Hello,

I'm a new member to the group and I'd like to introduce Lessons for the Living, a blog for people committed to the idea of hospice and those struggling with grief or loss. Since it goes beyond the concerns of this group, I thought it would be appropriate to host it independently. But there will be many articles you might find helpful.

For the past four years I've been a columnist for the Hospice Volunteer Newsletter. My writing In that column and in my other publications has been based on:

6 years as a bedside volunteer (currently with Pathways Hospice and Home Care in San Francisco)
6 years of living with prostate cancer
30 years of teaching interpersonal skills to clinicians (Professor Emeritus at San Francisco State University)
20 years of my own clinical research on how experience and emotions shape perceptions 


You can learn more about me by going to my website: stangoldbergwriter.com Every week or so, I'll write a short original piece (approximately 500-2000 words) on hospice, end-of-life, grief, or loss. The essays will be practical, and hopefully helpful. I'm also open to suggestions on what you would like me to write about or what you would like to discuss in this new international forum. I'm currently working on a new book tentatively titled: I Want My Life Back: Regaining the Joy of Living. It will cover all losses ranging from the death of a child to outsourced jobs. It won't be available for at least two years, but I will share the ideas both in this blog and my own.

The inaugural column in my blog is The Magic of Music. It explores how music allows a connection with the person who is dying when speech is no longer possible. A few of the upcoming columns will be:

Simplify for an Easier Death. Thinking becomes harder as one approaches death. Simplifying the environment of the person who is dying will make their death easier and comfort loved ones.


Why Repetition is Important. The re-telling of stories is often thought to be the result of a deteriorating mind. It is also an important way of making the past reachable.


The Nature of Loss. Understanding why a loss is so painful is the first step in regaining joy in living.


If you like what you read, please check back weekly or subscribe to an RSS and I'll notify you when a new essay appears.

Coming soon, I'll have a resource page with links to other sites. Just send me a brief note about your agency, website, or blog along with the site address.

And a few final things
This is a blog for the exchange of ideas
All columns will be archived
I don't sell email lists
You can use any column free for non-commercial projects if proper attribution is made to me (that's what appears at the end of each column). 

Hope to hear from you soon. I'm still very new at the blog stuff, so please forgive any formatting fupahs.

Take care,

Stan