In this episode, we speak to Laura Davis, author of The Burning Light of Two Stars, The Courage to Heal, and four other books. In addition to writing books that inspire, the work of Laura’s heart is to teach. For over twenty years, she’s helped people find their voices, tell their stories, and hone their craft. She teaches online and at retreat centers around the world.

She's a featured speaker for The National Association of Memoir Writers and a popular craft teacher at The San Miguel Writer's Conference. In May, Laura will be leading her signature Writing as a Pathway Through Grief, Loss, Uncertainty, and Change retreat at a beautiful retreat center in the Northern California redwoods. You can learn about Laura’s retreats, workshops, and classes, and read the first five chapters of her memoir at www.lauradavis.net.

Writing as a Pathway Retreat - https://lauradavis.net/writing-as-a-pathway/

Laura’s press kit regarding her book, with images, etc.
The Burning Light of Two Stars

We mentioned the Book - The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning

And Laura mentioned The Inner Work of Age: Shifting From Role to Soul by Connie Zweig

The poem we shared was -

Allow
by Donna Fauld

There is no controlling life.
Try corralling a lightning bolt,
containing a tornado. Dam a
stream and it will create a new
channel. Resist, and the tide
will sweep you off your feet.
Allow, and grace will carry
you to higher ground. The only
safety lies in letting it all in –
the wild and the weak; fear,
fantasies, failures and success.
When loss rips off the doors of
the heart, or sadness veils your
vision with despair, practice
becomes simply bearing the truth.
In the choice to let go of your
known way of being, the whole
world is revealed to your new eyes.

We were honored to meet and talk with Jill McClennen in this episode.

She is a certified death doula, a non-medical professional specially trained
to provide holistic care for individuals in their final stages of life. She offers
comprehensive support, preparation, and deep soul healing to her clients and their
families, whether in person or through virtual sessions, as she works as a death
doula and end-of-life coach.

In her virtual practice, Jill helps people prepare themselves and their loved ones for
the end of life, offering guidance and emotional support, regardless of physical
distance.

Jill is also the host of the "Seeing Death Clearly" podcast, available on all major
podcast platforms. Through her podcast, she talks with guests and they share
valuable insights and stories related to end-of-life matters, further extending her
mission to promote understanding and compassion about this important stage of life.
https://www.endoflifeclarity.com
https://m.facebook.com/endoflifeclarity
https://www.facebook.com/groups/endoflifeclaritycircle/
https://www.facebook.com/jill.mcclennen
http://www.instagram.com/endoflifeclarity
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillmcclennen
https://www.tiktok.com/@endoflifeclarity
https://seeingdeathclearly.buzzsprout.com

The poem we read was -

Clarity
By Vievee Francis

Sorrow, O sorrow, moves like a loose flock
of blackbirds sweeping over the metal roofs, over the birches,
and the miles.
One wave after another, then another, then the sudden
opening
where the feathered swirl, illumined by dusk, parts to reveal
the weeping
heart of all things.

Here is a link to a YouTube of Joanna Macy's Tonglen Practice, she calls "breathing through" - https://youtu.be/-qUTIYCzYo4?si=LV05TEBwyXfwRBqj

You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Also, we would love your financial support and you can join us on Patreon. Anyone who supports us at any level will be invited to a special live, online conversation with Annalouiza and Wakil.

And we would love your feedback and want to hear your stories. You can email us at endoflifeconvo@gmail.com.

Please note this content warning for the following episode. In this episode our friend Kate speaks about her experience with putting down a beloved horse. Please take care of yourselves.

Today we are excited to have a conversation with Kate Schuyler. She is an active student of life, self, and the heart, a mother, grandmother, partner, and loyal friend. She is a world traveler, a hiker, a backpacker, a community volunteer, a gardener, a poetry lover, and a musician and singer.

She has been a Licensed Massage Therapist since 1982, and a member of the Sufi Community since 1994. She has been singing with the Portland Threshold Singers, an affiliated chapter of Threshold Choir International, since June 2012, eleven and a half years ago.

We shared this poem -

AFTER YOU DIE
By Marva Lee Weigelt

Just so you know
after you die
I will not wonder
why you didn’t do
your dishes or
how long it’s been
since you
cleaned your
oven or microwave or
mopped your floors
or why there were
dust bunnies under
the bed and
behind the door
After you’re gone
I will not wonder
how you could
have allowed the
piles of old mail to
accumulate or
why you saved so
many bits and pieces
of this and that or
why you weren’t
more goal-oriented and
well-organized or
why your refrigerator
contained so many
expired condiments
When you are
absent from all your
familiar places
I vow to avoid wondering
why you didn’t
eat less and
exercise more or
why you waited so
long to stop smoking
or drinking or
whatever else was
simultaneously
soothing and
deadly or
why you took
whatever risk may
seem to have hastened
your exit or why
you left so much unsaid
unfinished or
unresolved
I will only wonder
if you knew how much
you mattered to me
just as you are
as you were when we
met in our temporary
human disguises and
laughed in the
dressing room of the
world at how funkily
our skin suits fit
at times
I will wonder and
hope you knew
you were beloved
I will wonder when
we last hugged
and whether you
felt how our
heartbeats
converged
and our bellies
bumped like boats
and then we
both sighed

******
At the end of this episode we share a sample of the beautiful music of the Threshold Singers.

You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Also, we would love your financial support and you can join us on Patreon. Anyone who supports us at any level will be invited to a special live, online conversation with Annalouiza and Wakil.

And we would love your feedback and want to hear your stories. You can email us at endoflifeconvo@gmail.com.