Conscious Acts of Grace are those words, actions, and touches that let our loved ones know we are there for them at the end of their physical life. They are born in unselfishness, forgiveness, kindness, and compassion. They are the acts of highest love that allow us to release our loved ones from their pain and suffering with ease and caring. These true stories are valuable models that encourage and inspire. Read for personal inspiration, to share and facilitate conversation with family, friends, and medical personnel, to form a discussion or sharing group for encouragement and support, and to learn how to create Celebration Circles.

We can be certain that the body does not survive death. Once the heart stops circulating blood, the brain is no longer nourished and begins to decay. On the basis of medical evidence it would seem that, within a quarter of an hour, the personality is irreparably destroyed and the individual ceases to exist. But now there is mounting scientific evidence for a life after death. In At the Hour of Death, veteran psychical researchers Karlis Osis, Ph.D and Erlendur Haraldsson, Ph.D collated compelling evidence that suggests we, as conscious beings, do survive physical death. This book is the product of extensive interviews of over 1,000 doctors and nurses who have been present when cases of "post-mortem existence" have occurred. Extensive computer analyses of their observations have been made. The results are reported in this first truly scientific investigation of the experiences of the dying at the hour of death. What these doctors and nurses have witnessed cannot be explained away by medical, psychological, cultural, or other conditioning. Yet it may answer the fundamental question of human existence. "Finally, a book that probes death and dying with modern research techniques. Osis and Haraldsson present compelling evidence that the deathbed is the gateway to another existence. The visions of the dying appear to be not hallucinations but glimpses through the windows of eternity." -Alan Vaughan, editor of New Realities Magazine "A major contribution to the scientific study of the question of post-mortem existence. -Raymond A. Moody, M.D., author of Life After Life

""It is so nice to be happy. It always gives me a good feeling to see other people happy...It is so easy to achieve." "--Kim's journal entry, May 3, 1988
On the night of April 15, 1990, Jill Bialosky's twenty-one-year-old sister Kim came home from a bar in downtown Cleveland. She argued with her boyfriend on the phone. Then she took her mother's car keys, went into the garage, closed the garage door. She climbed into the car, turned on the ignition, and fell asleep. Her body was found the next morning by the neighborhood boy her mother hired to cut the grass.
Those are the simple facts, but the act of suicide is anything but simple. For twenty years, Bialosky has lived with the grief, guilt, questions, and confusion unleashed by Kim's suicide. Now, in a remarkable work of literary nonfiction, she re-creates with unsparing honesty her sister's inner life, the events and emotions that led her to take her life on this particular night. In doing so, she opens a window on the nature of suicide itself, our own reactions and responses to it--especially the impact a suicide has on those who remain behind.
Combining Kim's diaries with family history and memoir, drawing on the works of doctors and psychologists as well as writers from Melville and Dickinson to Sylvia Plath and Wallace Stevens, Bialosky gives us a stunning exploration of human fragility and strength. She juxtaposes the story of Kim's death with the challenges of becoming a mother and her own exuberant experience of raising a son. This is a book that explores all aspects of our familial relationships--between mothers and sons, fathers and daughters--but particularly the tender and enduring bonds between sisters.
"History of a Suicide "brings a crucial and all too rarely discussed subject out of the shadows, and in doing so gives readers the courage to face their own losses, no matter what those may be. This searing and compassionate work reminds us of the preciousness of life and of the ways in which those we love are inextricably bound to us.

