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Fall 2019: The Death Issue
The Death Issue dared to speak about something many of us are reluctant to discuss in our daily lives. But by demystifying death, burial, and our shared, inevitable journey to become ancestors, we learned that death need not be a fearsome reckoning that plunges loved ones into unending grief. In fact, thinking about our death can help each of us live more fully, with more intention and purpose. Readers shared the stories that got them thinking about how to live with death in mind:
“Return to Nature”
The Death Issue caught my attention and continues to open my eyes to a broader view of how I want my body to be after I die. At age 73, I am active and in good health. Cremation had been my burial choice, until I read this article and learned that 600 million pounds of carbon dioxide and other toxic pollutants are released annually from the fossil fuels used during the cremating process [according to Katrina Spade, founder and CEO of Recompose]. YES! I want my body to be naturally composted by the microbes already available in the wood chips, straw and soil that will be used to return my flesh and bones to our Mother Earth.
— Joy Justis, Olympia, Washington
I subscribe to YES! here on Facebook. This topic has interested me for 30 years. I just had to go out and buy an actual paper copy at my local indie bookstore. Thank you, YES! Thank you, Grass Roots Books & Music!
— Cheryl Martin (via Facebook), Corvallis, Oregon
“The Story of Death Is the Story of Women”
I’m excited about this issue. But I hope that in the future we can subvert the binarist narrative and acknowledge that many people who are and have been involved in death work throughout history have been what these days we call nonbinary. Focusing on individual women is powerful and important; however, when people call this “women’s work” or claim that it’s “the story of women,” that excludes the nonbinary folks who have been and continue to be a vital part of this work.
— Eli Effinger-Weintraub (via Facebook), Minneapolis, Minnesota