3524 - Gifts From the End Book Club (Susan Patterson)
Course Description
Leader: Susan Patterson
Several generations ago, dying and death was a more visible part of everyday life. Illness was common and death was understood as a natural part of living. Family members generally provided care for the dying at home and prepared bodies for burial. Since then, extraordinary medical advances have enabled us to live longer and healthier lives, making today’s generations’ experience of death less common and more removed. Reading and discussing books on the topic is one way to normalize the conversation and begin to explore feelings and thoughts about our own eventual death. Using Dr. Kathryn Mannix’s With the End in Mind, as our guide, this class will allow participants to discuss a variety of topics related to dying and death and explore what we can learn from honest conversation about them.
BIO: After a fulfilling, thirty-five-year career as a professional fundraiser in a variety of non-profit organizations, Susan trained with the Conscious Dying Collective to be a personal coach, specifically to accompany others in their own contemplation of the deep questions around life and death. Her particular interest is in working with individuals to discern the most meaningful actions they want to take to deepen joy in their lives, using contemplation of their own death as a precise tool to focus the exploration. Her training includes working with clients of all or no faith traditions.