There’s a new energy on the island. As a result, there’s a lot of life being generated by the subject of death.
Back in June 2024, Bowen Death Care (BDC) had our first gathering to sit together and begin to form ideas about who we are and what we hope to offer. We are now a collective of women who are passionate about supporting individuals and families through end of life education as we offer home support, death care and examine our lives in order to live fully and die well.
On January 5 at Belterra Common House, BDC hosted A Death Café. There is no set agenda at a Death Café. The idea is to create a safe space to hold anything that may be on your mind and heart around the topic of death. Death Cafés are open to, and respectful of, people of all belief systems and faith traditions.
On Sunday, A Death Café welcomed close to 40 Islanders who were open to sharing their thoughts, their experiences and their ideas about the reality of our mortality. Along with tea and coffee and amazing treats, tables were set for small groups to engage in intimate and meaningful conversation.
The response to the Death Café was overwhelmingly positive. It was clear there is a need and a hunger for these conversations. Participants described the event as “open”, “healing”, “enlightening”, “safe” and “loving”.
One participant wrote, “Although death is a topic I am comfortable talking about, death/mortality is an ongoing journey and unfolds all through life. To be able to explore this topic with others in Community is a gift and has re-grounded me in ways I didn’t realize I needed.”
The work of Bowen Death Care has begun. The conversations around death and dying are alive and well. Bowen Death Care looks forward to bringing more events to the Community and to hearing from any Islanders who may be curious about who we are and what we can offer.
We are currently constructing a website for our collective which will give you more information. For now, please feel free to contact us at [email protected] if you have any questions or thoughts that you would like to share.
Thank you to everyone who came out last Sunday and for your willingness to share your ideas, your feelings and your experiences around the heartfelt realities of our mortality. Thank you for your openness and wisdom, and for your donations to our collective which will go towards building our website and offering more community events.
Together, we are off to a wonderful beginning as we focus on our endings.
