"Smoke Gets In Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory"
by Caitlin Doughty

It's about our relationship with death, how we hide it and hide from it, and how doing that harms us.

The writing is funny but serious.

Thank you. It looks good. Like something I would be interested in.

I think about death a lot since losing a loved one for the first time last January. Defintely a surreal and difficult experience.

Death comes for each of us. We start dying the day we are born. We don't like to contemplate death because so many of us have fears concerning what, if anything, follows our life. That is why a belief in an afterlife is so comforting. I have heard of the book mentioned and I think I'll check it out.

Yes, death has certainly been on my mind since the loss of my ex husband. His death was so sudden and awful.

Just read the preview on Amazon. Now I want to read the whole book! Cool read.

When my 16 yr. old son died at home, the coroner came and took him to the morgue for an autopsy. The day his body went to the funeral home, we had a small viewing. He was still pretty fresh and his calves were still soft. The next day, he was hard as a rock. But it was strange feeling his chest and hearing a crunchy sound. What got me was looking at the criss cross stitches where the top of his head was put back on.

That's when I realized the finality of his earthly existence.

Yes, I'm fascinated by aftercare of a body.

And check out the 'Ask a Mortician' videos on Caitlin's 'OrderoftheGoodDeath' channel on YouTube.

It's a good thing I read her book first, because she comes across as rather campy and flippant in her videos.

I will check it out. My husband died suddenly last year and was an organ donor. He helped 89 people, ages 19-92. I had him cremated afterwards since they took just about all of him...He lives on in others, though which is a comfort.

There are a few books like this out there. Stiff is another one.

rgg, thank you so much for honoring your husband's wishes to be an organ & tissue donor!! as someone who works in healthcare, it brings tears to my eyes when someone finishes the selfless act their departed one started.

greenAngels Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> rgg, thank you so much for honoring your husband's
> wishes to be an organ & tissue donor!! as someone
> who works in healthcare, it brings tears to my
> eyes when someone finishes the selfless act their
> departed one started.


Thank you so much for taking the time to comment. This path of widowhood has been very solitary. No one wants to acknowledge my husband's passing or his gift of life that he gave to others. Most people are afraid of death so they shy away.

I've become an Ambassador with our local organ donation foundation and I try to spread the word. So few people can actually donate organs, tissue and corneas...

rgg Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> greenAngels Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > rgg, thank you so much for honoring your
> husband's
> > wishes to be an organ & tissue donor!! as
> someone
> > who works in healthcare, it brings tears to my
> > eyes when someone finishes the selfless act
> their
> > departed one started.
>
>
> Thank you so much for taking the time to comment.
> This path of widowhood has been very solitary. No
> one wants to acknowledge my husband's passing or
> his gift of life that he gave to others. Most
> people are afraid of death so they shy away.
>
> I've become an Ambassador with our local organ
> donation foundation and I try to spread the word.
> So few people can actually donate organs, tissue
> and corneas...


Your late husband's generosity is very inspiring, I'm signed up to head to medical school when my time comes but in the last few weeks I've been wondering if I should opt for organ and tissue donation, I've seen first-hand how lives are changed :)

I am sorry for each of your losses of loved ones. I can relate, as I too, have been there.

I also have witnessed closely how organ donation can help preserve life by giving the gift of organs to the living. I think it is a beautiful, amazing thing.

Yes, organ, tissue and cornea donation is truly amazing!

GreenAngel, I think you can sign up to do both.

Thamks Stray, I will read this one! I was diagnosed with stage 4 esophageal cancer in May, and my Mom just passed two weeks ago. Its been very hard. Her and I were very close.