By CreateSpace: As we move into the twenty-first century, the dynamics of the debate on euthanasia and assisted suicide have shifted from the "power and influence" to the "power and control." The religious industry is determined to dictate to everyone to live and die according to their dogmas and it is in everyone's best interest that we do not allow human rights and freedom of choice to be trampled on by pontificators. As such, this is a call to action by the silent majority against the vocal religious ultra-conservative minority that is dictating its non-secular ideology on everyone else. Hani Montan's latest demands to be heard-and requires that the majority seize control of their lives by controlling the ways and means of their deaths. The action needed is: first, is for the silent majority to shed its apathy and weed out through the ballot box and active campaigning the undemocratic and non-secular politicians who place God ahead of the country and the majority of its citizens. Too many unprincipled politicians' prime objective is just to survive in politics and they are a blot on democracy. Second, expose and boycott any religious establishment that is actively engaged in anti-euthanasia and anti-assisted suicide campaign because they are violating human rights and individuals' freedom of choice. It is the expectation in a democratic and secular society where religion and state are separate that the imposition of religious ideals on everyone is not acceptable. As a result, religious dogmas should not be allowed to control people's lives and religious leaders should have no undue influence on the social and political agendas of a democracy which, by definition, entitles people to have their own beliefs. Included in this should be the prerogative to choose the way they want to die. People who are in pain but believe in the sanctity of life and that the earthly suffering is good for their soul and want to exist till their last breath should be entitled to their beliefs. Others who want to prolong their life by few more days or months with palliative care and by taking heavy doses of tranquilizing drugs should also be entitled to do so. These death choices need to also extend their privileges to non-believers, to believers of science and the concept of evolution, and other terminally ill people who prefer euthanasia or assisted suicide as methods for terminating their lives that have become a misery. These people are equally entitled to their beliefs and deserve to have their human rights and freedom of choice respected. Containing many unique features, Montan's treatise gives such useful information as: samples to assist the readers in the preparation of their own legally binding "Advance Health Directive" which is now acceptable in many Western countries; a suggested updated version of the Hippocratic Oath to accommodate the subject of euthanasia and assisted suicide; and a general guide on methods and pro-euthanasia organizations specializing in the practice or advice on euthanasia and assisted suicide. A deeply thoughtful, expansive view on the rights of the dying, Death by Choice versus Religious Dogma is a book for everyone who is facing lingering death now and those who will be in similar predicament later. Euthanasia and assisted suicide is not only about the intolerance to pain or being a burden on the loved ones or the fear of dying without dignity, it is also about the loss of autonomy, loss of the ability to engage in activities that make life enjoyable, and the loss of control of bodily functions.

On April 19, 1995, Timothy McVeigh detonated a two-ton truck bomb that felled the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people. On June 11, 2001, an unprecedented 242 witnesses watched him die by lethal injection. In the aftermath of the bombings, American public commentary almost immediately turned to "closure" rhetoric. Reporters and audiences alike speculated about whether victim's family members and survivors could get closure from memorial services, funerals, legislation, monuments, trials, and executions. But what does "closure" really mean for those who survive--or lose loved ones in--traumatic acts? In the wake of such terrifying events, is closure a realistic or appropriate expectation? In Killing McVeigh, Jody Lynee Madeira uses the Oklahoma City bombing as a case study to explore how family members and other survivors come to terms with mass murder. As the fullest case study to date of the Oklahoma City Bombing survivors' struggle for justice and the first-ever case study of closure, this book describes the profound human and institutional impacts of these labors to demonstrate the importance of understanding what closure really is before naively asserting it can or has been reached.

From earliest times, people have speculated about what happens when they and their loved ones die. Their views vary from certainty about life after death to utter disbelief. Today, many continue to believe in the survival of consciousness after physical death with some claiming actual experiences of the departed and contact with them of some kind. In an era which we think of as the enlightened era of science, education and widespread secularism, many people report contact with dead. In a survey at the end of the 20th century, 31% of people in the USA , reperted they had felt that they had been in contact with some one who had died (Greeley 1975), and in Europe the number was 25% (Haraldsson and Houtkooper 1991). Scientist, Erlendur Haraldsson, a native of Iceland, sought an answer to his question, "Have you ever been aware of the presence of a deceased person?" In the modern and educated society of Iceland, one of the Scandinavian countries; he conducted an extensive survey. During the following years, detailed personal interviews were conducted with over 450 people who responded with a yes to questions about personal experiences of the deceased while in a waking state. These accounts form the basis for this book. The results are fascinating and make compelling reading.

