Members of the Valley Village community have expressed interest in talking more about the issues of dying and death. Empirical evidence exists that talking about death actually enhances joy in one’s current life—facing death positively changes one’s perceptions of the present moment. 

In my (Mert’s) readings in the area of death and dying, one book in particular has influenced and challenged me more than most, Die Wise by Stephen Jenkinson. He spent decades as a palliative care counselor in what he calls “the death trade.” He has seen the difficulties patients, their families, and their medical caregivers have talking about death. He does not provide easy answers nor many answers at all, though he questions almost everything. His questions make it a great book to dig into with a group.

We will begin in September and will meet monthly (except December) through May. Meeting length will be one to one-and-a-half hours. Each person will be responsible for finding their own book. Feel free to contact me (Mert) if you have questions about the book. 

September 1 is the deadline for registering on the Valley Village website. If our first meeting day or time doesn’t suit you, go ahead and register so that we know that you are interested. We will decide as a group where and when we want to meet for future meetings. If you aren’t able to make the first meeting, contact Keaton so that he knows to include you in plans for future meetings.