrange his home funeral at Uncle Bob's farmhouse. Robert was a tissue and cornea donor, a fact that may have given some families pause when considering having his body returned to them. Their story illustrates how reclaiming after death care, even in sudden and unexpected circumstances, can provide healing for heartbreak. | |||
| 07 Feb 2020 | Emily's Plan with Anne Murphy | 00:45:08 | |
Anne Murphy, a home vigil guide, death educator and celebrant, describes what it was like to be invited to participate in the planning of Emily's home-based after death care, the vigil, memorial ceremony and subsequent green burial in a casket made of sea-grass. Emily's four year old daughter, with the loving support of her father and community, found her own way into every aspect of caring for her mother after her death. | |||
| 21 Feb 2020 | Mark's Final Journey | 00:31:23 | |
Host Sarah Crews and her cousin Gwen Wilson talk about the family coming together to provide the end-of-life and after-death care for her husband, Mark. Remarkable in this story is the experience of their oldest daughter, Sarah, a young woman with Down Syndrome, finding her path into caring for her father before and after he died, and the effect it had on her grief journey. | |||
| 06 Mar 2020 | Funeral Law for Home Funeral Families | 00:12:25 | |
Sarah gives a brief overview of the laws that regulate the funeral industry and how they apply to ordinary people arranging funerals for a loved one. Reporting the death through filing a Death Certificate is required in every state. Find out whether the state you live in restricts your right to care for your own dead. Much of the content in this episode is in the book Final Rights: Reclaiming the American Way of Death (2011) by Joshua Slocum and Lisa Carlson. | |||
| 20 Mar 2020 | A Hospital Death in a Neighboring State | 00:33:59 | |
When Lucy Basler's husband, Pat, suffered a brain aneurysm and was transported from his home in Wisconsin to a large medical facility in Minnesota, the family had to navigate laws and policies in both states in order to bring his body back to the house for a home funeral. | |||
| 03 Apr 2020 | Funeral Changes during Covid-19 | 00:31:49 | |
Host Sarah Crews discusses changes to the funeral landscape since the onset of the Covid-19 crisis in the US with Elizabeth Fournier and Dani LaVoire. Elizabeth is a licensed funeral director in Oregon. Dani, the president of the National Home Funeral Alliance. | |||
| 17 Apr 2020 | Green Burial, Grief, and Communities in Isolation | 00:42:55 | |
Sarah Crews, Dani LaVoire and Michelle Acciavatti discuss grief, ethical choices, and maintaining and creating new community rituals, among other issues on this episode of A Path Home. Here are links with more information on those topics. https://birthbreathanddeath.com/death/guest-post-more-than-a-funeral-service-mediatating-grief-during-covid-19/ | |||
| 01 May 2020 | Bury Me Under the Old Oak Tree | 00:33:47 | |
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. | |||
| 15 May 2020 | Family Centered Death Care in Tasmania | 00:44:36 | |
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. | |||
| 29 May 2020 | Being There for Benjamin | 00:35:10 | |
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/ | |||
| 12 Jun 2020 | A Home Funeral Guide Navigates Quarantine | 00:38:38 | |
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. | |||
| 26 Jun 2020 | Creating a Family Cemetery with Michael Judd | 00:45:19 | |
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. | |||
| 10 Jul 2020 | Nina and Kirsten, Together | 00:43:45 | |
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.
