Death is not something that we often like to consider, but it is an inescapable part of being human. The Fellowship has created a helpful document that will assist you in your end-of-life planning, called the Thoughtful Endings Planning Document. This document provides you with an opportunity to organize your thoughts, records, and practical information related to a serious illness and death. Doing so is a gift that you give to those who care about you and may provide you with the peace of mind that comes from “having things in order.”
Click the button below to access the document. If you are willing, we would like to keep a copy of the first page in the Fellowship office in case of an emergency.
Guest speaker Sue Mackey, Certified Thanatologist, spoke on January 24 via Zoom to a large gathering of Fellowship members and friends. She addressed organ and whole-body donation, burial and cremation, and environmentally-friendly options such as green burial, water cremation, and body composting. The session was educational and engaging. We have prepared a recording of this session for those of you who may have missed the event or who wish to share it with family and friends. You can view it by clicking the link below. We are grateful to Sue for allowing us to share her wisdom far and wide.
For information on how Unitarian Universalists approach the subject, you may visit this page on the UUA website: Beliefs about Life and Death.
It is human nature to put off doing things that are emotionally charged. Preparing for our death is not easy. Do you have a will that guides distribution of your assets after your death? Have you addressed end-of-life care wishes in an advance directive? Have you thought about wishes for a memorial service or disposition of your body?
Regularly, the Fellowship hosts a series of seminars to help members of our congregation and the public at large prepare for end-of-life. If you attended those sessions, have you followed through and documented your wishes and plans? Have you chosen a decision-maker and talked to your family about your preferences and values?
Whether you attended the seminars or not, there is help available. To guide you in this process, we have created the Thoughtful Endings Planning Document on which you can record important information, such as contacts, location of documents, and plans. The document contains helpful links to resources. The entire document should be copied and shared with family members. The Fellowship minister would appreciate having basic contact information (located on the first page of the document) for everyone who is willing to share it.
Download the planning document by clicking the button above. Complete the first page, and submit it to the office. Set a target date for completing the remainder of the document, and consider meeting with the Fellowship minister for memorial service planning. If you want help completing this document, contact Constance Holden at cholden@icloud.com.
