The Good Death

The Good Death PDF

Author: Ann Neumann

Publisher: Beacon Press

Published: 2017-02-07

Total Pages: 250

ISBN-13: 0807076996

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Following the death of her father, journalist and hospice volunteer Ann Neumann sets out to examine what it means to die well in the United States. When Ann Neumann’s father was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, she left her job and moved back to her hometown of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She became his full-time caregiver—cooking, cleaning, and administering medications. When her father died, she was undone by the experience, by grief and the visceral quality of dying. Neumann struggled to put her life back in order and found herself haunted by a question: Was her father’s death a good death? The way we talk about dying and the way we actually die are two very different things, she discovered, and many of us are shielded from what death actually looks like. To gain a better understanding, Neumann became a hospice volunteer and set out to discover what a good death is today. She attended conferences, academic lectures, and grief sessions in church basements. She went to Montana to talk with the attorney who successfully argued for the legalization of aid in dying, and to Scranton, Pennsylvania, to listen to “pro-life” groups who believe the removal of feeding tubes from some patients is tantamount to murder. Above all, she listened to the stories of those who were close to death. What Neumann found is that death in contemporary America is much more complicated than we think. Medical technologies and increased life expectancies have changed the very definition of medical death. And although death is our common fate, it is also a divisive issue that we all experience differently. What constitutes a good death is unique to each of us, depending on our age, race, economic status, culture, and beliefs. What’s more, differing concepts of choice, autonomy, and consent make death a contested landscape, governed by social, medical, legal, and religious systems. In these pages, Neumann brings us intimate portraits of the nurses, patients, bishops, bioethicists, and activists who are shaping the way we die. The Good Death presents a fearless examination of how we approach death, and how those of us close to dying loved ones live in death’s wake.

The Adventures of Geraldine Woolkins

The Adventures of Geraldine Woolkins PDF

Author: Karin Kaufman

Publisher: Createspace Independent Pub

Published: 2015-03-03

Total Pages: 142

ISBN-13: 9781508557623

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Young Geraldine longs to have adventures as thrilling as those in the Book of Tales, the book her papa reads to her and her brother Button at night. More than that, she wants to be brave--a seemingly impossible task in a world where ravens throw black shadows over the earth and wolves prowl barren lands in search of their prey. But Geraldine is a mouse. The weakest of ground things. Why was she, who wants so much to be brave, created by God to be small and quivering? The book's ten stories follow the Woolkins family--Papa, Mama, Geraldine, and Button--from October to December, as they face their rather human trials and tribulations and Geraldine struggles to understand Very Very Big Hands, the creator of all, including ravens and wolves. Suitable for readers of most ages. Parents will want to read the book to younger children, preferably after making them a cup of cocoa.

Still Life and Death

Still Life and Death PDF

Author: Tracy Gardner

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2021-08-10

Total Pages: 255

ISBN-13: 1952210232

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A murder at the flower shop. An uncle suspected by the cops. Savanna and her sisters are on the case. Savanna Shepherd, a former art authenticator turned grade school art teacher, is delighted when her Uncle Max and Uncle Freddie move to Carson. Uncle Max takes a job at Libby’s Blooms, where Savanna teaches a still life painting class for adults. But one morning, Uncle Max finds a dead body in the rooftop greenhouse…and even worse, it looks like an inside job. Savanna and her sisters—Skylar, a lawyer, and Sydney, the owner of a pet shop and grooming salon—dig in to find the real murderer. With their connections to the community and Savanna’s keen eye for details, they uncover longstanding resentments and horticultural clues. Meanwhile, Savanna’s dating local doctor Aidan Gallager, but she worries it’ll cause a scandal, since his daughter is in her class. As Savanna’s investigation leads her into thorny situations, the killer may be arranging another murder: her own. This cozy mystery includes a free original Hallmark recipe for Chocolate Pecan Brownies.

Death Is Stupid

Death Is Stupid PDF

Author: Anastasia Higginbotham

Publisher:

Published: 2020-10-06

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 9781948340397

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An invaluable tool for kids to discuss death, explore grief, and honor the life of loved ones.

Death and the Afterlife

Death and the Afterlife PDF

Author: Samuel Scheffler

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2013-09-09

Total Pages: 221

ISBN-13: 019998252X

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Suppose you knew that, though you yourself would live your life to its natural end, the earth and all its inhabitants would be destroyed thirty days after your death. To what extent would you remain committed to your current projects and plans? Would scientists still search for a cure for cancer? Would couples still want children? In Death and the Afterlife, philosopher Samuel Scheffler poses this thought experiment in order to show that the continued life of the human race after our deaths--the "afterlife" of the title--matters to us to an astonishing and previously neglected degree. Indeed, Scheffler shows that, in certain important respects, the future existence of people who are as yet unborn matters more to us than our own continued existence and the continued existence of those we love. Without the expectation that humanity has a future, many of the things that now matter to us would cease to do so. By contrast, the prospect of our own deaths does little to undermine our confidence in the value of our activities. Despite the terror we may feel when contemplating our deaths, the prospect of humanity's imminent extinction would pose a far greater threat to our ability to lead lives of wholehearted engagement. Scheffler further demonstrates that, although we are not unreasonable to fear death, personal immortality, like the imminent extinction of humanity, would also undermine our confidence in the values we hold dear. His arresting conclusion is that, in order for us to lead value-laden lives, what is necessary is that we ourselves should die and that others should live. Death and the Afterlife concludes with commentary by four distinguished philosophers--Harry Frankfurt, Niko Kolodny, Seana Shiffrin, and Susan Wolf--who discuss Scheffler's ideas with insight and imagination. Scheffler adds a final reply.