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| 06 Nov 2020 | In the Wake of Waves | 00:47:04 | |
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 | |||
| 20 Nov 2020 | Living in Gratitude: Spencer's story | 00:37:19 | |
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. | |||
| 04 Dec 2020 | Hibiscus and Snickers | 00:26:24 | |
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. | |||
| 18 Dec 2020 | A Better End with Dan and Shelley Morhaim | 00:48:14 | |
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. | |||
| 03 Jan 2021 | Surrounded in Beauty | 00:45:07 | |
Courtney shares the story of caring for her mom who died at home during the pandemic. With the support of hospice and LA based home funeral guide, Olivia Bareham, Courtney was able to care for her mother in her home, before and after her death. She is currently working on creating a photo essay of the experience which we will provide the link to when it is complete. For more about the services Olivia provides in the LA region see her website here: http://www.sacredcrossingsfuneralhome.com/home-funerals | |||
| 15 Jan 2021 | Deana's Choice | 00:43:20 | |
Final Passages founder, Jerrigrace Lyons, shares the story of attending to her dear friend, Deana, who chose the option of medical aid in dying to end her long journey through cancer. Hawaii's Our Care, Our Choice Act was passed in January of 2019. Jerrigrace joined her friend on Maui in January of 2020 and was present for her death and instrumental in carrying out her after-death care along with Deana's closest friends. To learn more about Hawaii's OCOC legislation see: https://health.hawaii.gov/opppd/ococ/ Final Passages is a tremendous resource for community-centered after-death care. To find out more about them and the workshops Jerrigrace provides see: https://finalpassages.org/ | |||
| 29 Jan 2021 | Con Cariño Abuelito | 00:43:15 | |
On today's episode Anne-Marie Keppel shares the extraordinary life of her father-in-law Marcelo, a refugee from Chile who settled in New York City. Marcelo died in a hospital ICU in 2019. Anne-Marie made arrangements to bring his body to their home for an intimate home funeral with the family. | |||
| 12 Feb 2021 | The Unimaginable on an Ordinary Day | 00:40:52 | |
13 years ago, on New Year’s eve, Anne Jungerman’s husband, Ed, died suddenly and unexpectedly while out on his bike. In the hours that followed, Anne’s close knit community came together to support her and her boys, who were deep in the shock of assimilating the unfathomable news that came to them on that otherwise ordinary morning. | |||
| 27 Feb 2021 | Dad Catches the Train | 00:53:05 | |
Along with her family and guest host, Dani LaVoire, Sarah Crews, shares the story of the home funeral and green burial that the family arranged for their father and grandfather, Ed Hawley. Here is the link to Heart Land Prairie Cemetery: http://www.heartlandprairiecemetery.org/ | |||
| 12 Mar 2021 | A Walk in the Woods | 00:52:07 | |
On this episode we hear from Alexa Sunshine Rose who shares the story of her husband, Warren, a father, activist, environmentalist, educator and EMT who died right before the New Year of 2020. Warren had been diagnosed with a brain tumor, however his death was sudden and unexpected. Alexa shares details of the autopsy on Warren's body that some listeners may find disturbing. | |||
| 26 Mar 2021 | Mother in the Parlor | 00:34:07 | |
Adrienne Parker describes bringing her mother home where she died surrounded by three generations of family members. After her death they spent time with her body in the parlor of the old Victorian house where Adrienne was living. The grandchildren filled their days decorating the cardboard coffin their great grandmother would be cremated in. | |||
| 09 Apr 2021 | Community Death Education | 00:44:04 | |
This episode offers ideas for people interested in raising the awareness of alternative death care practices in their communities, as well as helpful things to consider when planning a home funeral. Rebecca Senoglu, chaplain and longtime member of the NHFA, shares her path working to raise the awareness of family centered after-death care through meetings with the hospital, forming relationships with locally owned funeral homes and creating public programs in Chico, California. She also shares the details of a home funeral for a beloved member of her community. To listen to archived episodes of Rebecca's radio program go here: https://soundcloud.com/rebecca-senoglu | |||
| 23 Apr 2021 | Beautiful Billy | 00:50:16 | |
Gabrielle Walters shares the arduous journey she made alongside her husband, Billy, when he was struck with a devastating illness at the end of May 2020. Determined that he would not die in the hospital, Gabrielle brought him home on the day of their 30th wedding anniversary. Back at home, with his children and grandchildren present, Billy died the next day. Following her heart and with a little bit of knowledge about after-death care, Gabrielle tended to his body at home where he spent two nights before being cremated. | |||
| 07 May 2021 | High School Sweetheart | 00:51:50 | |
