[Ailist] Appreciative Questions to Celebrate Life

[Terri McNichol]

Dear Bill,
What beautiful expressions of empathy in answers to your equally beautiful expressions of love for your mother-in-law. I am struck as always when I hear the expression "losing or lost his/her battle with cancer." My children' s father passed after a much too long stint of cancer, but when my daughter came to me for advice on the eulogy, we changed it from lost the battle to his personal triumph--he met his end stage head-on-- gracefully, and courageously, peacefully and at the end surrounded by his family which I am told is a happy death.

If you have a chance, read or go the the website of David Kessler who co-authored his book with Kubler-Ross. He feels that we do not acknowledge this important work that we do at this stage of our life for what it is. I work with the elderly and those in Assisted Living I recognize are living a ministry--they are joyful, upbeat and peacefully looking ahead living life to its fullest and forever giving and sustaining us who work there. Your mother-in-law has already left a valuable legacy.

Warmly,
Terri


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-Reinvigorating nonprofit capacity toward a discovery of community resources through creative collaborations. 

Recent presentation: International Council of Museums ICOM/INTERCOM standing committee on management. Taipei, Taiwan. November 2-4, 2006. 

Presentation: "The Art of Leading the Museum: Managing for Wonder," at the 4th Annual Critical Management Studies Conference, Cambridge, UK, July 4-6, 2005. 

Recent article: "Creative marketing strategies in small museums: up close and innovative," in International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing Volume 10 Issue 4 - November 2005 (199 - 287) Special Issue: Creativity and the Nonprofit Marketing Organization. 

Upcoming Workshop: 
"Art or Science: OD in China" at the Nineth Annual Sharing Day, May 3, New Jersey Organizational Development (OD)Network, NJ. Co-presenter Wei Huang, Ph.D.