Stages of Life
Exploring how we learn from generation to generation and from one developmental phase of life to the next
NOTE: In order not to miss any of our informative
and inspiring articles, scroll down to the very bottom of the page
 STAGES OF LIFE
Introduction
SPECIAL FEATURES
Words of Encouragement
Four minute presentation of affirmations for children and adults. [If you don't have a current FLASH program, you can download one for free.]
I Still Remember Them — — Text version
Illustrated poem remembering loved ones when they are no longer in our lives.
Faster connection for self-directed slide show
Slower connection for self-directed slide show
When I Am Gone . . . — — Text version
Self-guided slide show illustrating the continuity of life
For faster connections for self-directed slide show
For slower connections for self-directed slide show
Hit by a Thunderbolt! — Create your own crisis haiku DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES
Introduction: Navigating Life Cycles to Enhance Personal Development
 The Development Life Cycle
Planning a family, singing the song of a child
Erik Erikson's Developmental Stages
What do you like (and don't like) about your age?
The launching stage can test a mother's patience
My Experience at Age 70
The joys of being 50-plus
My grandmother's house: A trip to the past
A Family's Life Cycle
Are your dreams the same as his?
The invisible marriage contract
Playing the marriage contract game
Is unmarried bliss possible without a marriage license?
GENERATION TO GENERATION
Introduction
Family Rules, Rituals and Myths
What are your family rules?
Common family rituals reinforce family rules
What is your family myth?
A Family's Legacy
Planning for the next generation before it's too late
Advice from professional interviewers
Life review interview questions
A legacy of lessons learned in fifty years
How People Are Influenced by Their Families
Don't notice anything
— — Excerpt from Never Have Your Dog Stuffed and Other Stuff I've Learned
DEATH AND DYING AS AN INTEGRAL PART OF LIFE
Introduction
Personal Perspectives on Death and Dying
You and I are dying
Where do you find the answer to life after death?
The Body as Battlefield
Faith and religion at the end of life
Make sure you communicate your love
Acceptance—a gift of the heart
Facing the End of Life Together
Trying to guess what a parent wants done
When is it time to talk about stuff that's hard to talk about?
When families don't acknowledge a loved one is dying
Don't put off decisions that MUST be made at the time of death
Trying to guess what a parent wants done
Practical Considerations
The dying patient's bill of rights
Getting a grip
Monetary considerations
Helping to plan for what needs to be done at the end of life
When You're Too Sick to Make Decisions
NOTE: These articles are located in the Health section, but they are listed here because considering what we want done at the end of life and creating a directive for medical care is part of everyone's life.
Introduction to Five Wishes advanced care document
The person I want to make care decisions for me when I can't
The kind of medical treatment I want or don't want
My wish for how comfortable I want to be, for how I want people to treat me, and my wish for what I want my loved ones to know
Signing the Five Wishes form
CAREGIVING FOR YOUR LOVED ONES
Introduction
Caregiving — Another Road to Travel
You and your loved one aren't mind readers
Avoiding power struggles
Why caregivers don't take time for themselves
A caregiver's personal story
A caregiver's manual
Hospice Comfort and Compassion
Hospice care: a compassionate alternative
"But you cannot hide" — Excerpt from Hospice Hounds "
"Preacher Step Aside" — Excerpt from Hospice Hounds
TRANSFORMATION THROUGH LOSS AND CRISIS
Introduction
Funerals and Memorial Services Support Transformation
Planning memorial services that begin the healing journey out of grief
A funeral service that acknowledges the many kinds of connections we have with one another
A semi-traditional funeral program that combined family comments with a more formal service
The celebration of a young man's life offers a unique funeral idea for this special memorial service
Obituary in the Eureka Times-Standard and The Garden of Life
Memorial service program cover and list of the service
Readings from The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran and the Art of Blessing the Day
"A letter from the family," which was the eulogy, and Each of Us Has a Name
Waiting for the service to begin on the beach
This surfboard is a powerful symbol of Eli's hobby
Songs Eli enjoyed
Eli's mother joined with the Arcata Interfaith Gospel Choir
Eli's parents carry his ashes to the ocean.
A Buddhist chant is one of the highlights of the ceremony
Parents remove the lid from the wooden urn vase
Pictures reminded the mourners of how much life Eli had squeezed into nineteen years
Allowing Challenge and Crisis to Expand Life
Growth at the margins
Separate but equal: recovering from loss
Should you "transcend" or "transform" your problems?
Turning trauma into transformation
Ways of coping: Creatively expression grief
Profit from life's losses — an excerpt and review of The Daily Six
Special!
Hit by a Thunderbolt!—Create your own crisis haiku
I Still Remember Them
COPING IN THE WORLD TODAY
Introduction
A perspective on today's anxiety
The basics on generalized anxiety
More about social anxieties and phobias
Handling worries as "signals"
Tips to combat trauma
Fear of flying
Living with purpose when facing a challenge
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