People interested in end-of-life education will meet the third Thursday of each month at the Community United Methodist Church at 434 Lewis St.
Use the convenient parking lot with the side entrance into the kitchen and fellowship hall. The main doors into the church will remain locked.
Programs will begin at 1 p.m. with time for coffee, tea and treats, if people bring something to share.
It was decided that the official program should end around 2:30 p.m., but people can remain in the fellowship hall for socializing, discussions, support, etc. until 4 p.m. We are a casual group, so feel free to come and go as needed. Attendance varies for each program. Feel welcome to come anytime.
Our programs are free, but people attending can bring canned food for the church pantry or make a cash donation toward using the room.
On March 20, we will be introduced to the very latest concepts in funerary practices, called natural funerals. The presenter will be Karis Meskimen.
She is from the Denver area. The new process that Meskimen will be sharing with us is called terramation, or body composting.
I do not want to say too much here because it is new to me and seems quite interesting. It warrants an expert explanation and extra time for questions. After this session, you will be in on the newest practices for the end of life so you can “go out in style.”
At about 2:30, after a break from our 1 p.m. program, those people who are interested can begin an activity that Joan Mieritz first presented to Pagosa Springs in 2011.
It is called “Writing for Generations.” The basic concept is writing in a letter, or special notebook or whatever form you think of, to future generations in your family.
It is a connection that is of value to everyone involved. We will be working together most months after the End of Life Education program.
Future programming
On April 17, we will have a guest speaker, Sam Conti, who is a counselor. She will help us figure out how to be most helpful and supportive of people in the grief process.
On May 15, we will be hearing from a local woman, Dr. Pam Kircher. I hope to have copies of her book for people to purchase who would like to have extra study and discussion sessions in May, June and July to discuss near-death experiences.
If driving conditions are unsafe, we will not meet and the program will be rescheduled.
