Asking the questions that matter, “What’s important to you?”
Dear Friends and Supporters,
What question do you hope someone asks you when you are seriously ill? What’s important to you? What makes life meaningful for you? What do you want to ask or say to others? Who should be there?
These are big questions. These and many others have been posed to help people come closer to being comfortable with having the Conversation. We capitalize the word ‘Conversation’ to underscore the importance of this powerful movement to help people plan for and talk about death and dying. This movement calls upon us to bring together those we love in Conversation, to open our hearts and our minds, and to share and understand our wishes, desires, and hopes. The Conversation gives us a very precious opportunity to listen to one another and, most importantly, to demonstrate our love by accepting choices and honoring wishes.
We had a glimpse into this process recently when Mrs. Barbara Bush and her family publicly disclosed her decision to accept comfort care. Mrs. Bush was a beloved and respected woman throughout her life. She certainly demonstrated courage and allowed her family to honor her with grace and dignity at the end of her life. As a Foundation focused exclusively on end of life, Hospice Giving Foundation is grateful to the Bush family for sharing this decision openly and giving us another forum in which to talk about this difficult, sometimes sad, but very relevant topic. On Thursday, April 18th the NPR show ‘1A’ featured a discussion about end of life featuring prominent voices on the subject. If you haven’t listened to it, I encourage you to do so by following this link.
I recently attended an event in San Francisco called Reimagine. This inspiring event created diverse programs hosted throughout neighborhoods in San Francisco to stimulate a citywide Conversation about end-of-life. Featuring an impressive offering of arts, workshops, talks, theater, and movie events, Reimagine created spaces to explore and wonder about end-of-life. In mid-April, Hospice Giving Foundation hosted the film Defining Hope followed by a family-style meal to come together and share the emotions, reactions, and sentiments the film brought up. The response from our guests was a desire for more.
And more is what we promise you. There will be more gatherings to come together to talk. More workshops to offer guidance so you don’t feel so alone in this process. More tools and resources to help you feel better equipped. More resources via grants so providers bring you the best care possible. And more opportunities to hear from you.
So, tell us, what’s important to you?
With gratitude,
Siobhan Greene, President/CEO
