News and Notes: This Won’t Stay in Vegas

Apr 8, 2014 | 0 comments

ICCFA Speaker 2014This is the week for the All Star convention and expo of the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association (ICCFA), taking place in Las Vegas, Nevada. In addition to presenting a breakout session later this week, I will be covering the Expo for The Family Plot Blog. Look for blog posts on the many interesting elements of the funeral/cremation business you never knew existed!

Also, for Breaking Bad fans, there’s a feature story I wrote for ICCFA Magazine about the local memorial observations here in Albuquerque when the series ended last year. The article is in the current issue of the magazine. You can download a PDF of that story from my website: Click Here.

This week’s guests on A Good Goodbye Radio are Stacey Canfield and Candace Conradi, authors of The Soul Sitter’s Handbook: What to do when your loved one is dying. They will share valuable tips on how to act, what to say and ways to face death and make the most of what can be a very sacred time. Tune in online this Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. ET/3:00 p.m. PT or download the podcast afterward.

Top Tips From Last Week’s Show

Allen Klein, Jollytologist®

Allen Klein, Jollytologist®

Last week’s guest on A Good Goodbye Radio was Allen Klein, Jollytologist®. He’s the author of 20 books on humor and healing. We discussed therapeutic humor and how laughter can bring perspective on loss. He outlined five stages of how we might go from loss to laughter.

  • Losing: Understand that loss is a part of life, nature’s way of balancing our planet’s resources.
  • Learning: Realize how much we learned from the person who died, that life is precious and to appreciate what we do have.
  • Letting Go: Release heavy grieving and move on at some point, to avoid getting stuck in grief.
  • Living: Start getting out and living your life, knowing your loved one would have wanted you to resume a full life.
  • Laughter: Enjoy your life again.

We also discussed Laughter Yoga, how you can improve your mood, and other valuable tips. Download the podcast!

Upcoming Talks, Interviews and A Funny Quote

Click on the date for more information about each event.

A Will for the WoodsApril 16: A Good Goodbye Radio interview with Amy Browne and Jeremy Kaplan, co-directors of the award-winning film A Will for the Woods, depicting one man’s quest for a green burial.

April 23-26: Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC) 36th annual conference, Baltimore, Maryland. Gail Rubin is speaking April 26 at 2:45 p.m. on “Facing Death and Transformation in the Film Departures.

April 23: A Good Goodbye Radio with host Gail Rubin discussing funny funeral films and the lessons we can learn by watching movies like Death at a Funeral, Undertaking Betty, The Big Lebowski and Bernie.

April 30: A Good Goodbye Radio interview with Father Conan Gill of the St. George Greek Orthodox Church, to answer questions about the rituals and rites involved in a traditional Greek Orthodox funeral.

May 3: The next Albuquerque Death Cafe at Sheila’s Sweets, 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Join the Meetup group!

“I did not attend his funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it.” — Mark Twain

 

A Good Goodbye