Thursday, December 7, 2017
To wish you glad tidings this holiday season, here’s my favorite Christmas cat video. It’s one minute and 15 seconds of feline funnies that will give you a dose of joy.
Big award news: KICKING THE BUCKET LIST: 100 Downsizing and Organizing Things to Do Before You Die won first place in three categories of the 2017 New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards: Best Self-Help Book, Best Nonfiction eBook, and Best Cover Design for a Nonfiction Book smaller than 6×9. It was also a Finalist in two other categories: Best Crafts/How-to Book and Best Guide Book.
If you’d like to see what all the awards are about, from now until December 15, 2017, each order of KICKING THE BUCKET LIST comes with a free 2018 Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta calendar. Order yours today!
Recent Blog Posts and Videos
Check out stories on The Family Plot Blog with video on interesting new products and services displayed at the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) expo. They include:
Beloved: Custom Personalized Obituaries and Eulogies
Introducing The Bonsai Urn: Growing Life From Loving Memories
What Makes This Cremation Retort So Energy Efficient?
Handful of Home Irish Dirt for Meaningful Burials
More videos to come!
Check out upcoming events below, including next Saturday’s ABQ Death Cafe, and more videos and photos from the inaugural Before I Die ABQ Festival. Wishing you a blessed holiday season and a very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year. Please call 505.265.7215 if I can be of assistance!
Gail Rubin, CT
Certified in Thanatology:
Death, Dying and Bereavement
The Doyenne of Death®
Before I Die ABQ Festival: A Big Thank You!
The inaugural Before I Die ABQ Festival made history, with 600 people attending one or more of 22 events scheduled over six days all around Albuquerque, New Mexico. The festival offered free and low-cost upbeat activities for people to openly think about, talk about and do something about our 100% mortality rate. You can read more about it at this blog post.
Coff-urn from The Old Pine Box
Congratulations to Dwayne Longenbaugh who won the free cremation from The Neptune Society of Albuquerque, and to Lynda Paladin who won the “Coff-Urn” from The Old Pine Box. They entered the drawing while attending festival activities.
The videos of Festival presentations and panel discussions are all available through this link to www.BeforeIDieABQ.com.
If you missed the stellar craftsmanship on display at “Earth, Air, Fire & Water: A Celebration of Cremation and Art,” look at photos from the art show at this blog post.
Many thanks to the participating artists and these sponsors who made the inaugural Before I Die ABQ Festival possible:
- A Good Goodbye, funeral planning for those who don’t plan to die;
- French Funerals & Cremations, Albuquerque’s largest and oldest family-owned funeral service company;
- The Neptune Society, America’s most trusted cremation service;
- Lasting Legacy, Inc., providing Estate and Trust services to New Mexico families;
- Express Legal Solutions, LLC, documents you need at a price you can afford;
- Retirement Extender®, a team of specialists making the most of your finances;
- Morris Hall, PLLC, a premier estate planning law firm;
- LifeIZShort.com, publisher of practical guides for dealing with the inevitable by Peter Callan;
- The Old Pine Box, specializing in pine and cedar coffins and caskets, and specialty urns;
- My Final Checklist, a master file for personal information;
- Zia Trust, Inc., serving clients in New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, and 38 other states;
- 1-800-AUTOPSY, a thanatology specialty service company.
The Before I Die Albuquerque festival was held in partnership with the nonprofit organizations Albuquerque Oasis, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at the University of New Mexico, Fathers Building Futures, the Jewish Federation of New Mexico, and the YMCA of Central New Mexico. Thanks also for the support of the Central New Mexico Community College, Guild Cinema, Albuquerque Tourism & Sightseeing Factory, Rio Bravo Brewing, and the Cooper Art Studio.
Upcoming Events and a Quote
Sunday, December 10, 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. — The The Chevre Kaddisha of Greater Albuquerque presents Rabbi Min Kantrowitz on “The Ultimate Mitzvah” at Congregation Nahalat Shalom, 3603 Rio Grande Blvd. NW.
The sacred ritual of Tahara (ritual washing and purification of a Jew before burial) is a powerfully spiritual act, performed by trained volunteers of the Chevre Kaddisha (Sacred Society). Rabbi Min Kantrowitz will explain this process, and training for potential members of the Chevre Kaddisha will follow (with no obligation to participate).
Saturday, December 16, 10:00 a.m. to noon — Albuquerque Death Cafe at North Domingo Baca Multigenerational Center, 7521 Carmel Ave. NE. The objective of the Death Cafe is “To increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives.” It’s all about an interesting, unstructured conversation – open and free-flowing with no specific agenda. Relax over some coffee or tea, some cake or cookies, and join in a group discussion to talk about what’s on your mind about mortality issues. More information.
Mark your calendar for Frozen Dead Guy Days, March 9-11, 2018! I’ll be returning to Nederland, Colorado, presenting “Grandpa’s in the TUFF Shed” and The Newly-Dead Game at this wild and wacky celebration of all things dead and frozen. Want to get your message out to the thousands of attendees there who aren’t afraid to laugh in the face of death? Contact Gail Rubin at 505.265.7215 to discuss sponsorship opportunities.
“The way in which Father Christmas’s sack is overloaded clearly contravenes all the safety regulations for the carriage of goods by air.” — Lord Mancroft
Gail Rubin, CT, is author and host of the award-winning book and television series, A Good Goodbye: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don’t Plan to Die, Hail and Farewell: Cremation Ceremonies, Templates and Tips, and KICKING THE BUCKET LIST: 100 Downsizing and Organizing Things to Do Before You Die.
Rubin is a Certified Thanatologist (that's a death educator) and a popular speaker who uses humor and films to get the end-of-life and funeral planning conversation started. She "knocked 'em dead" with her TEDx talk, A Good Goodbye. She provides continuing education credit classes for attorneys, doctors, nurses, social workers, hospice workers, financial planners, funeral directors and other professionals. She's a Certified Funeral Celebrant and funeral planning consultant who has been interviewed in national and local print, broadcast and online media.
Known as The Doyenne of Death®, she is the event coordinator for the inaugural Before I Die ABQ Festival. She also hosts A Good Goodbye Internet radio show and produces Mortality Minute radio and online video spots. Her YouTube Channel features more than 400 videos!
Rubin is a member of the Association for Death Education and Counseling, the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association, Toastmasters International and the National Speakers Association New Mexico Chapter. Her speaking profile is available at eSpeakers.com.
Gail Rubin has been interviewed about funeral planning issues in national and local broadcast, print and online media. Outlets include The Huffington Post, Money Magazine, Kiplinger, CBS Radio News, WGN-TV, and local affiliates for NPR, PBS, FOX, ABC-TV, CBS-TV and NBC-TV.
Sign up for a free planning form and occasional informative newsletter at her website, AGoodGoodbye.com.