Books can't do the grieving for a child, and there isn't one perfect story that will make the loss understandable or take away the pain. What a story can do is create a shared space where a child and ...

When we hear the word death , we usually think about the end of a physical life. But death, in a broader sense, is woven throughout living. Loss brings its own small death, the ending of something th...

For a long time, popular conversations about grief tended to suggest that healing meant gradually moving away from grief. Even though contemporary grief work offers a much more complex picture, many o...

Research into the human-animal bond is helping us understand why presence—and the relationship surrounding it—may matter. The research is more complicated than the familiar claim that “pets are good...

A Rule of Life offers one way to pay attention to that feeling. Despite the word rule , it isn't necessarily a list of requirements or a program for becoming more disciplined. At its best, it can p...

Letting go is a complicated phrase. It can sound as though there is something we are supposed to accomplish: a final emotional task in which we gracefully accept death, release the person we love, and...

A sacred space can offer that kind of pause. It doesn't have to be a separate room, beautifully decorated, or filled with objects traditionally associated with spirituality. It doesn't even have to be...

There is no single right way to remember an animal we have loved. What matters isn't what a keepsake looks like or what it costs. What matters is the relationship it helps us remember.

Few conversations about the end of life ask us to sit with as many difficult questions as medical aid in dying and euthanasia. What does it mean to die with dignity? Who should decide when suffering ...

Soul fatigue isn't a clinical diagnosis, and it doesn't necessarily mean something is wrong. Sometimes it's simply what happens when we've spent too long giving from the deepest parts of ourselves wit...

One of the quietest heartbreaks after losing a beloved pet isn't always the grief itself. It's the questions. The difficult truth is that guilt is rarely a sign that you failed your pet. More often, ...

There are seasons in life when the path ahead feels uncertain… In those moments, many of us instinctively search for answers. But sometimes, what we need most isn’t another answer. Sometimes we simply...

When someone you love is afraid of dying, it can be difficult to know what to do. You want to comfort them, reassure them, or find the perfect words to ease their anxiety. Yet many people discover tha...

Many of us become disconnected from one of the quietest — and wisest — sources of information we have: Our own body. Often, we don’t notice this disconnection until stress, burnout, grief, anxiety, i...

Compassion fatigue is sometimes described as the emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion that can happen when we spend long periods caring for others who are suffering or dependent on us…. And per...

As life draws closer to its end, many people begin telling stories. Not always intentionally. Not always in order. Sometimes the same memory returns repeatedly… In end-of-life work, storytelling bec...

For those in caregiving roles, helping professions, ministry, or deeply relational lives, constant yes-ing can begin to feel like proof of compassion and commitment. But over time, always saying yes c...

As our pets age or begin to face physical or cognitive challenges, the changes we see are not always easy to understand. A once energetic dog may move more slowly. A predictable routine may begin to s...

Choosing an end-of-life doula is a deeply personal decision. This is someone who may walk alongside you or your loved one during one of life’s most tender transitions. Beyond experience or training, w...

At its heart, Reiki is about presence, connection, and care. It’s also deeply rooted in respect for personal boundaries, for individual experience, and for the natural wisdom of the body or animal rec...

Caring for an aging pet is an act of love. It’s also a responsibility that can quietly grow over time with more medications, more appointments, and more attention to changes that might once have seeme...

In a previous post, I introduced the concept of green burial—an approach that returns the body to the earth naturally, without embalming chemicals, metal caskets, or concrete vaults. Green burial has ...

ALT: Mochi the Jack Russell Dog

What is Parkinson's & what are the symptoms, causes & treatments? We define this neurodegenerative disorder that affects more than 10 million people worldwide.

In many areas of life, we are taught that words are the most important part of communication. We learn how to explain, persuade, and comfort through language. Yet in some of the most meaningful moment...

For many families, choosing an in-home euthanasia allows a beloved companion animal to remain in familiar surroundings during their final moments. Instead of a clinic visit filled with car rides, wait...

At the end of life, there often comes a moment when the focus shifts. Medical tasks recede into the background, and what matters most becomes simpler, deeper. Comfort. Companionship. Presence. A vigi...

There are seasons when meaning feels close at hand, when purpose feels clear and the deeper threads of life seem easy to trust. And then there are other seasons. Times when what once grounded us feels...

There is a particular kind of love that shows up at the end of a life. It is quieter, slower, and deeply attentive. Hospice fostering for dogs—often lovingly called “fospice” —lives in this space. Th...