Parting: A Handbook for Spiritual Care Near the End of Life

Published in conjunction with the Foundation for End-of-Life Care and the P.L. Dodge Foundation, this small guide by chaplains Holder and Aldredge-Clanton is directed to those friends and family members who serve as companions to someone facing the end of life. The manual is multifaith, offering wisdom from many different religious traditions about how to help the dying make a peaceful transition from this life.""It is possible, more often than people think, for death to be a spiritual blessing to those who are leaving as well as to those who are left behind,"" the authors note. They address concerns both practical (ethical wills, physical comfort) and spiritual (centering prayer, final rituals, initiating a spiritual conversation). Throughout, they encourage caregivers to cultivate characteristics that will be most comforting for the dying person, such as perspective, humility, reverence, gratitude and a sense of release.