Mission Hospice in San Mateo, CA

Pamela MacPherson, Vigil, the Poetry of Presence

Each person’s dying is different; yet the unique path to getting there reveals our common humanity: love, pain, joy, comfort, searching, and acceptance. This collection of sixty-five poems is written from the perspective of a seasoned hospice volunteer sitting with others in the last days and moments of their life. It shares the author’s processing of her many and varied experiences while being present and bearing witness to the sacred moments of dying.

Pamela Heinrich MacPherson has been a community advocate for end-of-life care for more than three decades. Her first understanding and respect for dying and death came from her maternal grandmother, one of the area’s early female professionals and funeral directors. She later received training as a hospice volunteer and served as Hospice Volunteer Coordinator from 1988-2004. Pamela is a founding member of VNA’s Madison-Deane Initiative (MDI), an organization that seeks to change the face of dying through education of the general public and healthcare professionals.

Free, but please reserve your seat online. Contact Susan at 650.532.2396 with questions.