Sacred Dying Journal: Reflections on Embracing the End of Life

Sacred Dying Journal by Megory Anderson and The Sacred Dying Foundation

This journal deals with a very important theme in life, the end of life. Megory, a scholar, educator, and end of life writer has been down the road of understanding death and its coming to every person on this earth well. The journal is designed for those nearing the end of their life or those who want to get a better grasp on thinking through the questions surrounding end of life issues and journaling about them. The purpose is to get people to think through difficult moments, not feeling constrained to answer every question in order but to wrestle with issues such as ways to heal, belief in afterlife, the kinds of activities you want people to engage in while your dying such as reading, music, talking.

One of the most significant things about the journal was not just its engaging the big philosophical and religious issues surrounding death like the afterlife, God, and our eternal home, but also more practical issues designed to help the loved one sense peace. The practical section helps caregivers and those nearing the end of life examine their wishes and choices about flowers, gravestones, open caskets, and washing. Some of the other decisions that came up were about what to wear in a casket, what to hold at that time in your hand and what kind of music or reading would you like to have at your funeral. Issues of burial were also of concern, to be buried with loved ones, to have a place where people could visit was another choice. I think the beauty of discussing these things is that it puts the person who is often going through a terrible time at ease in terms of their last wishes. They no longer have to be wracked with anxiety about these decisions.

The journal entries are accompanied with quotes from C.S. Lewis, Erma Bombeck, Elizabeth Kubler Ross and others as a way of engaging the thoughts of others in history with the theme of end of life. There are also Scriptural references at times that help reorient our thinking but this journal was not meant to be a Christian journal for dying but one for people of all faiths.

Thanks to Paraclete Press for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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