‘Some of these books do not make easy reading, although most of them give guidance and comfort.’ Photo: by Gabrielle Dickson on Unsplash
On the books: Nick Wilde offers some insights from his reading on end-of-life issues
‘One can theorise about death but when it comes close to you then the reality is very different.’
I know I am dying
But why not keep flowering
As long as I can
From my cut stem?
(Helen Dunmore, ‘My life’s stem was cut’)
After the death of my parents, brothers and a friend during a fairly short period, I began to contemplate my own death. I found the Quaker Concern around Dying and Death (QDD) group, started by Alison Leonard out of the concern that we should have a Quaker view of death rather like we havea Quaker view of sex. Eventually I joined the steering group, which organised courses and gatherings at Woodbrooke. On behalf of QDD I also facilitated sessions at Yearly Meetings in Bath, London and Warwick. In 2017 we realised that the wider world was discussing dying and death more, with the rise of the Death Cafe movement. We were also getting older, so Quaker Life became involved. The Google Group continues, to which Friends post items of interest to others.
