Death is an experience that we will all share, yet in our culture is rarely openly discussed. Join us for a Death Cafe and personal obituary writing exercise on February 24th from 6-8 pm at Home of Hope, 1637 Plock Drive, Dixon IL, facilitated by End-of-Life Doula, Ellonyia Yenney
The Death Cafe model was developed in 2011 by Jon Underwood based on the ideas of Bernard Crettaz and has now been held in more than 81 countries. The objective is ‘to increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives.
Death Cafes are always held with no intention of leading people to any death topic, conclusion, product, or course of action.
“It’s important for people to realize it’s not meant to be bereavement or grief support, even though some people who might come may also be attending those types of support programs,” Yenney said. “We’re not here to counsel people, but it’s really just for people to be able to have these open discussions about death and end of life.”
The evening will also have a personal obituary writing exercise. As Yenney explained, “The intention is not to have this be the very stark ‘death notice’ that many of us see online or in the paper. It’s to take a few minutes and to write out that which made/makes you who you are. What is important and what do you want your legacy to be after you are gone. Maybe you want your legacy to be volunteer work, or even your oatmeal raisin recipe. Let’s talk about that and help capture that personal legacy for those you love.”
