Author Archives: diealoguecafe

There is a disconnect between what we say we would like to happen come those dying days (or weeks or months) and what actually eventuates.  In this ABC Health Report story, Dr Norman Swan relates the thinking of Dr Bill … Continue reading →

“Grief affects people in different ways,” says Geraldine Doogue, “and when you’re young, shutting out the whole experience can be one way of coping. Melany’s father died when she was 12, and it wasn’t until she was a young adult … Continue reading →

You can have anything you want, at Alice’s restaurant. That’s what Arlo Guthrie says in one of his classic songs.  When it comes to death, it seems we get anything other than what we want.  This story from ABC Health … Continue reading →

Maybe, just maybe, this concept, that is more a reality than a concept in some countries, could be the real meaning of eternal life – in the bigger picture a part of the ecosystem – where life revolves within a … Continue reading →

Many people say their aim is to have a natural death.  Many people would surely like to follow this up with a natural departure as part of the funeral process.  Few have the aim reach its target. Somewhere along the way … Continue reading →

We have until now avoided posting any stories that reference medically assisted dying.  This story is sufficiently compelling to warrant it being given our attention, since it calls for nothing more than respect that there are such divergent views on … Continue reading →

  We picked up a copy of Seniors on the Coast recently (Issue 9 Jan/Feb 2016). The report by Sarah Tolmie, Writing the story of your life and love, rang some bells and we thought it worth passing on. “Our … Continue reading →

Louise de Winter writing from North London tells the story of a father of three small children, who, as part of his coming to terms with the tragic death of his wife, chose silence as the means of conveying his … Continue reading →

Amanda Smith from the ABC Radio National program The Body Sphere asks: What happens to your body when you die?  To find the answer she speaks with Caitlin Doughty a former crematorium operator, ‘who now runs an alternative funeral service … Continue reading →

Audrey de Witte writes a most thought provoking opinion piece in the Newcastle Herald (Aussies seem to think dying is unnatural, NH Monday Sept 21, 2015 p.11), that calls on her Dutch heritage and the way her mother and grandmother … Continue reading →