Going well beyond the general case of grief, author Dan Newman examines the unique loss experienced by the incarcerated, their families, and the countless professionals involved with prisoners. The author's candid inside view exposes the countdown experience on death row. This first-hand account reveals delays, family counselling, the last meal and final visit. The journey continues from the death house to the execution chamber, where death becomes increasingly real as the execution hour nears. From the viewing room, Newman witnesses the lethal injection and the final breath: an intimate portrait of death, and grief behind bars.

In "The Already Dead," Eric Cazdyn examines the ways that contemporary medicine, globalization, politics, and culture intersect to produce a condition and concept that he names "the new chronic." Cazdyn argues that just as contemporary medicine uses targeted drug therapies and biotechnology to manage rather than cure diseases, global capitalism aims not for resolution but rather for a continual state of crisis management that perpetuates the iniquities of the status quo. Engaging critical theory, philosophy, and psychoanalysis, he explores the ways that crisis affects perceptions of time and denies alternative ways of being and thinking.

To resist the exploitative crisis state, which Cazdyn terms "the global abyss," he posits the concept of "the already dead," a condition in which the subject (medical, political, psychological) has been killed but has yet to die. Embracing this condition, he argues, allows for a revolutionary consciousness open to a utopian future. Woven into Cazdyn's analysis are personal anecdotes about his battle with leukemia and his struggle to obtain Canadian citizenship during his illness. These narratives help to illustrate his systemic critique, one that reconfigures the relationship between politics, capitalism, revolution, and the body.

This book is a guide to the afterlife. It's for those that want to know the truth about death.It will teach you what to do, where to go after your physical passing, making the transition from life to death easier. It is not meant for entertainment but more as a learning tool. The author, whom has empathic and sensitive qualities since the age of five years old, has decided to share what she has learned from souls on the other-side. Her teachings came from visitations, empathic feelings from those who have passed and Evps (Electronic Voice Phenomenon) of the dead speaking with the use of professional audio recording equipment. It became apparent to the author, from years of visitations, and many numerous cries for "Help," that there needed to be a guide written to help us move on after death. Even the most innocent of souls can be lost after death from lack of knowledge as to where to go. I hope that this book will alleviate that confusion and prepare us all for that journey. This book will hopefully will teach you there is NO end to us. For more information on author and to check out her Cd of spirit voices captured, visit her website at; http: //www.spookmanor.com

Love in the Midst of Grief is the story of a devastating double tragedy; the deaths of two much-loved young men within a short time of one another, one from a terrible virus, the other from unknown causes. Their loss devastated their family. Nine years on, their younger brother-in-law, Satenam Johal, who has a professional background in social care, has written a detailed account of the tragedy and its aftermath. In doing so he hopes not only to help his family in their continuing grief but to provide others who are mourning loved ones to understand and manage the grieving process. The book will also be of great help to professionals seeking to help the bereaved.

In "Never Say Die," Susan Jacoby delivers a brave, impassioned, and exceptionally important wake-up call to Americans who have long been deluded by the dangerous myth that a radically new old age awaits the huge baby boom generation.
Combining historical, social, and economic analysis with personal experiences of love and loss, Jacoby unmasks the fallacies promoted by twenty-first-century hucksters of longevity, and reveals the hazards of the magical thinking that prevents us from facing the genuine battles of growing old. "Never Say Die" speaks to Americans, whatever their age, who draw courage and hope from facing reality instead of embracing platitudes and delusions, and who want to grow old with dignity and purpose. It is a life-affirming and powerful message that has never been more relevant.

