The gift of having difficult conversations

This holiday season, one of the best gifts you can give the caregivers in your life as well as those nearing the end of their lives is the space and attention to have difficult conversations.

This includes not only end-of-life conversations but challenging family situations that need to be addressed. Perhaps there’s a caregiver in your family or friend circles that could use more support. If we’ve learned anything over the last few years of tremendous loss of life from the pandemic, it’s that we may not have the time we think to work through difficult issues with our loved ones. Now is the time to be proactive.

I was reminded of this while watching the Peacock TV series, “The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning.” This isn’t normally the type of show I would watch but in episode 2, a woman with terminal cancer is featured. In fact, the woman was quite organized and she didn’t need that much help in downsizing. Beyond practical matters, she was dealing with challenges connecting with loved ones as she neared the end of her life. As one of the death cleaners proclaims, she needs “death cleaning of her soul,” which is an empowering concept that they help her fulfill.

Can you facilitate that process for yourself or someone dear in your life? What a meaningful holiday gift that would be.

Photo by freestocks on Unsplash.