New this week to the library are several selections related to our Lenten theme of death, dying, and loss.
- The Undertaking: Life Studies from the Dismal Trade by Thomas Lynch. A sometimes humorous, always respectful, look at what we, the living, do when faced with the death of loved ones…and why we do it. Good thoughtful insight, and perspective offered up by a poet-undertaker, this book is not about death. It’s about living.
- Another Country: Navigating the Emotional Terrain of our Elders by Mary Pipher, Ph.D. A field guide to this rough terrain for a generation of baby boomers who are finding themselves unprepared to care for those who have always cared for them. Pipher maps out strategies that help bridge the gaps that separate us from our elders. With her combination of respect and realism, she offers us new ways of supporting each other–new ways of sharing our time, our energy, and our love.
- Our Greatest Gift: A Meditation on Dying and Caring by Henri Nouwen. One of the best-loved spiritual writers of our time takes a moving, personal look at human mortality. As he shares his own experiences with aging, loss, grief, and fear, Nouwen gently and eloquently reveals the gifts that the living and dying can give to one another.