Death And Anti-Death, Volume 9: One Hundred Years After Wilhelm Dilthey (1833-1911) is edited by Charles Tandy, Ph.D.: ISBN 978-1-934297-13-1 is the Hardback edition and ISBN 978-1-934297-14-8 is the Paperback edition. Volume 9, as indicated by the anthology's subtitle, is in honor of Wilhelm Dilthey (1833-1911). The chapters do not necessarily mention him (but some chapters do). The chapters (by professional philosophers and other professional scholars) are directed to issues related to death, life extension, and anti-death, broadly construed. Most of the contributions consist of scholarship unique to this volume. As was the case with all previous volumes in the Death And Anti-Death Series By Ria University Press, the anthology includes an Index as well as an Abstracts section that serves as an extended table of contents. (Volume 9 also includes a BRIEF COMMUNICATIONS section.) Volume 9 includes chapters by some of the world's leading living thinkers and doers. There are 13 chapters, as follows: ------CHAPTER ONE Contingency, Autonomy And Inanity: Cornelius Castoriadis On Human Mortality (by Giorgio Baruchello) pages 27-54; ------CHAPTER TWO Cryonics: Introduction And Technical Challenges (by Ben Best) pages 55-74; ------CHAPTER THREE Technological Revolutions: Ethics And Policy In The Dark (by Nick Bostrom) pages 75-108; ------CHAPTER FOUR Is Personalism Dead At Boston University? (by Thomas O. Buford) pages 109-136; ------CHAPTER FIVE Practical Lessons In Preparing For Cryonic Suspension: The Example Of Robert Ettinger, Patient 106 (by David Ettinger and Connie Ettinger) pages 137-146; ------CHAPTER SIX Bad Metaphysics Does Not Make For Good Science (by Gary L. Herstein) pages 147-164; ------CHAPTER SEVEN Open Theism (by J. R. Lucas) pages 165-174; ------CHAPTER EIGHT Fostering Death In A Culture Of Life: The Ambiguous Legacy Of The Marketing Of Cryonics (by David Pascal) pages 175-198; ------CHAPTER NINE Agony As Entrancement: Dying Out Of Too Much Life: Emil Cioran And The Metaphysical Experience Of Death (by Horia Patrascu) pages 199-226; ------CHAPTER TEN Options For Proactive Cryopreservation (by R. Michael Perry) pages 227-236; ------CHAPTER ELEVEN The Many Worlds Of Dilthey: A Modest Defense Of The Irreducibility Of Meaning (by Charles Taliaferro) pages 237-248; ------CHAPTER TWELVE John Rawls And The Death Of Scarcity: A "Force Of Nature" Original Position (by Charles Tandy) pages 249-280; ------CHAPTER THIRTEEN The Convergence Of Nanotechnology, Biotechnology And Information Technology - The Potential Unlimited Renewable Resource Generation For The Extension Of Sustainability (by Sinclair T. Wang) pages 281-328. ------The INDEX begins on page 329.

This volume offers a selection of articles from authors representing a wide array of disciplines, all of whom explore the following central theme: how can the presence of the dead take life in the hearts of the living? Although individuals die, they can indeed remain "present." But how? Authors in this volume explicate practical mourning strategies to help survivors cope with the tremendous sadness and emptiness experienced when we lose someone we love.

From a psychiatrist specialized in helping patients who struggle with depression and drug and alcohol abuse, comes the tremendous and heartbreaking memoir of a doctor who must reexamine the meaning of these same psychological diseases when they strike her own daughter. Now, rather than helping her patients learns the tools of coping and survival, Elsa must look inward and discover this kind of strength and courage within herself. As this brave author fights to employ all of her expertise, motherly love, and endless empathy, she is still left with facing the hardest questions a parent can ask. What do I say to reach my daughter? How do I help her? Can I help her?

"Through the Unknowable" is an intimate and fiercely honest look inside a family falling apart and a mother who never stops trying to pick up the pieces. This book is a must-read for anyone who knows how it feels to wander through the unknowable.

