February Event: Amy’s Story: Life, Love, Loss–Documentary and Discussion

The February MTN Twin Cities meeting will take place:

Tuesday, February 11, 2020
7:00-9:00 PM
Springhouse Ministry Center
610 W 28th St (click for map)
Minneapolis, MN 55408

Join us for a the first public showing of Amy’s Story, a documentary about the life of Amy Van Meter–a powerful activist, mediator and listener-of-the-heart–who lived with MS and chose her own death. This film explores the interweaving of love and loss, power and the painful grappling with deciding how and when to die. Filled with heart-breaking choices and deep love and honesty, the film raises faithful questions that invite us all into a conversation about what it means to live life to the fullest, when to choose death and how to do it with love and honor.

This event is co-sponsored by MTN  and The Center for Sustainable Justice and will include a viewing of the film, a discussion with Amy’s family and members of her chosen family and time for refreshments and conversation.

Deepest gratitude go to Angela Jimenez Photography and Melinda Bekker for the creation of this extraordinary film.

Venue accessibility information:

• The event will be in the Garden Sanctuary. There are both stairs and an elevator. The elevator is about 6-10 feet from the door and then the Garden Sanctuary is about 20 feet from the elevator.
• SpringHouse has one all-gender/accessible restroom next to the Garden Sanctuary and 2 single-gender restrooms with several stalls (one of which is accessible with a grab bar– men’s has a grab bar on the right, women’s on the left). There are also 2 more all-gender restrooms upstairs.
• Some of the lights in the space are adjustable, and some are on-off.
• Traffic noises are not audible in the space. There is a blower for the furnace but it isn’t loud.
• Scented candles are sometimes used in the space. SpringHouse can remove any scented candles but there may have been some in the past.

Transit and parking info for this meeting:

• MTN encourages carpooling whenever possible. Here’s the RickyRides carpooling page: http://www.rickyrides.com/mtn-twin-cities-february-meeting
• SpringHouse Ministry Center is served by several major bus lines. MetroTransit Trip Planner: https://www.metrotransit.org/
• Parking at the venue: SpringHouse Ministry Center has about 15 spaces in the parking lot that is shared with World Street Kitchen (accessed off of Lyndale or 28th Street) folks should park in spaces labeled for SpringHouse parking (there are some spaces that are for the Greenleaf apartment residents only or World Street Kitchen only). Also, there is street parking on 28th Street and Garfield Ave.

January Gathering: Showing of “In the Parlor: The Final Goodbye”

The documentary “In The Parlor: The Final Good-Bye,” written by Heidi Boucher and directed by Heidi Boucher and Ruby Sketchley, is an intimate portrait of three families opting to care for their loved ones after death.

Watch the trailer here: http://intheparlordoc.com/trailer/

MTN Twin Cities invites you to a showing of “In the Parlor”
Tuesday, January 15, 2019, 7:00-9:00 pm
Falcon Heights Church, United Church of Christ
1795 Holton St, St Paul, MN 55113 (click for map)

MTN events are free and open to the public. Donations of the heart accepted.

December Movie Night: The Art of Natural Death Care

Katelyn LaGrega’s 2017 film, “The Art of Natural Death Care,” from the Sophia Center in North Carolina, shows families caring for their loved ones after death. The 27-minute documentary, which was presented at the 2017 National Home Funeral Alliance conference, includes clips of MTN’s Linda Bergh.

The meeting will be held on Tuesday, December 5, at 7:00 PM at 21 E Rustic Lodge, Minneapolis, MN 55419.

All MTN Events are free and open to the public. Donations of the heart accepted.

The Results Are In!

Hi, all. Eli here with a list of books, articles, films, podcasts, and ideas shared at the September Excitement Swap!

This year we heard so many amazing suggestions, in so many different media, that I’ve broken them into categories. Entries are arranged alphabetically by title (my apologies to librarians and library-lovers). When possible, I have included the sharer’s name and any commentary they offered on the work. Caveat lector: I am but one fallible mortal who was trying to keep up with a delightfully lively discussion, so there’s a very real possibility that I missed things. If you see errors or omissions, please let me know!

MTN Twin Cities Meeting, September 19, 2017
Book, Article, and Idea Share
Anne Murphy’s home (thank you, Anne)
19 attending
Notes taken by Eli
Opening: “Epitaph” by Merritt Malloy

