Jean de La Fontaine said, "Death never takes the wise man by surprise, he is always ready to go." Yet in modern day North America, how many of us ever contemplate our mortality, let alone "do the work" of preparing for it? In this two part workshop, we will consider the reasons why someone might want to write their own obituary and what can be gained, psychologically and spiritually, from the exercise. We will read and discuss examples of obituaries written by people before their deaths and will consider questions for reflection to help you write your own.

How many of us ever contemplate our mortality, let alone "do the work" of preparing for it? Death happens to the body on the physical level but it is also, undeniably, a spiritual process. The writing of an obituary is an act of "sifting-" sifting through the people, the experiences, the love, and the moments that we choose to highlight and that will "remain" after we are gone. Examining our lives in this way brings us closer to the core of who we truly are. Daring to look our mortality squarely in the eye and acknowledge our impermanence can actually bring greater peace and acceptance for that which we know is inevitable. Rather than shrinking in fear at the thought of our demise, we can move forward with more relaxation and openness. If you could write your own last words, what would they be? How would you sum up the lessons you've learned? The experiences that you've had? What if you could offer final wishes and blessings to family and friends? To the world? An obituary, in the end, is a portrait. Who better to write the portrait of your life than you?

Night one of the workshop explores the topic of obituaries and reading and discussing examples of them.

Night two involves the participants sharing with one another what the process of writing the obituary was like for them and then reading what they have written out loud to one another. (As obituaries are themselves meant to be read by the public there’s no reason to keep it private!)