Whenever I sit down with folks that live here in Nova Scotia, to work out their end of life plans, often “I want to donate my body to Dalhousie” comes up during the conversation. Sometimes people are thinking it is an effective strategy to reduce the cost of...
My Mother died without ensuring her affairs were properly in order before her death. She died in 2011, and it is clear on this side of it, that we are dealing with an intestacy. I am the sole heir at law, however this has been a very complex issue...
Do you believe there is a reason for everything? Sometimes I do, and sometimes I don’t. Maybe it has to do with the order of magnitude. My debilitating car accident in 2006 in Alberta put some things in perspective about how fragile our bodies are, and how in the...
I finally got out to watch the movie Manchester by the Sea last night. It is a movie about a man who suffered a great loss in his own life, and while trying to make sense of it all was hit with the news of the death of his...
Just as each birth is unique, so too is death. Both are normal and natural and each holds an element of mystery. The time and place for both are mostly uncertain. Death, statistically speaking, comes with a 100% guarantee. Death does not discriminate. It comes to the old and...
Generally speaking when there is an “expected” death, it is not necessary to contact a funeral home right away. However if your family member is in the hospital or long term care facility and not at home, then it is likely the facility will want that bed for someone...
I’m often asked what brought me to this work. When I look back over my life, I see there were “markers” of significance that seem to suggest I have been headed this way for quite some time, perhaps even as early as grade six when I discovered my fascination...
I love spending time in graveyards. They are, for the most part, quiet, and a good place to hang out in bare feet, without too many people around. The lawns are well manicured. Birds make their homes in trees close by, squirrels and chipmunks can often be seen running...
All death by suicide is a heavy burden to bear for the survivors who are left to wonder “Why?” It leaves many questions unanswered, and it causes a lot of internal turmoil searching for the answers to the question of “What if?” All humans are vulnerable to the pressures...
As someone who works with families who care for their dead, I respect their wishes when they decide between burial or cremation. However it is clear to me that humans need to give more thought about best practices for the care of our dead with respect to impacts on...