Wayne Dyer’s death on August 30 prompted waves of traffic to The Family Plot Blog. Before the national news media picked up the story, I knew something was up on Sunday, when almost 5,000 hits registered on a 2009 blog post, “Wayne Dyer on Life and Death.”
Hay House Publishers sent out this obituary I posted on Wednesday, September 2. Since then, it has been viewed more than 35,000 times and received at least 120 comments. When I did a Google search last Friday, my posts came up in the top three results, as you can see in this screen shot. The busiest day had almost 12,000 hits!
Many, many people are mourning the passing of this remarkable man. His work and spirit lives on in the many books, audios and videos he created. God bless, and rest in peace, Dr. Wayne Dyer.
This Saturday is TEDxABQ – one of the oldest and largest local TED talk events! Join 2,000 
people for a mind-expanding daylong event in Popejoy Hall at the University of New Mexico. I’m the last speaker of the day, out of 20 in three sessions. How appropriate to end with an upbeat message on end-of-life issues. Tickets are $65 per person ($50 each for groups of 10 or more) which includes lunch, snacks and great TEDx swag! Visit TEDxABQ.com to learn more and buy tickets.
In Sunday’s New York Times Modern Romance column, Bob Morris wrote a lovely column titled “My Father’s Last Romance.” It’s about how older adults have their own rules about marriage and cohabitation. You can hear my FuneralRadio.com interview with him about his book Bobby Wonderful: An Imperfect Son Buries His Parents.
Selected recent posts at The Family Plot Blog and upcoming events follow. Feel free to call if I can be of assistance – 505.265.7215.
Live long and prosper,
Gail Rubin, CT, The Doyenne of Death®
The Family Plot Blog Highlights
Click on the titles to read the blog post. Review all posts on The Family Plot Blog!
Wayne Dyer and Wes Craven Deaths – The deaths of Wayne Dyer and Wes Craven provided a pop culture contrast of light and dark.
Video: New Trends in Death Care – Check out this 20-minute video of Gail’s recent speech about new trends in death care – cremation, home funerals, green burial and creative celebrations of life.
The Caregiver’s Caregiver Radio Interview – This hour-long program is dedicated to helping caregivers avoid burnout and survive grief.
Upcoming Events and a Humorous Quote
Saturday, September 12, 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. TEDxABQ 2015 is a showcase of 20 of New Mexico’s biggest ideas in science, healthcare, policy, technology, learning, the arts, and the way we see the world. Gail Rubin will present her big idea to encourage pre-need funeral planning.
Tuesday, October 6, 10:30 a.m. to noon “Jewish Funeral Traditions on Film” presentation at Temple Beth Ami, 14330 Travilah Road, Rockville, Maryland. Jewish traditions regarding death and dying, the funeral, the treatment of the body, burial, mourning, and annual remembrances are very different from Christian practices. This talk will include a section about Jews and cremation. For more information, call Program Director Shelly Gordon at 301-340-6818×227.
Wednesday, October 7, 10:30 a.m. to noon “Laughing in the Face of Death: Funny Films for Funeral Planning” presentation at OASIS at Macy’s Home Store in Westfield Montgomery Mall, 7125 Democracy Blvd., Bethesda, Maryland. This upbeat talk illustrates funeral planning issues with clips from comedy films and television programs. Learn what you need to know before someone dies to reduce stress, minimize family conflict, save money and create a “good goodbye.” For more information and class registration, call 301-469-4960.
October 18-21, 2015 The National Funeral Directors Association holds their annual convention in Indianapolis, IN. Gail Rubin will be there to cover new developments in the industry and talk to funeral directors and vendors.
“Out of the people that ever were, almost all of them are dead. There are way more dead people, and you’re all gonna die and then you’re gonna be dead for way longer than you’re alive. Like that’s mostly what you’re ever gonna be. You’re just dead people that didn’t die yet.” — Louis C.K.