Wendy’s voice is full of love and laughter, honest and deep, daring to go to places many others avoid. Her voice shares the beauty in nature, people and life in all its imperfection and purity. Her intelligence, wisdom and kindness are revealed with her words, a joy to those blessed to read or hear them. Dr Georgina Gibson
Image: Doris Zagdanski and Wendy Haynes
Community Conversations about Living and Dying
Lost Stand still. The trees ahead and bushes beside you Are not lost. Wherever you are is called Here, And you must treat it as a powerful stranger, Must ask permission to know it and be known. The forest breathes. Listen. It answers, I have made this place around you….
Read BlogWe come and we go; Death is our life companion— Thousands of leaves fall. from ‘The Impermanence of Being Here’ by Wendy Haynes STARTS THIS COMING FRIDAY 7TH MARCH. 9-11am AEDT As we come into autumn, and the leaves fall, and cyclone Alfred makes it way to reach out land…
Read Blog30 years! The story of my retirement as a marriage celebrant, the rituals, the party, the photos and the music! (PS I will still be conducting funeral ceremonies by request!) A few photos as a teaser for the story next month!
Read Blog‘His family said, Jason* was a good boy, he just had a lot of stuff happen to him; and now after all these years of family life, it is hard to say goodbye. He will be greatly missed….’ The ceremony I delivered for this young man was very carefully compiled…
Read Blog“As the matriarch, Mary’s presence was a constant source of support and guidance. She was the person family members turned to in times of need, offering wisdom, comfort, and a listening ear. Her reliability and acceptance created a foundation of love and security for her family who hold her in…
Read BlogRaise a Glass by James Mooney. The Cook family shared this poem at their father’s ceremony today. Do not mourn me, don’t drown me in black cloth and quiet whispers. laugh loud, drink deep, tell the stories that made me live, remember the bad jokes, the nights that stretched into…
Read Blog12 minutes. Do you believe in love at first sight? This romantically poignant film features wonderful performances from Sir John Hurt and Phyllida Law in an Oscar® short-listed short film. Love at First Sight, a wondrous film about living into ‘the day is today’.
Read Blog“Heath was cheeky, talented, and soulful. Heath’s deep love for his sons never faltered, and his pride in them was constant. Heath’s love endured, and he would want nothing more than their happiness and success. However, with deep loss comes grief and, at times, anger—often arising from the love and…
Read BlogI received an inquiry online today: “I’m wondering if you’ll be hosting any upcoming elderhood weekends. I’ve done the … boyhood-to-manhood rite of passage, among other things. However, strangely enough, while they have an elder community, no one has as of yet come up with a warrior-to-elder rite of passage…
Read Blog‘After the unexpected death of my teenaged daughter’s biological father, with whom we’d had very little contact for several years, I asked Wendy to support us in a ceremony to acknowledge the importance of the event and help us to grieve. I had imagined something reverent and ceremonial, perhaps with…
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