Virtual Talk to Lily House, Wellfleet, MA
September 25, 2024
Community Home
for
Living & Dying
Students from The Harley School, Rochester, NY came to Cape Cod, MA in May for a retreat to learn more about caregiving in this innovative senior elective.
Unlike this class, death is not an elective. Although it is one of two universal human experiences, our culture often ignores, denies, or misconstrues the true nature of death and dying. What happens when we bear witness to this natural process in the cycle of life and develop our ability to be fully present with others when they need us more than ever? It has the potential to change us deeply and fundamentally while shining a brilliant light on the path of our own lives.
Arts Foundation of Cape Cod (AFCC)
Capacity Building Grant Cohort
I'm honored to be part of AFCC's Capacity-Building Program from January-May 2026.
The program empowers artists to embark on meaningful careers aligned with their values; enhance their creative endeavors; build purposeful networks to support their work; and access resources necessary to attain sustained success.
Virtual Talk to Lily House, Wellfleet, MA
September 25, 2024
Community Home
for
Living & Dying
NPR All Things Considered
August 21,2022
As he faced death, Schwartz offered lessons in life.
Among Schwartz' regrets during his conversations with Albom was how young people grasped onto what he called "the major cultural values, like money status and power ... and then you find out it's not a good life. It's too empty. There's no real substantial meaning but by that time it's too late."
Tuesday People podcast
August 20, 2024
The Joy of Discovering a New/Old Memory
Heather Pillar, who is a wonderful photographer, happened to be photographing Morrie during his time with ALS, and she made a study of him, and ended up with some really beautiful pictures. She sent her book, ‘Memento Morrie: Images of Love and Loss’ to me as a gift, and I started leafing through it. I had a feeling - I'm talking about finding a new ‘memento,’ long after someone has gone. There is a particular rush, a joy, that you cannot compare to anything else in life.
It is like being given a little moment back with the person that you lost after you have resolved that you will never have another moment with them again.
It doesn't change the dynamic- Morrie is still gone - but it rekindled the sense of being connected to him for real.
And there's so much to be learned from that moment. There's so much to be learned from the emotion that I had when I saw these photos. It brought back the feeling of Morrie all over again, because it's something new.
It's different from me picking up a copy of Tuesdays With Morrie. It's different from me looking at the photos that I have of me and Morrie.
One of Morrie’s aphorisms is: ‘Death ends a life but not a relationship’ But you have to invest in that relationship while you're here if you want it to go on. Create memories and mementos with your loved ones so that you can enjoy them now and later on.
I hope that when a memento comes into your life, you feel the joy and connection to your loved ones. Like this book came into my life by Heather Pillar, Memento Morrie, which is beautiful. And a surprise that gave me that little rush of like, here's a little peek under the curtain again with Morrie, and isn't it great?
Mitch Albom
author of the bestselling memoir, Tuesdays with Morrie
August 20, 2024