This A/Z Challenge has been entertaining and informative. I have enjoyed my familiar blogger family and have been introduced to some wonderful new writers. The bloggers in my world tend to be caring, compassionate, smart people. They often make me laugh but they also often give me something to think about. One new blogger I have encountered is The Death Writer. I know, I know, you are going to wonder what the attraction is there. In fact, Pamela is an avid writer who, in her own words, writes about death because it is "scary and inevitable". She has written a book about death but her blog is also full of lively information. She is a witty storyteller and she can write like there's no tomorrow (go to this post for a great example).
When I was younger (like 20 or 30 years ago), I doubt that I thought of death much. I was too busy planning for my future. What would I do when I finished college? Should I marry this dude or not? Should we have kids yet? How many? How are we going to pay for them? Where is the best place to raise them? And then there were years of child related issues followed by dealing with their college years. That is all behind me now. Although I am still interested in living, I am keenly aware that, no matter what the measure, I am surely far closer to death than I am to birth. I don't contemplate what comes next. What I do consider is whether I am using my time well. I never really thought about that much before. I marched forward, as I think many people do, taking the cards I was dealt and playing them as well as I could. Not so many cards left to play now. Consequently, I find myself wondering how I will live out my remaining years. It's a natural progression, I suppose. As time becomes even more precious, I am unwilling to squander it. Not sure if I am or not. Not sure how to figure that one out.
In the meantime, though, I have become a follower of The Death Writer. I have also secured a copy of Jessica Mitford's book The American Way of Death (revised) which I read years ago for a college class. Now I will read it with new eyes.
This is what I was getting at in the money post. How we spend the time we have allotted to us, and the choices we make. Nice post, Gracie. thanks
ReplyDeleteI'll have to check out The Death Writer. Thanks for introducing her.
ReplyDeleteThanks for introducing her blog. It's great!
ReplyDeleteI have spent the last few days with my 79 year old dad who I haven't seen in two years and now he's passed out in my living room. I decided to hit a few blogs on the last day of the challenge and one of them was yours. I am sitting here totally weeping because a)I'm so touched that someone actually wrote a blog post about me and b)you have said exactly what I wish that old sore head snoring in my living room would say about me.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much. I am so happy that my words have resonated with you. You made my night, actually you've probably made the month of May.
Thank you.
Pamela
Your words have DEFINITELY resonated with me. I like what you write and how you write it. I really look forward to reading more from you. About anything. You are articulate, engaging, and thoughtful. What's not to like about that?
DeleteI will try to make time to check out this blog. I read the Mitford book when the revised edition first came out. It's definitely a revealing read regarding the "death industry." Another good book about death, which I read around the same time is Thomas Lynch's The Undertaking. It's a collection of essays written by a third-generation funeral home director--it's gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteYes, Pamela references that book too and, silly me, I have a used copy sitting right here recently acquired from Amazon -- summer reading! and that will be future post of mine - what I will read this summer - summer was made for reading.
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