Help Wanted! + Death Cafe + Remembering and Being Remembered + Making Your Grief Count + Our Guests, Our Hearts
 June 4, 2022
Hello everyone,
Exciting news! We have a rare opportunity to add one full- and one part-time End of Life Navigator to our team! If you have a big heart, a passion for serving those at end of life, the physical strength required and a positive, accommodating outlook, please call me at 415-271-4974 or email me at mary@abodehome.org. I'm happy to send you the job description. ABODE is located at 8619 Post Oak Lane here in San Antonio. We'd be delighted to hear from you!
ART SHOW & SALE SUCCESS
What a successful Spring Art Show & Sale last month! We had a wonderful turnout and sold well over 100 pieces from our favorite artists – including our featured artist E. Gordon West. Plus, how much did we love that fabulous catering from Celebrity Chef Frankie Boone, wines from Scout & Cellar and the musical stylings of Lou Cabaza? Many thanks to our artists, volunteers, Church of Reconciliation and all of you for making this show so great! Be sure to watch this special segment on Great Day SA! And let's do it again next year!
OUR GUESTS, OUR HEARTS
We’ve cared for quite a few folks since I wrote to you last. (Top row) Wilma made an amazing recovery in our Peach Room, and we’re happy to report that she’s doing quite well in assisted living. We miss her spunkiness! After Wilma left, we cared for Tim – those are his mom and dad's hands holding his, with his pup Cash. He was just 41. Eugene arrived after Tim – that's our supporter Hal Smarkola saluting him. You'll see lots of photos of Hal in my updates. Hal is a retired Air Force Colonel, and he makes it his mission to salute every Vet we welcome to ABODE and present them with a small American flag. Eugene was in the Navy and Air Force. He was 82.
(Middle row) We welcomed Kathleen next – that's Kat with her daughter Michelle. She was just 62. And, in one of the shortest stays at ABODE, Michael arrived one morning and died six hours later. He was just 60. We now have Tommy in our Peach Room. That's Tommy with Hal. Tommy is 85 and an Air Force Vet. He's in his final days – please join us in keeping Tommy and his family in your hearts. And that's our End of Life Navigator John with sweet Brenda. We loved caring for Brenda in our Blue Room. She was 71.
(Bottom row) After Brenda died, we cared for Joe. That's Joe with his sister Crystal. They have such a special story that we'll share with you a little later. Joe was just 43. At ABODE, they were able to reconnect, tell stories on each other and enjoy three sweet weeks together. Such a good reminder of the importance of family and remaining connected to our siblings and close friends.
Speaking of siblings, we cared for Jose next – those are his sisters' hands holding his. And we continue to care for Anita in our Green Room. She's 63 and, like Tommy, is in her final days. Yesterday she had a visit from Sunny, a therapy dog with Canines for Christ. We'll make her final stretch as beautiful we can.
Many thanks to you all for helping us care for these lovely souls.
ABODE ACADEMY + MORE EVENTS AHEAD
Our ABODE Academy 4 on Death and Dying: Religious Customs and Rituals was fascinating! If you missed any of the sessions, you'll find the recordings on our website . We continue to host two meditation sessions each week, Thursday Lunch at ABODE, Friday Bedside Yoga, the Threshold Singers two Mondays per month – and we have plenty more educational events ahead! Please keep scrolling, and plan to join us for these exciting, complimentary programs!
IF YOU HAVEN'T YET GIVEN TO ABODE....
We are so thankful for your help in spreading the good word about ABODE and sharing your valuable time and your financial gifts. Donations of all sizes are so very helpful to us. If you haven't yet donated to ABODE, would you take a moment and do so now? You can easily donate here or mail a check payable to ABODE to PO Box 47640, San Antonio, TX 78265.
Thank you for all you do for ABODE, our Guests, volunteers, staff – and one another. We are forever grateful for our ABODE Community.
Mary Thorsby, Executive Director
415-271-4974
mary@abodehome.org
Tax ID #27-3691295
PS: Please follow us on social media – our links are at the top of our website. Interested in getting more involved at ABODE? Please reach out – we'd love to hear from you!
|
|
Saturday, June 11: Tea, Cake and Death Café
Last month's Death Cafe was very well attended – and quite lively! – here at ABODE. This is a free-form discussion group where we talk about death and dying. There are no agendas, objectives or themes – we simply gather to eat cake, drink tea and discuss death.
Our objective? To increase awareness of death with a view to helping us make the most of our (finite) lives. Ours is one of 14,000 Death Cafes in 81 countries.
Our next gathering is 2-3:30 pm, Saturday, June 11, at ABODE. Everyone is welcome! Please RSVP – we'll keep an eye out for you!
|
|
Thursday, June 23: ABODE Staff and Volunteer Dinner – Remembering and Being Remembered
Join us for our Quarterly Pull Up a Chair Staff and Volunteer Dinner and a special Willow Workshop: Remembering and Being Remembered. We'll gather 5:30-7:30 pm, Thursday, June 23, in Brown Hall at the Church of Reconciliation, 8900 Starcrest. Celebrity Chef Frankie Boone will cater our dinner, with wines from Scout + Cellar!
In Remembering and Being Remembered, we’ll look at the who, what, how and why of remembering. Why do we remember people who have died? How do we remember them and how are we impacted by either remembering or not remembering? This workshop will also remind us that we each have an impact on the lives of others.
In this workshop we will:
● Dig into the heart of why we remember those who have died.
● Explore what it is about being remembered that matters to us.
● Consider the impact our deceased have had on us and that we may have on others when we die.
● Be called to action to honor the memory of our deceased in ways that work for us.
This event is free – our way of thanking you for all the love and support you share with ABODE. Please RSVP so we know how many to expect!
|
|
Wednesday, July 20: Making Your Grief Count
ABODE is delighted to partner with Porter Loring Mortuaries for Making Your Grief Count, an eight-week grief support group that will meet 11:30 am-1 pm starting Wednesday, July 20 and concluding Wednesday, Sept. 7. We'll gather at ABODE, 8619 Post Oak Lane.
This program, facilitated by Darwin Huartson, M.DIV.BCC, Community Chaplain for Porter Loring, is designed to create a safe place to:
• Embrace our grief and learn to bear it.
• Discover how our loved one can live on into our life story.
• Strengthen our characteristics of resilience.
• Plan for how we can continue to heal and live a meaningful life.
If this sounds helpful to you, please RSVP – we’d love to have you!
|
|
June 14-16 Omega Home Network Conference
Each summer, the Omega Home Network (OHN) – ABODE is a proud member – hosts a very helpful conference where we hear from inspiring keynote speakers and we learn from one another on key death and dying topics that we encounter everyday in running our homes. There are 47 end-of-life homes similar to ours across the United States, with many more in development.
This year's conference is set for June 14-16 in Tulsa. ABODE will be featured in the Collective Impact: Creating a Comprehensive Volunteer Training session.
The conference is open to all – so have a look at the agenda! Several of us will be there, and we'd love to have you with us. If you're interested, send an email to Mary and let's coordinate our travel arrangements.
By the way, we're also featured in the OHN Annual Report! Two of our photos are on page 3, and check us out on page 10! Thank you, OHN!
|
|
|
|
|
