Activity time: 35 minutes Ask participants one by one to share the objects they have brought representing who they are and what their values are. Ask them to share how each object represents what they would like to pass along to their family, tangible or intangible. Invite participants to share...

Activity time: 30 minutes Introduce the video, saying, “Randy Pausch was a professor at Carnegie Mellon University. He was also a member of the First Unitarian Church of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. When he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and given a short time to live, he delivered his 'last...

Activity time: 20 minutes Share this quote from “Good Life, Good Death” by Laine Bergeson: Humans are gifted with the ability to contemplate their own demise, and this weird blessing infuses every moment of life with the inevitability of death. That said, we're remarkably good at making our date...

Activity time: 15 minutes Share this quote from Forrest Church’s sermon "Love and Death": When death or dying comes calling at the door, like a bracing wind it clears our being of pettiness. It connects us to others. More alert to life’s fragility, we reawaken to life’s preciousness. To be...

Activity time: 5 minutes Light the chalice and share these words from Lee Ann Wester: Autumn marches on, Mighty Oaks stand still and yet, Flaky, brittle oak leaves filter sunlight, Hanging on until, The frost bites and the rain drills. The leaves let go and surrender To their fate....

Read the articles listed under For Next Time in Workshop 1, Handout 2, Looking Ahead to Workshop 2. Post Our Covenant from Workshop 1. Customize and make copies of Handout 1, Looking Ahead to Workshop 3, for all participants....

Newsprint, markers, and tape Chalice, candle, and lighter or LED/battery-operated candle Our Covenant from Workshop 1 Handout 1, Looking Ahead to Workshop 3 Singing the Living Tradition, the UUA hymnbook, for the alternate Opening activity Three-ring binders with clear plastic covers, one for eac...

When death or dying comes calling at the door, like a bracing wind it clears our being of pettiness. It connects us to others. More alert to life’s fragility, we reawaken to life’s preciousness. To be fully human is to care, and attending to death prompts the most eloquent form of caring...

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me. — Psalm 23 (KJV) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The state of death is one of two things: either the dead man wholly ceases to...

Make a time for individual reflection and discussion with your co-leader after the conclusion of the workshop. Consider these questions: What worked well in today's workshop? How can these elements or approaches be repeated or amplified in the future? What was most challenging?...

Activity time: 5 minutes Extinguish the chalice and share these words by Kate Walker: As we bring this time to a close, we recognize that each moment leads to a new experience. With the passage of time, we stretch ourselves to remember the past, to live in the present, and to anticipate the future.

Activity time: 15 minutes Share with participants upcoming plans so that they are prepared for upcoming workshops....

Activity time: 15 minutes Invite participants to settle down and relax. Lead a guided mediation using these words: Remove things from your hands, and place your hands comfortably on your lap. Place your feet flat on the ground. Your eyes may be open or closed as desired. Take slow, deep breaths,...

Activity time: 20 minutes Say, “You may have seen the Disney Pixar movie Up. In it is a story of death and grief that sets the stage for subsequent action. Let’s watch just that part of the film.” Share scenes 2 and 3 of the video, which will take about ten minutes. Invite comments and...

Activity time: 25 minutes Introduce this activity using these or similar words: As we reflect on death, dying, and grief in this program, we will practice deep listening to both our own inner thoughts and feelings and the thoughts and feelings of others. This exercise, developed by the Reverend...

Activity time: 10 minutes Invite participants to brainstorm a list of euphemisms, metaphors, and slang for death, burials, funerals, and so on, capturing the list on posted newsprint. Ask, “What does this list indicate about what people are unable to say directly?”...

Activity time: 10 minutes Invite the group to create a covenant together. Say, “What would make this group productive and safe for you?” List responses and encourage discussion until consensus is reached. As appropriate, seek the approval of the group to add items that are important to you, such...

Activity time: 20 minutes Welcome participants. Share these words from Amy Tan in her novel Saving Fish from Drowning: Here the lessons of Buddhism seemed true, Vera thought. Life was merely an illusion you must release. As she grew older, she was aware of her changing position on mortality....

Lay out black cloth on table. Fill cups with different colors of sand and place around the outside edge of the black cloth. Put chalice and candle aside. Write on newsprint and post: My name is __________________. What am I hoping to get out of this program? What thoughts and emotions come to the...

Newsprint, markers, and tape 4'x4' black cotton cloth Several small cups of colored sand One chalice large enough to hold all the sand One candle Handout 1, Quotes for the Common Bowl Handout 2, Looking Ahead to Workshop 2 Decorative bowl, lightweight enough to pass around Scissors Three-ring...