Heirloom - A Death Doula

12/26/2021

Wishing all of you a very peaceful holiday season.

12/15/2021

This has been a wondrously weird week, and proof that the wheel of time does not stop for birth, death, or anything in between.

One woman lost a baby, while another got a call in the middle of the night to adopt a newborn.

One woman lost her ability to have a baby, while another got matched with a birth mom to adopt.

Life is a circle.

Life is a cycle.

12/08/2021

A new Ending - Prince Ea

11/25/2021

Happy Thanksgiving, friends. May your plates and hearts be full.

11/13/2021

11/02/2021

Where are my fellow readers?

I recently reread a book called The Age of Miracles. It's kind of become my talisman of the times. In this book, the Earth experiences a slowdown of time, causing all kinds of natural disasters: temperature changes, time changes, disruptions of entire ecosystems leading to food and supply shortages, and so on. It's an interesting concept because humans would have to adapt quite quickly and consistently to the ever-changing dynamic of the world.

What does this have to do with life and death?

We don't need a planetary slowdown to learn to adjust to change. Time is constant, people. Quick or slow, it still goes by. We have to learn to appreciate what we have while we have it until the next transition. Love each other. Love yourselves. Love nature. Love what you have NOW.

Check out The Age of Miracles, here. https://www.amazon.com/Age-Miracles-Karen-Thompson-Walker/dp/0812982940/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+age+of+miracles&qid=1635868156&sr=8-1

11/01/2021

Good morning and welcome to a new week, everyone! I am pleased to share that I have officially earned my end-of-life doula certification. While I still have a lot of study and research to do (as well as recovery for those of you who've been following my health journey), I have every intention of arming myself with the tools and skills necessary to be of optimal service to my clients should the time come.

In the meantime, I am available to perform Notary duties in Jacksonville, Orange Park, and St. Johns. Or, if you need a wedding ceremony written, I'm your person!

Thank you to everyone who has shown support of Heirloom.

10/23/2021

Content advisory: end of life.

A few people have reached out to ask more about exactly what an end-of-life doula does, what led me here, and what is my "why". I'd like to share that story with you. A snippet is below, and I invite you to read the story of my grandmother's passing, what a profound event it was, and how it impacted me.
....I don't remember the drive, I don't remember much of the time at the hospital that evening other than not being able to see her, but what I do remember is that phone call, and how borderline rude I was. I do, however, remember the drive home, bargaining with God, apologizing to whoever would listen, and putting my Mirage in park and just sitting there in the parking lot sobbing. It was also the first time I had ever heard Mercy Me's "I Can Only Imagine".....

My grandmother was a saint. No really. A saint. The woman could do no wrong in my eyes. So when she called me on a random Sunday in August of 2005 to ask me why in the world I didn't show up to the pasta crank party with my cousins, it is shameful to admit that I talked to her with too much sass and...

10/18/2021

New blog post!

In the comments below, tell us about something of value that belonged to a loved one.

Back to Saint Angela, my grandmother. When she passed away, I knew ahead of time that there was exactly one item of hers that I wanted after she was gone. While other family members were staking claim on jewelry, furniture, you know, the high dollar items, I wanted something worth probably a buck at...

10/17/2021

heir·loom

/ˈerlo͞om/

Noun.

Definition: An object with monetary or sentimental value that has belonged to a family for several generations.

10/17/2021

Hello, everyone, and thank you for joining the Heirloom page!

My name is Jessica and I am studying to become a certified end-of-life doula.

Just as a birth doula assists in a non-medical way with new mothers during the birthing process, an end-of-life doula provides companionship, support, guidance and time to people nearing the end of their lives. We host living funerals, we stand vigil, we help the families with daily tasks, and so much more. We bridge the delicate gap between medical caregivers and family in a way that serves the dying.

This new journey serves a critical, yet oft-missing purpose when it comes to working through planning and grief and every phase in between. This calling has been lying in wait since the death of my grandmother and as I'm studying, I'm learning how to answer it in a way that navigates the fear and mystery of death while serving others in a crucial time. It's not going to be a topic that appeals to everyone, whether they're afraid, turned off, or the topic is too morbid and that's ok. I'm still not sure how to approach the topic sometimes, either, and part of my instruction means working through that.

I hope you'll open yourselves up to following along with me during my study and perhaps learn something as well. And once I'm certified and begin "practicing" (yes, I will still be working full time) I would be honored to earn your reference should the circumstance call for it. I am also a Florida Notary and an Ordained Minister through Universal Life Church; so, I can notarize your important documents as well as write and officiate any important ceremonies (I do weddings, too!).

Please feel free to check out my website, still in progress, and looking for feedback. https://heirloomdoula1.wixsite.com/website

While we may not be able to demystify death, and perhaps we're not meant to, what we can do is reconceptualize what a "good death" looks like.

Heirloom - A Death Doula serves people and pets, as well as their families, at the closing of their lives by providing compassionate and professional emotional, physical, spiritual, and practical support.