The Village Healer

Jade

  • Pandemic Traumatic Grief

    To a certain degree there is trauma in every loss, whether it is the unexpectedness of it, the suffering of it, the impact of it, the violence of it or the massiveness of it. Every loss has an element of… Continue reading

  • Message In The Madness

    I often receive criticism for my philosophy that within an illness or calamity a message resides. However, it has always served me well to see Life in this way and so I continue. The current event of the Corona pandemic… Continue reading

  • We're Failing Families

    Are We Failing Families At The End Of Life? Of course we are failing families at the end of life!! Death and dying are treated as medical events rather than holistic ones! Conversations around the emotional and spiritual aspects of… Continue reading

  • The Story Of Hope

    I come into people’s lives at times when hope is challenged. I hear phrases such as, “we aren’t giving up hope”, “there’s no hope” and “it’s hopeless”. Individuals often describe feeling hopeless as well. Hope is not a feeling. It… Continue reading

    The Story Of Hope

  • Carol

    Holistic Support In Uncertain Times Carol was the neighborhood mom of my adolescence. Carol’s daughter, Marsha, and my younger sister were the best of friends. While in our youth we were not allies, as we grew into adulthood we grew… Continue reading

    Carol

  • Heart Break

    I support people who are facing their end stage of life and their families. What does that mean exactly? It means I provide non-medical services to 1) individuals diagnosed with a life-limiting/altering disease, disorder or condition; 2) individuals who have… Continue reading

    Heart Break

  • Employee End of Life Benefits

    In my 30 year career I have worked several places and not one employer had what I call sufficient support for those who were bereaved. Not even the hospices. Three days of paid leave and maybe some flowers. That’s usually… Continue reading

  • The Importance of Emotional Estate Planning

    True or False? “I’m not sick. I have plenty of time to do my emotional estate planning.” False. While it is never too late to start emotional estate planning, it is also never too early. Emotional estate planning should not… Continue reading

  • We Aren't Immortal

    “So I find myself speechless, an animal unheard of…my father is now on comfort care, unexpected to live past the weekend. Who prepares you for such a calamity of events? Who prepares you for a hostile mother, wickedness and comfortable… Continue reading

  • The Power of Presence

    It was a Monday, like any other Monday and I had a new patient to assess. Talking to the hospice nurse before I made my visit I learned that Violet had been admitted on Friday in stable condition was expected… Continue reading