Lisa J. Shultz Quotes

As I enlarged my vision to see the bigger picture of my dad's full life, I was better able to let go of being stuck in memories of its end.

When I contemplate life as well as death, I am discovering what really matters to me now.

I entered the picture in the eleventh hour as a guide to the exit of his life. I navigated as best I could the role of end-of-life shepherd - a journey that I had never taken before. I have to forgive myself for what I did not know. And I have to forgive him for the times that he felt unequipped to deal with the unknown.

I felt that days, weeks, months, and years of my life were wasted by the removal of stuff. There were more important things I would rather have been doing. But I continued, and eventually, I felt lighter and freer than I had ever felt in the years of big houses with each room filled to the brim.

I now urge friends and acquaintances to have conversations with their aging parents and within their families while their parents are still relatively healthy and of sound mind.

It behooves me to remember as I advance in age that death is an inevitable part of the life cycle rather than a medical failure.

When I own less, fewer things go wrong and need to be fixed. I have more space: openings in my calendar, room in my home, and calm in my heart.

Grief is part of my human experience. There will always be loss during my lifetime. Loss has come in a variety of forms to me - such as death, divorce, losing a job, and selling a beloved home. Each event brought me new opportunities and experiences that would not have been possible otherwise.

The window of opportunity to plan and prepare for the end of his life had closed gradually. Any cracks left open to talk candidly were tenuous and fleeting.

If the push towards life sustaining technology were balanced with options for comfort care in both medical school training and the healthcare culture, more people would have the chance to transition to death with dignity and grace.

I felt myself in a sticky spot as a daughter and desperately needed a third party, such as a doctor, to address his declining function and end-of-life considerations of safety, comfort, and care management.

My dad's life was magnificent, but only if I let myself see and remember more than his years of decline.

A paradigm shift of viewing palliative care or hospice as a gift instead of seeing it as giving up has the potential to change the way we experience advanced age.

I decided to break the trend of accumulating stuff sooner rather than later. I moved to smaller homes ahead of my need. I downsized before I was forced to do so. I sorted and dispersed my things while I had the energy and the ability to either donate or sell my stuff.

Minimizing can be exhilarating. If you continue decluttering, you just might find a zest for life that you didn't know existed under all that stuff!

Clutter may rob us of the life we imagined or prevent us from creating a new vision for our future.

Instead of thinking I am losing something when I clear clutter, I dwell on what I might gain.

We all have a million things vying for our attention. If you tell yourself that you don't have enough time to clear out your junk, you might be delaying the well-being and relief you could experience by tackling it. If not now, when?

I am certain that I'm not the only one who would like to have a do-over on an interaction with a loved one.

When I eventually moved to a smaller home, it felt cozy, like having a pair of jeans that fit me just right - no wasted living space and no baggy fabric.

By acknowledging my impermanence, I can consider if there is anything I can do now to help my loved ones who will be left behind cope with losing me and to facilitate healing.

Surrendering to the best of my abilities when the price of life has outweighed its benefit may be a compassionate choice for me and those around me.

I believe one of the most important reasons I am here today is to practice forgiveness and to learn the power of it as a gift to others and myself. By focusing on forgiveness in my life today, I am promoting my healing and lessening my regrets.

Be mindful and prevent possible conflict surrounding your belongings. Aging often produces a waning of energy, and sadly, not all of us will maintain a sound mind. Possible disability, mental or physical, can relegate sorting and dispersing one's belongings to someone else who might not want the job.

My new deliberate and slower pace has created a higher quality in my experiences.

I believe it's imperative to bring the light of support and knowledge to patients and families when death is approaching.

I believe that no matter what situation in life you find yourself, there is room for you to take control of little things, which ultimately adds up to big things.