"The word death is not pronounced in New York, in Paris, in London, because it burns the lips. The Mexican, in contrast, is familiar with death, jokes about it, caresses it, sleeps with it, celebrates it, it is one of his favorite toys and his most steadfast love."Thus Octavio Paz describes a cultural phenomenon that has for centuries fascinated scholars and aficionados of virtually every field of Mexican studies, "el culto a la muerte," the cult of death, a term that readily calls to the mind of anyone familiar with Mexico and her culture the unusually constant place of death in the minds and lives of the Mexican people. In this volume, author Brodman examines the Mexican cult of death from a variety of disciplinary perspectives to provide the most comprehensive analysis yet of the origins and nature of the Mexican cult of death and its relationship to Mexican arts, literature and culture.

A journey through 20,000 years of history and myth in search of the answer to a single question: Do animals have souls?
Anyone who has ever mourned the loss of a cherished pet has wondered about the animal soul. Do animals survive the death of the body, or are they doomed to disappear completely when they leave this world behind? Both scientists and religious authorities have long scoffed at the idea of animals in heaven. Yet the question endures. In this wise, immensely readable book, Ptolemy Tompkins embarks on a quest for the answer--taking us on a top-speed tour of the history of the animal soul.
Equally at home with mainstream and alternative spiritual philosophies, Tompkins takes us from the savannas of Africa to the earth's first cities to the early days of the great faith traditions of both East and West. Along the way, he shows that, despite what many of us have been taught, the world's various spiritual traditions all have profoundly meaningful things to say about the animal soul, if we simply know where to look. Rescuing these ancient insights and blending them with vivid stories about animals today--from a dwarf rabbit named Angus to a manatee named Moose to a black bear named Little Bit--"The Divine Life of Animals" paints a gloriously inclusive picture of the cosmos as a place made up of both matter and spirit, in which animals are every bit as important, spiritually speaking, as the humans with whom they share the world. Though it is startlingly original, "The Divine Life of Animals" also feels strangely and instantly familiar, for it reveals truths that many of us have held in our hearts already, waiting only for someone to give fresh voice to one of the oldest and most trustworthy intuitions we possess.
The "Divine Life of Animals" offers a compelling and timeless vision of the relationship between humans and animals that will have you looking at the animals in your life with new eyes.

"From the Hardcover edition."

In "Death with Dignity," Robert Orfali makes a compelling case for legalized physician-assisted dying. Using the latest data from Oregon and the Netherlands, he puts a fresh new slant on perennial debate topics such as "slippery slopes," "the integrity of medicine," and "sanctity of life."His engaging writing style brings clarity to these issues. The content is thought-provoking; the arguments are well-researched, air-tight, and original.

This extraordinary book provides an in-depth look at how we die in America today. It examines the shortcomings of our end-of-life system. You'll learn about terminal torture in hospital ICUs and about the alternatives: hospice and palliative care. With laser-sharp focus, Orfali scrutinizes the good, the bad, and the ugly. He provides an insightful critique of the practice of palliative sedation. The book makes a strong case that assisted dying complements hospice. By providing both, Oregon now has the best palliative-care system in America. Reading this book, above all, may help you or someone you care about navigate this strange landscape we call "end of life." It can be your gentle and informed guide to "a good death" in the age of hospice and high-tech medical intervention.

Robert Orfali, the guru of client/server systems in the early days of Silicon Valley, co-authored three best-selling books that demystified the complexity of these mission-critical systems and made them understandable to a whole new generation of programmers. The books sold over a million copies. In this book, Robert uses his analytical skills to deconstruct the most complex system he has yet encountered: our modern end-of-life system. He wrote this book after helping his soulmate and coauthor, Jeri, navigate her death from ovarian cancer in 2009. The deep emotions Robert felt allowed him to look at how we die from a different perspective, another angle. Robert also wrote "Grieving a Soulmate."

Now available in paperback -- Jan Hatanaka's powerful, life-enhancing book on how six people, encountering significant adversity, made a conscious choice to work to build a life of meaning.

Using six stories from her casebook as a therapist, Hatanaka explores and illustrates the complex relationships that exist between death and grief and the path that can lead to reconciling that grief.

