Before All Is Said and Done: Practical Advice on Living Dying Well

“For a culture that finds it difficult to talk about the end of life, is the roadmap we all need to navigate the practicalities of death while experiencing shock, loss, and grief.” The notion of planning for one’s death is intrinsically at odds with our human instinct to avoid considering our own mortality. Although we may contemplate the grief that our life’s impermanence would cause to our loved ones, we seldom consider the myriad of emotional and legal issues that can arise afterward. begins with the experience of author Pat Miles Zimmerman and her husband, Charles “Bucky” Zimmerman. Pat and Bucky were fully set for life but, regrettably, not set for death. After Bucky’s death from an abrupt and short illness, Pat found herself with a plate full of unanticipated emotions, decisions, and legal problems. But, as she spoke with other widows, she learned she was not alone in finding herself adrift after losing a spouse. The shock and grief that erupt from such a loss do not create a state of mind fit for navigating the numerous challenges that follow an unexpected death. Pat Miles Zimmerman will prepare us for the oft-ignored problems that run in tandem with somber situations: Although we may initially shirk away from the notion of our life’s transience, it is powerfully beneficial to ready ourselves and our loved ones for every stage of life — and death. weaves the definitive path on how to be set for both.