Zusatztext 53435662 Informationen zum Autor Kerry Egan is a hospice chaplain ordained by Harvard Divinity School. A graduate of the Iowa Writers Workshop and the author of a memoir, Fumbling: A Journey of Love, Adventure and Renewal on the Camino de Santiago , she has published in many national print and online publications, including Parents, American Baby, Reader's Digest, and CNN.com, where her essays have been read over a million times. She and her family live in Columbia, SC. Klappentext "A poetic and philosophical and brave and uplifting meditation on how important it is to make peace and meaning of our lives while we still have them." -Elizabeth Gilbert, bestselling author of Eat Pray Love "Illuminating, unflinching and ultimately inspiring... A book to treasure." -People Magazine A hospice chaplain passes on wisdom on giving meaning to life, from those taking leave of it. As a hospice chaplain, Kerry Egan didn't offer sermons or prayers, unless they were requested; in fact, she found, the dying rarely want to talk about God, at least not overtly. Instead, she discovered she'd been granted a powerful chance to witness firsthand what she calls the "spiritual work of dying"-the work of finding or making meaning of one's life, the experiences it's contained and the people who have touched it, the betrayals, wounds, unfinished business, and unrealized dreams. Instead of talking, she mainly listened: to stories of hope and regret, shame and pride, mystery and revelation and secrets held too long. Most of all, though, she listened as her patients talked about love-love for their children and partners and friends; love they didn't know how to offer; love they gave unconditionally; love they, sometimes belatedly, learned to grant themselves. This isn't a book about dying-it's a book about living. And Egan isn't just passively bearing witness to these stories. An emergency procedure during the birth of her first child left her physically whole but emotionally and spiritually adrift. Her work as a hospice chaplain healed her, from a brokenness she came to see we all share. Each of her patients taught her something about what matters in the end-how to find courage in the face of fear or the strength to make amends; how to be profoundly compassionate and fiercely empathetic; how to see the world in grays instead of black and white. In this hopeful, moving, and beautiful book, she passes along all their precious and necessary gifts. the stories we tell I never did become wise. Y'always think that when you get old, you're supposed to become wise. But here I am, fixin' to die, and I never did." Gloria's milky blue eyes widened and she raised her eyebrows. She laughed, just a little bit. "I'd have thought, with all I been through, that if anyone might could figure it all out before it was too late, it was me." She laughed again, a sort of rolling chuckle that interrupted her slow, drawling cadence. She laughed all the time. "You know." She leaned toward me and sunlight lit up the white baby fuzz on top of her head. "I always wished I could meet a writer, and tell him my stories, so other people could hear them and not make the same mistakes I made. I'd just give him my stories. I'd say, 'Here, take them and tell them.' And you know what crazy stories I've got. But I never did. I never did meet a writer." I was uncertain what to say. I had once written a book, more than ten years before, but I wasn't here as a writer now. Gloria was a hospice patient and I was her chaplain. I couldn't remember if I'd ever told her about my past, but I didn't think I had. "I used to pray for it all the time, that I might could meet someone," she continued. "But I guess that prayer won't ever be answered now."

ldquo;Funny, honest, and self-deprecating…On Living adds to the understanding of end-of-life issues in an important and accessible way…If there is one thing death teaches us, it’s how to live.” *–New York Times Book Review*

"Illuminating, unflinching and ultimately inspiring, [On Living] presents “the spiritual work of dying” as a profound process with undeniable elements of beauty. A book to treasure.” ***–People Magazine

"This isn’t a self-help book, but in its own way it inspires and instructs. Ms. Egan, a hospice chaplain, has a down-to-earth, never-preachy style.” –The Wall Street Journal

*"On Living... is about what makes us human." *–Houston Chronicle

"A poetic and philosophical and brave and uplifting meditation on how important it is to make peace and meaning of our lives while we still have them.” –Elizabeth Gilbert, bestselling author of Eat Pray Love*

“Egan... works as a hospice chaplain, supporting the spirits of those who are dying. In this book, she compassionately describes and distills what she has learned in their service.” —Boston Globe

“Equal parts memoir and meditative text on the nature of life — and the many faces of faith….this beautiful book will speak to parts of your heart that you didn't even realize were hurting. What's more: It might help heal them.” —Refinery29, Best New Books to Read This Month

“A unique gem of a book... Wise without being preachy, warm without being cloying, Kerry Egan offers a delightful, humorous, and ultimately joyful perspective on what it means to be alive.” —Chicago Review of Books

“Egan’s evocative and eloquent book reminds us that we are defined by the stories we tell, and those stories often reveal how life can be “beautiful and crushing” at the same time.” --BookPage
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“Terrific…[Egan is] a great storyteller because she's a great story-listener…The stories from patients in this book are compelling. And it's through those stories that we get some helpful insight into the difficult, misunderstood but necessary work of chaplains in hospice settings. When it's time for me to have one, I hope there are more Kerry Egans in the world.”* *–Faith Matters
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• “Lovely, perceptive, and absorbing…a gem and a blessing.” **–LifeZette *
   
• “Beautiful.” ****–Jewish Journal  *
   

• “It's the rare book that touches heart and soul. For me, Kerry Egan's remarkable memoir of her experiences as a hospice chaplain, On Living, is that rarity … I wanted to copy inspiring and poignant quotes from every other page…This is no preachy book of clichés, no prayers for the dying — just many reminders that time is short and that beauty, grace and loss exist in every life.” ****–News Tribune ***

  “In Egan’s narrative, hope takes many shapes… It’s the kind of wisdom that might comfort someone experiencing a pain, suffering loss, or facing death. While belief systems may be filled with arguments and theories, Egan’s perspective is more forgiving, softer, and grayer…By showing how she sits with death, Egan helps reveal what we might be afraid to face.” ***–Christian Century

  **“Good dose of humor…beautiful... raw and vulnerable.”* –Hannah Creager, Williamsburg Hospice**
  

  • “This is one of the best books I have read all year: moving, inspiring, beautifully written…It is a book well worth exploring.” ****
  –America Magazine
  "In her sophomore outing, Egan masters the art of imparting critical life advice without coming off as preachy—a difficult feat…Egan’s empathetic tone is a comfort for both the healthy and the dying—whom, she opines, are not polar opposites……