BOOKS

• Allison’s Gift, Pat Hogan. Tells the story of the death of Alison Sanders, daughter of Beth Knox, one of the early pioneers of the family-directed death movement. (Nancy)
• A Bridge for Grandma, Carol McCormick, illus. Marie Olofsdotter. Children’s book about a young girl who has a near-death experience in the hospital and meets her dead grandmother. (Nancy)
• Caring for the Dying, Henry Fersko-Weiss (founder of The International End of Life Doula Association [INELDA]) (Wendy)
• Dying: A Memoir, Cory Taylor. A personal looks at the end of life. (Wendy)
• The End of Life Advisor, Susan Dolan & Audrey Vizzard. Dolan and Vizzard are a mother-daughter hospice team. The book focuses on practical matters regarding death. (Nancy)
• Entering the Healing Ground: Grief, Ritual and the Soul of the World, Francis Weller. Personal grief and planetary grief. (Anne M)
• Extreme Measures, Jessica Nutik Zitter (Karen G)
• Final Gifts, Maggie Callanan and Patricia Kelley (Karen G)
• The Five Invitations, Frank Ostaseski. One of the founders of the Zen hospice movement. Looks at death for all, not just the “actively” dying. (Kyoko)
• From Here to Eternity, Caitlin Doughty (October release) (Cindy)
• The Grace in Dying, Kathleen Dowling Singh (Ellen)
• The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot
• Laughing in a Waterfall, Marianne Dietzel. This book is gripping. The way the school community come together for the home vigil is amazing. Marianne explores every dimension of why that’s so powerful. (Nancy)
• Live Consciously, Dying Gracefully, Nancy Manahan & Beck Bohan. The story of the death and dying of Diane Manahan. (Nancy)
• The Long Goodbye, Megan O’Rourke. Poetry about her mother’s death from colon cancer (Elizabeth)
• Preparing to Die: Practical Advice and Spiritual Wisdom from the Tibetan Buddhist Tradition, Andrew Holecek (Kyoko)
• The Smell of Rain on Dust: Grief and Praise. Martín Prechtel. (Anne M)
• What Really Matters: 7 Lessons for Living from the Stories of the Dying, Karen Wyatt
• When Breath Becomes Air, Paul Kalanithi. Neurosurgeon with lung cancer chronicles his journey toward death. (Kyoko)

PODCASTS and OTHER AUDIO

• End of Life University podcast (Karen G)
• On Being interview with Craig Minowa from Cloud Cult
• Terrible, Thanks for Asking. Nora McInerny. McInerny will be speaking at the Fitz in November
• What Has to Die in Order to Meet Fear and Hatred With Love? A talk given by Kyoko Katayama at Common Ground Meditation Center
  Wooden Overcoats. For a complete change of pace, this comic serial fiction podcast charts the rivalry between two funeral homes in a tiny village on a tiny island in the English Channel. (Eli)

ARTICLES

• The Man Who Buries Everyone. Funeral director Peter Stefan cares for the bodies no one else wants. (Eli)
• ‘Pagan Elements’ Concern Over Green Burial Plan in Down. Plans for Northern Ireland’s first green burial cemetery face neighbor concerns that a green burial seems too “Pagan.” (Eli)

WEBSITES

• Pema Chödrön (Alice)
• The Order of the Good Death (Cindy)
• Toko Pa (Anne M)

FILMS

• The Most Excellent Dying of Theodore Jack Heckelman (documentary by Nancy Jewel Poer). Jack’s death and vigil were so transformative for so many people. Ask Linda Bergh if you’d like a copy. (Nancy)
• Speaking of Dying (Wendy)

THEATER

• Stay With Me Awhile Mary Johnson & Barbara Means Fraser. Rochester Civic in February. Karen G. will be coordinating an MTN group trip to this event.

QUESTIONS

• What is the connection between mainstream fear of/separation from death and the hatred, violence, and oppression we are living in now? (Eli)
• Can we meet hatred with love? How? (originally posed by Carolyn Laine; relayed by Eli)
• Are people being given the choice of not having morphine and experiencing the pain at end of life? (Marianne)
• Palliative and sedation. Are we as healthcare agents and other end-of-life tenders listening well enough to advocate for what the dying person truly wants? (Kathy)

UPCOMING EVENTS

• Convening: An Artful Death at MIA, October 29. Featuring Caitlin Doughty, Kyoko Katayama, and others. (Cindy)
• MCDES conference on Medical Aid in Dying (MAiD) is this Friday, September 29.
• The Sacred Art of Living and Dying is a two-year program that consists of four two-day sessions (Fr. & Sa) A new session starts in November in St. Cloud.

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES & ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Kyoko is creating a chapbook based on her experiences with death, grief, and healing in the last months of her husband’s life. She will share more information when it’s available.
• Karen G. has started giving talks on facing our mortality. The next one is at Sunday, November 19, 1-5 p.m., at Wellsprings Farm in Annandale. Contact Karen for more information.

Twin Cities Meeting November 9: A Family Undertaking

What is old is often new again. Elizabeth Westrate’s A Family Undertaking uncovers a growing social trend: the home funeral movement. More often, Americans are choosing to do it themselves when it comes to burying loved ones and easing their own grief. Far from being a radical innovation, however, keeping funeral rites in the family or among friends is exactly how death was handled for most of pre-twentieth century America.

Preview:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqc-GIyFloQ

The showing will take place on Wednesday, November 9 (please note! Wednesday meeting!) at 7 pm, at the home of Anne Murphy, 287 Mount Curve Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55105 (follow link for map). Minnesota Threshold Network meetings are free and open to the public, but donations of the heart are gratefully accepted.

Watch “This Dewdrop World” online

Anyone who was unable to attend the February 10 showing of This Dewdrop World, an award-winning documentary connecting planetary with personal loss, can see the full 38-minute movie at http://www.imdb.com/video/wab/vi4026574361/ or http://www.cultureunplugged.com/documentary/watch-online/play/50188/This-Dewdrop-World

Watch A Will for the Woods at home starting January 6

On January 6th, 2015, the documentary about a man’s search for a natural burial will be released on DVD and online.

• You can pre-order the DVD today and get a 35% discount
• For those who prefer to watch online, you can find the film on Vimeo on Demand for pre-order, or both Vimeo and iTunes starting January 6th.
• Besides buying the film, help get the film on Netflix by adding it to your DVD queue.