Here we are. Weekly prompt #26. Which means we've been doing this dance together for SIX WHOLE MONTHS. 🎉 Half a year of showing up, putting ourselves out there, trying things, sharing our work, getting a little uncomfortable and making ourselves visible in a world that doesn't always make it easy. And my darling Vizzy D's, we're just getting started... I've got some BIG things VERY close to birthing, and I am SO excited to start sharing them with you. The very first sneak peek will be revealed in my newsletter this weekend, so if you're not signed up to that, what are you doing?! SIGN UP HERE: https://www.amyfirth.com/sign-up Otherwise, stay tuned. That's all I'm saying for now, but to keep it interesting I will give you a hint using these 7 emojis: 💐 ⚰️ 🎨 💭 ✍️ 🎓 🔄 (That was deceptively hard to choose - why do I do this to myself?! 😂) 🐦‍⬛ NOW. THIS WEEK'S PROMPT: I'm sharing a video short snippet from our 'Holding Families Through Assisted Dying' call a few weeks back. The full recording is now available in the Vizzy D Classroom and is absolutely worth a watch if you haven't caught up yet. But this particular clip? I hope it stirs something up in you. An idea. A question. A little spark of possibility. I'd genuinely LOVE to hear your thoughts, reflections and ideas in the comments below. And there's something else that's come out of this conversation that I'm particularly excited to share with you. I've been working on a resource I haven't been able to find in an Australian context: a guide to explaining voluntary assisted dying to children. How do we talk with children about VAD? What language can we use? How do we answer their questions honestly and safely? It's a resource I've wished existed, so I've had a crack at creating it myself. I'm still tinkering with it but you can read the current version here: https://www.amyfirth.com/blog-builder/explain-vad-to-children

Even after working as a funeral director for 16 years, and a death doula for 3, when I hear a perspective client's story for the first time, I STILL freeze for a moment and wonder "what is it I do again?" Can anyone else relate? What do you do to regain your confidence?

Vizzy D Darlings, This week we're jumping into language and I'm inviting you to embrace this prompt in two ways: 1. Reflect on your own relationship with language in your corner of death and grief care. What's changed and evolved in you and your work? 2. How might you share this as advocacy? On socials, in a blog post, in an interview, in a conversation with someone. How can you more concisely weave and speak the evolution of death care language into your work and world? 🐦‍⬛ There's so much within language that's nuanced to who we are, where we work and what we do. A funeral director in a regional town carries different words than a chaplain in a city hospital, than a doula sitting with someone dying at home. None of us are working from the same script, and I don't think we should be. And yet, reflecting on the language we uphold and perpetuate in this work is relevant no matter where we live and what we do. It's culturally nuanced and our responses will all be different. It's something we should all keep tending to. For example, a lot of the western Anglo-centric grief language encourages us to "ask their name", or to "speak their name" to honour that person's loss and keep their memory alive. Some of my ‘best performing’ social posts are about exactly this. And yet, when I support First Nations families here in Australia, the cultural protocol is the opposite. In some communities you DON'T speak their name for the first year, to ensure their spirit can be free in the Dreamtime and not unsettled during a time when it needs to move on undisturbed. When supporting Sorry Business (the Indigenous name for death care and funeral rites), I always ask permission to speak their name or ask how best to refer to the person who has died. There will be nuance with this in all countries and communities. 🐦‍⬛ Here's some more examples from me if helpful. I haven't quite worked out how I want to share this as advocacy, but feel free to borrow or apply anything that resonates for you.

Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) has been legal in Canada since 2016. Dr Stefanie Green was the first doc to provide this and this is a book about her first year doing so, and her work with legislation. https://www.amazon.co.uk/This-Assisted-Dying-Empowering-Patients/dp/1982129468

Amy - I just purchased your e-book and it's fantastic! Inspiring examples of unique gatherings that are truly meaningful, and practical suggestions for how to begin crafting a celebration of life for someone. This is a great new tool in my toolbox!