Sunsets End of Life Doula Services

12/23/2022

Give yourself grace and space to grieve however you need to, especially during the holidays.

12/07/2022

12/05/2022

I was living with my dad at the time of his death. My dad's water glass always sat on the edge of the kitchen sink where he used it to catch a quick drink. A few weeks later my sister came by and washed dishes and the glass, when I saw it in the dish drainer it crushed me with grief.

"Before I begin, this post is not seeking sympathy. It is merely trying to shed a little light on the total weirdness and unpredictability of grief. Those who have experienced deep loss already know. But for those who have not: I washed the orange cup today. 'The orange cup' is not a metaphor. It’s a small, plastic cup—one of several in a multicolored set. It is perfect for the bathroom sink. It’s just big enough for a sip of water in the middle of the night, or to wash down daily meds. I had not washed it since before January 1st. Before you get too grossed out, I had not used it either. You see, that little orange cup is the last thing in the house that Mark’s lips touched on January 1st, before he was loaded into an ambulance, never to return. I had picked up the orange cup several times before, thinking it was time to wash it and put it away. But each time it wasn’t. I would hug that little cup, cry a little (or a lot), and return it to the counter next to the sink. It wasn’t time to wash it—until today. Today, I washed the cup. When my mother died, her house coat (bath robe) was hanging on the back of the door in the bathroom. When my Dad died 5 years later, it still hung in the same spot. He had given away or tossed a lot of Mom’s items, but just not that house coat. Had he lived another 10 years, I think it may still have been there… or maybe not. Deep, profound grief is just weird. So, keep that in mind when you wonder why grieving people do (or don’t do) what you think they should do, or what seems normal. Grief is really weird. They’re just not ready to wash the cup."
Credit: Amy Boardman Rejmer

11/28/2022

Wise Words

11/17/2022

What is an End of Life Doula and what do they do? We become trail guides while walking with people on an unknown path that can be fearful and uncertain, we help bring light to navigate this journey.

Our goal is to normalize and plan for end of life. Death like birth can be sacred, and beautiful. In the last 125 plus years we have been distanced from death, we hope to bring back compassion and enlightenment to the dying in a supportive environment.

11/15/2022

New Grief Support Group is Starting - Our first meeting will be held on Tuesday November 29 at 6:30pm – 8:00pm, subsequent meetings will be held the 2nd Tuesday of every month, 6:30pm – 8:00pm.
This will be a monthly open meeting that is sharing and discussion based. There will be two co-facilitators Linda O’Neill DeRemee, EBCH Social Worker and Cheryl Boyes from Sunsets End of Life Doula Services.
Meetings will start with an opening reading and end with a closing. The remainder of the meeting will be sharing or a topic based discussion. Each person will have uninterrupted time to share. No one is required to share. There is no fee to be part of this group.
Those who are interested; for further information and location details contact:

Cheryl at 218-235-8357