Included in her stories is her own heart-wrenching and dramatic experience following a major health crisis. Hatanaka draws on her personal, clinical, and academic experience as she takes the reader through the Greif Reconciliation Process, describing the actual steps taken by people who manage to build a life of meaning in the face of significant adversity.

"The Choice" is brilliant in its simple, gentle, and profound exploration of the reality of suffering as part of the human experience. It exposes the hope that can be hidden in affliction.

"The Choice" will be of great help to those currently in the grips of personal adversity; the loved ones of those who are suffering; and health-care professionals, including medical practitioners, counsellors, therapists, and spiritual advisors.

About the Author

Dr. Jan Hatanaka's approach to grief and reconciliation is informed by: her personal experience; her extensive academic research on the universality of grief and loss; and her in-depth discussions with hundreds of individuals willing to recount their personal stories. The founder of Grief Reconciliation International Inc., she holds positions at York University, Toronto, in the Department of Nursing, the Religious Studies program, and the York Institute for Health Research. She has a B.Sc. in nursing from the University of Ottawa, a Master's degree in education and counseling psychology from the University of Toronto, and a Ph.D. in theology from the University of Wales.

From the Author

I wrote "The Choice" to introduce a process and a language that I hoped would help those who had made a choice to work toward greater understanding and wisdom concerning the reconciliation of grief in their lives.

We grieve in response to the loss of someone or something that we hold dear. While this response may manifest itself in many different ways, this book serves to illustrate the many common themes that surface in stories told by individuals relaying their personal experience in working to reconcile grief. I am pleased that this book is serving as a practical guide to those seeking help and those seeking to help others.

From the Back Cover

A dramatic, challenging, and liberating book that introduces the choice we all must make when faced with adversity &#8212 a book that traces the intense struggles and triumphs of those who have learned to reconcile grief in their lives, including, in this book: The author herself, who survived a major challenge to her health An up-and-coming student, whose fall on a football field renders him a paraplegic and takes him to the edge of suicide An MBA graduate, who discovers that unresolved grief in his family two generations back is threatening his marriage today A mother of two young children, who experiences a terrorism threat and can't reconnect with her family and colleagues A retired boxer, who faces the toughest bout of all when given the news that his condition is inoperable A woman entering her senior years who is emerging from a deep well of depression over the loss of her twenty-year-old son

Are you ready to discover what lies beyond the ordinary experience of grief?

Sacred Grief offers an intriguing exploration of the far-reaching rippleeffect of our present-day opinions about surviving grief's emotionalroller-coaster and the unnecessary suffering our judgments unconsciouslypromote. You'll find comfort in discovering that there's anotherdimension to this universal experience--a dimension that fosters trust, kindness and compassion, peacefully heals, and steadfastly moves youtowards your soul's deepest desires and dreams.
Praise for Sacred Grief
"Because we will all have the experience, Sacred Grief is a compellingguide for everyone searching for the sweetness in life's great passages."
--Gregg Braden, author, "The Divine Matrix" and "The God Code"
"Sacred Grief is a holy handbook for gleaning the gifts of the journeycalled grief."
--Mary Manin Morrissey, Co-founder, Association for Global New Thought
"Sacred Grief is a welcome departure from the conventional advice about'surviving' grief."
--Jill Carroll, Ph.D., Executive Director, Boniuk Center for the Study andAdvancement of Religious Tolerance, Rice University
"I highly recommend this book to anyone that has experienced any type of loss in their livesand is willing to look at the loss through a different set of eyes. Tessman, in Sacred Grief, willlead the reader to a place of compassion for oneself, create a relationship with his/her own grief, and ultimately create a place of understanding and a healed soul."
--Irene Watson, Managing Editor, Reader Views
Learn more about this book at www.SacredGrief.com
Another great self-help book from Loving Healing press www.LovingHealing.com
SEL010000 Self-Help: Death, Grief, Bereavement
FAM014000 Family & Relationships: Death, Grief, Bereavement
SOC036000 Social Science: Death & Dying