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
Last month, in our second Finding Peace in Aging session, Jeff and I sat with people from around the world as they shared stories of aging: identity shifts, uncertainty, grief, loss, and also moments of joy. What unfolded was a space where people felt safe, heard, and deeply connected. Together,…
Read BlogMy dad, David, died peacefully at home here in Emerald Beach on Easter Sunday. As his 90-year-old body finally caught up with him, he was ready, in his words, to “drop off the perch.” There were so many people who helped him stay safe, connected, and able to enjoy this…
Read BlogOnline Workshop for Celebrants and those wanting to plan their own divorce or conscious uncoupling ceremony. Hosted by The Celebrant School, Te Wananga Korowai Aroha (New Zealand) When a couple marry, ceremony gathers community to witness and honour the joining of two lives. But when a relationship ends, there is…
Read BlogEarlier this week a celebrant reached out to me after being asked to conduct a short funeral ceremony for a family whose baby was stillborn, while the twin survived. She shared that she had never conducted a ceremony for a stillborn or infant before and felt deeply aware of how…
Read BlogA friend was wanting to help his mum record some of her life stories and asked me what questions I asked when helping people write a memoir or write their own eulogy. Over these last few years I have been helping an elderly friend write her memoir. I found the…
Read BlogAging is happening to me not as a problem to solve, but as a lived, unfolding conversation, one I am learning to meet with kindness. There are lots of things to celebrate and a few things to mourn. My Ongo colleague, Jeff Joslin, and I will guide an online gathering…
Read BlogIdeas for a Simple Ashes Interment Gathering I’ve been reflecting on what can be helpful when families and friends gather to inter ashes, especially when the group is small and the intention is to keep things simple, meaningful, and unforced. An ashes interment can be an informal ceremony at the…
Read BlogWe have our dates confirmed for the 2026 Mindfulness Bushwalk on Kakadu Escarpment. 17th-25th August. Click here for more information and to register. There is something about Bilkbilkmi Gorge that naturally slows the pace. Days unfold with walking, cool clear water, dusk and dawn firelight, and long stretches of simply…
Read BlogOpening Song: Somewhere Over the Rainbow- Israel Kamakawiwoʻole “Today we gather to remember and farewell Grace Dorothy May Fletcher, a woman who showed her love not through fuss or flourish, but through showing up, getting on with things, and being there.” “On behalf of Grace’s family, I would like to welcome…
Read BlogOngo has given me so much — connection, learning, and a sense of steady practice over time. As I step back a little this year to listen more closely to ‘what is mine to do’, I want to warmly share an offering from my dear friend and Ongo colleague Anne,…
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