Eternity and Me: The Everlasting Things in Life and Death

by Allan Kellehear

Overview

The 40 short reflections in this book address the ways in which we face the prospect of death and loss. The first 20 reflections are designed to be read by (or to) anyone living with a life-threatening illness; the other 20 are reflections on living with grief, especially bereavement. Each reflection is based on a single story drawn from one of three sources: Dr. Kellehear’s professional experience with individuals living with dying or loss; his own experiences and stories from childhood; and the retelling of some of the great myths and legends about life, love, and death, selected from around the world-from Ireland to Japan, from Melanesia to China. The book is written to be accessible to a wide general audience. It can be read from beginning to end like a conventional book; each self- contained piece is also suitable for reading on a bus, train, or plane journey, or before bed at night. Each piece can be selected as a stand-alone meditation for use as a discussion topic in pastoral care, counseling, or sermons. These reflections are stories about how we can make the most of life in the shadow of death and loss. They are designed to instill hope and meaning in the difficult times that can accompany human mortality.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781442998391
Publisher:	ReadHowYouWant
Publication date:	03/20/2008
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	716 KB

About the Author

Professor Allan Kellehear is a medical and public health sociologist with interests in death, dying and end of life care. In addition to two previous chairs in England (at the Universities of Bath and Middlesex), and is Professor at Faculty of Health Studies, University of Bradford.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D.

Acknowledgments
Introduction
The Good Story of Life
When death knocks at our door . . .
1 The Tree of Life
2 Fear and Dread
3 Friendship
4 The Question
5 Near-Death Experiences
6 The Body
7 Sex
8 The Burden of Peter Schlemihl
9 Christmas with Andy
10 Joy
11 God
12 Your Best Offer
13 Monsters
14 Astronaut
15 Planning and Preparing
16 A Living Thing
17 Shareholders
18 Your Fortune in Cairo
19 What will it be like for you?
20 Everlasting Things

Death and society and truth and fairy tale
21 Death: Worth Living For
22 Death and Social Attitudes
23 Public Notice
24 A History Lesson
25 Room for a View
26 Visitor to No. 23
27 Not Fate
28 Life and Death
29 Loss
30 Eternity and Me

Secrets of the clasped hands of the heart
31 Grief
32 The Legend of the White Butterfly
33 Death Pact
34 Folly
35 Concerning Tears
36 Not Being There
37 The First Friend
38 Missing and Hoping
39 The Comfort of Darkness
40 To Honor Their Memory

Parting Words
At Day's End
Index

Editorial Reviews

3 Stars from Doody

Reviewer: Gail Radonski(Medical College of Wisconsin)
Description: This book provides stories not as answers to what one can expect as death looms, but rather as an opportunity for readers to transform their focus from death to a more optimistic view. Although I found these stories logical in light of what I believe about life and death, this may not be true for all readers. For some, the stories may provide an enlightening perspective.
Purpose: The stories provide an opportunity to learn more of life's wisdom. The stories are meant to be a "night-light" offering emotional and social guidance in our personal search for meaning of death and loss. It is the author's objective to show us that even the most difficult times can have meaning that ultimately helps us to live more authentically. Whether the objectives were met is, necessarily, a subjective judgment.
Audience: The author wrote the book for everyone. It may be geared toward those whose life expectancy is short or for family members of those who are near death. When it comes to life and death I don't know that anyone can be considered an authority, but the author has experience working with the terminally ill and dying.
Features: The book contains a mixture of touching stories, some legends or myths and some that are accounts of personal experiences that the author has had with patients and their family members. It was encouraging to read that in the author's experience with the terminally ill, family and friends did not abandon them. The chapters are short and are easy to read, although some stories were metaphoric and could leave a reader unclear about the authors message.
Assessment: The book is emotionally provoking and could offer a helpful perspective to its readers.

Doody's Review Service