Dessert First: Preparing for Death While Savoring Life

Life is short … eat dessert first. In this unique book on coping with death and dying, hospital chaplain Dana Trent shares stories, rituals, practices, and even some humor, to help us make meaning out of the end of life, be it our own, or those we love and care for. In the year she served as a chaplain in a hos- pital "death ward," Dana Trent accompanied more than 200 people – and their families – on their passage from life to death. Dessert First gathers those stories and lessons, as well as others from her journey with her dying mom, to illuminate the complexity of death and grief, and how we all might better prepare for a "good death." Dessert First is a deeply personal, touching, and sometimes humorous look at death and dying, and the ways we cope and create meaning for the inevitable end of life. A full appendix includes religious, spiritual, practical, and legal resources for the reader and their loved ones.