The following article was written by Manitowoc Public Library Youth Services Manager, Sharon Verbeten.
“To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.”
That quote from J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, could tell us so much about how we live and how we should prepare to die. But, truth is, the facts of life make many people uncomfortable—perhaps none so much as death. No one wants to talk about it. Or prepare for it. But—spoiler alert!—it will happen to everyone. And chances are, we have plenty of question about the great unknown. So why not be prepared?
Manitowoc Public Library will host a One-Stop Shop on the topic everyone fears, but needs to know more about, in the Balkansky Community Room on Saturday, October 26. Beginning at 10 AM and running through 2 PM, three experts on death and grief will each conduct hour-long presentations to bring awareness to this important topic. Come to one session or stay for all three!
Speakers include:
- 10-11 AM: Elaine Petry, funeral director, Harrigan-Parkside Funeral Home, Manitowoc, speaking on looking ahead, planning your legacy without stress or fear.
- 11:30 AM-12:30 PM: Michelle Bonde, grief facilitator and art specialist, will present a hands-on workshop to create a memory piece and use art to work through grief.
- 1-2 PM: Sharon Verbeten, longtime funeral industry writer, offers an obituary writing workshop, teaching how to creatively remember loved ones through words.
Whether you attend one session or stay for the entire day, you can rest assured you’ll be much better prepared than when you first entered the Library that Saturday. Preparing for the future can be hard, but it can also be essential, cathartic, and comforting in helping us face the very important—and inevitable—facts of life.