Shifting Gears

This blog has been a hybrid of personal and professional material since it began in late 2007. Henceforth it will be primarily personal, since Creative Spirit Center's Web site now hosts a blog that I will maintain. The theme of creativity will link the two sites.

Visit www.creativespiritcenter.org for more social networking opportunities with Creative Spirit Center's friends.

In this blog, I have deliberately eschewed controversial content. Temperamentally, it appeals to me to initiate a dialogue that engages collegial conversation, rather than dispute. Feel free to post a response any time, and if what you prefer is disputation, that is okay too!

Now that I have segued into more personal content here, I can tell you that I have another primary interest. It seems distant from creativity, and yet has a great deal in common with creating: it is family relationships during the time that precedes the death of a loved one. Of course, our whole lives together precede the death of those we love. And, of course, death can come unexpectedly at any age. But the time I am considering is the span of time before death is imminent and yet after death is a reasonable expectation for the foreseeable future. For adults, conversation with an aged parent is the most likely format for burnishing and enriching a crucial relationship during this poignant time. What is said and shared and disclosed can shape the family's heritage for generations to come.

For example, there are 31 questions that I believe every person should ask before their mother dies. In future installments of this blog, I will write about each of the questions. I look forward to hearing from others about their experience of similar crucial conversations.