Funeral Words

More to Learn???

Medical science continues to probe the mind to discover the "sources" of our emotions and sense of self and spiritual experience, etc. etc. No doubt many of the insights described in this book will expand and improve over time. Nevertheless, for those in the caregiving and counseling professions, it may make sense to start adapting to some of these ideas. Over time the research will improve.

I have only just begun to work my way through this book, so my personal comments will wait until later. For now I will mention the comments of one reviewer on Amazon. He described the book as having a negative bias towards Christianity and a more neutral bias as regards other forms of religious practice. Outside of that, the reviewer thought the book did a good job of introducing current theory.

Read with healthy skepticism. This line of research has a long way to go, but it is not going to go away.

                        

Just What I Have Needed

I cannot help but mention this book. It contains many insights which have helped me piece (and peace) my life together again. I can also recommend it for a short but clear chapter starting on p. 265 which outlines the structure and more importantly purpose behind Jewish burial customs. I have a much deeper appreciation of the wisdom of life which accompanies those practices.

Full of potent wisdom to help one live well. Always approachable though, never out of reach.

Highly recommended.

                                  

Leaving a Legacy

I had the chance last week to teach two classes of community college students. Out of the preparation work came a variety of thoughts about leaving a legacy which I have organized into a series of bullet points.

No doubt, any of the topics listed could receive their own thorough treatment but perhaps this begins to open the mind to possibilities. At one time or another we entertain thoughts about our legacy and what we leave behind. So often those ideas overwhelm instead of enliven. Don't let that happen. Just begin!

I have so little from prior generations. At this point, I would welcome almost ANYTHING to help me understand who they were and what their lives were about. In other words, whatever you do, in 50 years it will become a treasure for someone in your family and with a little forethought, perhaps a treasure for all.

Click on the link for a PDF document which might help stimulate your thinking.

Download leaving_a_legacy_v1.pdf

Incidentally, I consider this a total work in progress. Feel welcome to jot your thoughts and responses in the comments area. With your help this document will greatly improve.

BT

Ideas Exchange Audio

Click the link below to hear a recording of the Pursuit of Excellence Ideas Exchange held during the NFDA convention in Philadelphia last month. It includes a summary of the purpose behind the Best of the Best Recognition as well as an overview of this year's recipients.

Please note that I have not had time yet to edit the file down. The total recording runs about an hour. Perhaps at some point I can edit the contents to a more manageable size.

Download Pursuit of Excellence Ideas Exchange

or click the play button below to listen without downloading the file.

Also, here's the PowerPoint presentation which accompanies the audio.

Download Ideas Exchange PowerPoint  [Note: May take several minutes to download depending upon your connection speed. The file is about 5Mb.]