In this episode Ray Mulvey and his daughter Laurie describe the home funeral they arranged for Ray's wife of 58 years, Judy. Ray lives in New Jersey, one of the states that requires hiring a funeral director to oversee certain aspects of the funeral. Laurie is a resident of Pennsylvania and a member of her local chapter of the Funeral Consumers Alliance. To learn more about this important organization see their website here: https://funerals.org/ | |||
| 20 May 2021 | Wrestling with Death | 00:48:54 | |
Aubrey Brinneman and her friend, home funeral guide Lauren Richwine recall the dying, death, home funeral and natural burial of Aubrey's husband, Tyler. Ty faced his diagnosis with a rare, aggressive cancer by being actively involved in preparing his young family for what was to come. If you are in Indiana and would like some support or have questions regarding holding a home funeral or natural burial, you can contact Lauren through her website: http://deathdonedifferently.com/ | |||
| 04 Jun 2021 | Home Funeral Basics with Lauren Carroll | 00:49:02 | |
Lauren Carroll is a funeral director based in Colorado Springs. After finding out about home-based, family-centered after death care, Lauren devoted her practice to helping families create home funerals. On this episode we discuss everything from filing a death certificate to rigor mortis and body care. She is a co-founder of Deathwives, a non-profit death education and advocacy collective. Find out about the courses they offer here: https://deathwives.org/ | |||
| 18 Jun 2021 | Accompanying Kelly | 00:56:27 | |
Diana Lindsay and her friend, home funeral guide Lucinda Herring, share the story of Kelly Lindsay's dying process and the family who gathered to accompany him on his final journey with brain cancer. Here are the links to Healing Circles, the support organization founded by Diana and Kelly: https://healingcircleslangley.org/ and https://healingcirclesglobal.org/#top | |||
| 08 Oct 2021 | A Conversation with Maggie Jones | 00:39:36 | |
Writer Maggie Jones shares with Sarah the after death care her family provided for both of her parents some 18 years apart. The experience of remaining with her father's body for a full night after his death, stayed with her and ultimately inspired her to write a story for the New York Times Magazine called The Movement to Bring Death Closer. | |||
| 22 Oct 2021 | From Taharah to Aquamation | 00:40:50 | |
Bonni Goldberg shares the story of reckoning a complicated relationship with her mother by caring for her at the end of her life and after her death. The women in Bonni's family performed the taharah, a final act of great kindness in Jewish tradition, for Bonni's mother when she died. What followed was an Aquamation, also known as "water-cremation." | |||
| 05 Nov 2021 | A Place in the Prairie | 00:49:55 | |
On today's episode I speak with three members of the Pomerantz family, sisters Jennifer and Katie and their father, Sanford. It was almost exactly one year ago, November 13th, 2020, that I met the family at Heart Land Prairie Cemetery where they buried Francine, the girls' mother and Sanford's wife of 51 years. | |||
| 19 Nov 2021 | Home Funeral Without the Home | 00:28:25 | |
Today Susan Mackey shares her creative solution for providing after-death care when a home funeral wasn't possible, home funeral care just not in a home. To learn more about Sue and her work see her website here: https://www.outoftheboxfuneralplanning.com/ | |||
| 03 Dec 2021 | In the Cabin and On the Hill, Andy's at Home | 00:56:00 | |
On this episode we hear from Jonel Kiesau, who shares the tender, sorrowful, yet somehow joyful experience of caring for her beloved husband, Andy, at home along with their two young daughters, family and community. Andy was buried in a hand-crafted wooden box on their farm in Wisconsin. You can find Jonel's essay, Fifty Acres, in the book Contours: A Literary Landscape here: https://www.driftlesswritingcenter.org/product-page/contours-a-literary-landscape | |||
| 18 Dec 2021 | Thoughts on Grief | 00:14:38 | |
Today Sarah reposts an episode from our first season in 2019 called Grief and the Holidays with a couple of changes. Several people have asked about the song at the beginning and end of A Path Home. The title of the song is The Next Step. At the end of this episode you will hear a rough recording, made outdoors on a cellphone, of the whole song. Here are the links for the resources used in the original episode. | |||
| 14 Jan 2022 | Scout Flies Home | 01:14:03 | |
Today Sarah is joined by Deborah Thornton and Angela Franklin. Deborah's daughter, Scout, died in a car accident in the summer of 2019. With the help of Angela and her husband, Michael, both death midwives and home funeral guides in the rural Oregon town where Scout was living with her partner, Travis, and their dog, Mowgli, Scout was given a natural burial on the farm she called home. | |||
| 28 Jan 2022 | Colorado Burial Preserve | 00:31:45 | |
Emily Miller shares her experience of opening Colorado's first dedicated green burial ground, Colorado Burial Preserve. | |||