Lifetimes

Lifetimes PDF

Author: Bryan Mellonie

Publisher: Bantam

Published: 2009-09-16

Total Pages: 42

ISBN-13: 0307569683

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When the death of a relative, a friend, or a pet happens or is about to happen . . . how can we help a child to understand? Lifetimes is a moving book for children of all ages, even parents too. It lets us explain life and death in a sensitive, caring, beautiful way. Lifetimes tells us about beginnings. And about endings. And about living in between. With large, wonderful illustrations, it tells about plants. About animals. About people. It tells that dying is as much a part of living as being born. It helps us to remember. It helps us to understand. Lifetimes . . . a very special, very important book for you and your child. The book that explains—beautifully—that all living things have their own special Lifetimes.

Death by Living

Death by Living PDF

Author: N. D. Wilson

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Published: 2013-05-14

Total Pages: 206

ISBN-13: 0849965039

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Each of us is in the middle of a story. In this astoundingly unique book, bestselling author N.D. Wilson reminds us that to truly live we must recognize that we are dying. Cause of death: life. Death by Living is a poetic exploration of faith, futility, and the incredible joy of this mortal life. N.D. Wilson recounts stories from his life in poetic prose, giving perspective on the life we're given by God. Death by Living explores the topics of family, grappling with the death of loved ones, and how to live with intention to get the most out of our time on Earth. Wilson encourages us to live hard and die grateful, and to see Christ in every pair of eyes. To write a past we won’t regret. All of us must pause and breathe. See the past, see life as the fruit of providence and thousands of personal narratives. We did not choose where to set our feet in time, but we choose where to set them next. We stand in the now. God says create. Live. Choose. Shape the past. Etch your life in stone, and what you make will be forever. In Death by Living, you will: Experience life with renewed wonder Recognize mundane moments as opportunities Learn to live hard and die grateful Recognize death as a gift instead of something to be feared At once inspiring, humorous, and unbelievably moving, this a book that you will read again and again, finding fresh perspective each time you open it.

Is God Still at the Bedside?

Is God Still at the Bedside? PDF

Author: Abigail Rian Evans

Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 503

ISBN-13: 0802827233

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Is God Still at the Bedside? by Abigail Rian Evans offers an expert interdisciplinary Christian perspective on the complex web of issues surrounding death and dying. Evans here combines first-person stories and interviews with research gathered from the medical, theological, legal, ethical, and pastoral disciplines. Her comprehensive, insightful work will not only benefit families struggling with difficult end-of-life decisions but also inform the doctors, nurses, and pastors who serve them. Book jacket.

Still Death

Still Death PDF

Author: Tim Hoy

Publisher: Alibi

Published: 2017-04-11

Total Pages: 321

ISBN-13: 1101966467

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What happens when a detective falls in love with a homicide suspect? In this razor-sharp psychological thriller set in London’s gleaming art world, more than one life may depend on the answer. A serial killer has struck again. London’s already on edge. And Detective Inspector Tessa Grantley doesn’t have a clue. The “Execution Murderer” certainly has a type: young, beautiful blondes. Other than that, there’s nothing linking the victims, and the killer has the unfortunate habit of leaving the scene without a trace. When Tessa meets a handsome and talented artist named Alec Hanay, she decides to take one night off from investigating murder to attend the opening of his latest show. Clad in a new frock and giddy with excitement, Tessa enters the gallery, hoping to catch Alec’s attention. But as she browses the art catalog, Tessa is stunned into silence. Staring back at her, painted in all their brutal glory, are the victims of the Execution Murderer. Once he’s arrested, Alec claims that he’s been set up and pleads with Tessa to save him from a wrongful conviction. She’s torn, because the paintings are the only evidence pointing to him. But as Alec’s trial reveals his unsavory side, she wonders if sexual attraction, even love, is clouding her judgment—and the real killer is still on the streets. If she wants to find out, she just might be the next victim.

After the Death of a Child

After the Death of a Child PDF

Author: Ann K. Finkbeiner

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2012-12-11

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13: 1476725705

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For a parent, losing a child is the most devastating event that can occur. Most books on the subject focus on grieving and recovery, but as most parents agree, there is no recovery from such a loss. This book examines the continued love parents feel for their child and the many poignant and ingenious ways they devise to preserve the bond. Through detailed profiles of parents, Ann Finkbeiner shows how new activities and changed relationships with their spouse, friends, and other children can all help parents preserve a bond with the lost child. Based on extensive interviews and grief research, Finkbeiner explains how parents have changed five to twenty-five years after the deaths of their children. The first half of the book discusses the short- and long-term effects of the child’s death on the parent’s relationships with the outside world, that is, with their spouses, other children, friends, and relatives. The second half of the book details the effect on the parents’ internal world: their continuing sense of guilt; their need to place the death in some larger context and their inability sometimes to consistently do so; their new set of priorities; the nature of their bond with the lost child and the subtle and creative ways they have of continuing that bond. Finkbeiner’s central point is not so much how parents grieve for their children, but how they love them. Refusing to fall back on pop jargon about “recovery” or to offer easy solutions or standardized timelines, Finkbeiner’s is a genuine and moving search to come to terms with loss. Her complex profiles of parents resonate with the honesty and authenticity of uncomfortable emotions expressed and, most importantly, shared with others experiencing a similar loss. Finally, each profile exemplifies the many heroic ways parents learn to live with their pain, and by so doing, honor the lives their children should have lived.