Facing death is a practical thing. Imagine if birth was as a ‘taboo’ topic as death is. Mothers would be hiding the fact that they’re pregnant and going to give birth. No one could celebrate the child coming. No one would prepare or think about, “Okay, what are we going to need to have before …
Death can be very cruel. A beautiful little boy from Te Anau, New Zealand, recently passed away from cancer. I donated and helped raise funds for him/his family when his story was first shared. As a parent, I’ve empathised with what his parents must be going through. I followed all the updates about Luka and …
What will the end be like? Quick drop in. I read an article today called “We need to talk about dying, and what it means for life to end.” The article encourages people to talk about death and dying, and the hospice. Like it says here in this article, “hospice care” doesn’t mean you no …
The Shock of a Cancer Diagnosis The recent news of Catherine, the Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnosis has certainly caused shock for many. Each year, in New Zealand alone, over 25,000 people were diagnosed with cancer. As of 2022, in the United States, 1,918,030 new cancer cases were found. Of those people in the US, …
Grief I recently went back to my home country for my dear Grandmother’s funeral. In my culture, the family of the deceased usually walks behind the coffin until the burial site, and that’s what we did. I thought I had processed most of my grief. But, when I was standing with my sons behind my …
A Sudden Death Yesterday, what seemed to be an ordinary morning was shook with the news that a dear aunt had suddenly passed. We had just seen her a week or so before. My maternal grandmother also left so suddenly, as did a very dear aunt/mother to me. A shock for everyone, and a reminder …
Reality Check We’re all dying. That can be unsettling, yet it’s an undeniable truth that we all share. Recently, a dear friend of mine found out she has terminal stage 4 cancer. A lot of people are shocked when they hear such a diagnosis. Faced with such a diagnosis, many grapple with denial or anger, …
What is All Saints Day? November 1st is All Saints Day, which is a day celebrated in most Catholic countries around the world. Though in some countries, the celebrations can go on for more than a day. For example, in the country I grew up in, All Saints Day was the time everyone would visit …
Gaining Perspective through Death Yesterday, my husband and one of my kids were a little sad because the All Blacks didn’t win the rugby world cup (my other son was wanting South Africa to win, so at least he was happy). One of my friends told me her husband goes into depression for at least …
We’re all Dying! “Oh no! Your Uncle/Auntie/Cousin/Sibling has just gotten diagnosed with cancer.” News we never want to hear. Hearing someone we know or love is dying soon, or has died often throws us off our axis for a few hours or days. We get shocked or shook when someone in our town or suddenly …