On Living

New Age. Religion & Spirituality. Nonfiction. HTML:"A poetic and philosophical and brave and uplifting meditation on how important it is to make peace and meaning of our lives while we still have them.�?� �??Elizabeth Gilbert, bestselling author of Eat Pray Love "Illuminating, unflinching and ultimately inspiring... A book to treasure.�?� �??People Magazine A hospice chaplain passes on wisdom on giving meaning to life, from those taking leave of it. As a hospice chaplain, Kerry Egan didn�??t offer sermons or prayers, unless they were requested; in fact, she found, the dying rarely want to talk about God, at least not overtly. Instead, she discovered she�??d been granted a powerful chance to witness firsthand what she calls the �??spiritual work of dying�?��??the work of finding or making meaning of one�??s life, the experiences it�??s contained and the people who have touched it, the betrayals, wounds, unfinished business, and unrealized dreams. Instead of talking, she mainly listened: to stories of hope and regret, shame and pride, mystery and revelation and secrets held too long. Most of all, though, she listened as her patients talked about love�??love for their children and partners and friends; love they didn�??t know how to offer; love they gave unconditionally; love they, sometimes belatedly, learned to grant themselves. This isn�??t a book about dying�??it�??s a book about living. And Egan isn�??t just passively bearing witness to these stories. An emergency procedure during the birth of her first child left her physically whole but emotionally and spiritually adrift. Her work as a hospice chaplain healed her, from a brokenness she came to see we all share. Each of her patients taught her something about what matters in the end�??how to find courage in the face of fear or the strength to make amends; how to be profoundly compassionate and fiercely empathetic; how to see the world in grays instead of black and white. In this hopeful, moving, and beautiful book, sh… (more)