Special Encore Presentation: BEING A COMPASSIONATE COMPANION TO THE DYING: Frank Ostaseski
November 23, 2013
Hosted by Marianna Cacciatore
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Guest Information
Episode Description
Caring for people who are dying can be an intimate and deeply alive experience. It is a journey of continuous discovery, requiring courage and flexibility. We learn to open, take risks, and forgive. Taken as a practice of awareness, it can reveal both our deep clinging and our capacity to embrace another person's suffering as our own. This week, Marianna interviews Frank Ostaseski, founder of the Zen Hospice Project and his current project, Metta Institute, which provides broad based education on mindful and compassionate end of life care. A visionary Buddhist teacher and healthcare consultant, Frank’s groundbreaking work on the contemplative care of the dying has been widely featured in the media, including Bill Moyers’ On Our Own Terms and The Oprah Winfrey Show. Frank will introduce us to his Five Precepts of Service which addresses the practical, emotional, and spiritual issues inherent in this unique relationship. Join us on this courageous, heart-opening journey!
Bread for the Journey Radio
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Today’s news is filled with stories that break our hearts. On Bread for the Journey Radio, you’ll hear stories that help mend it back together. Join Marianna Cacciatore as she interviews ordinary people who are doing extraordinary things, often small and always meaningful, to make our world a better place. Some, like Marianna, have suffered a tragedy, and, as a result, have created something beautiful to bring others healing. Others are helping women in crisis, making life better for children living in poverty, greening their neighborhood, or any number of creative things that make their community more beautiful, healthy, and connected. These women, men and young people inspire us to think about our own lives, and what we can do to make a difference in the world. Their stories become Bread for our Journey, inspiration and nourishment for a life well lived.
Marianna Cacciatore
Most would agree Marianna Cacciatore’s life has been one well-lived. Through her work over 25 years with people who are working to bring about a better world, she has a unique vantage point from which to tell the stories we don’t generally hear in the media today. Marianna possesses the rare gift of presence, a deep listening which evokes in people the desire to tell their story.
Having suffered a childhood tragedy that spiraled downward into her teens and young adult years, she eventually turned things around and created a grief center that has brought healing to thousands of people. She recounts the full story in her book, Being There for Someone in Grief. Today, she serves as a Lifetime Emeritus Board Member of Tu Nidito in Tucson, Arizona, the parent agency for the organization she founded in 1988 called Children to Children, a Center for Children and Families in Grief.
Everyday Marianna meets ordinary people doing extraordinary things through her work as Executive Director of Bread for the Journey, a philanthropic organization with 20 locations nationally. Each volunteer-run chapter practices neighborhood philanthropy in their respective communities, helping everyday people bring their community-minded ideas to life. The Bread for the Journey vision is to nurture the seed of generosity in every human heart and Marianna’s life is a living expression of just that. Join her as she ignites the heart of generosity in you.
