THE CITIZEN: The Weekly Newspaper of Hinesburg and Charlotte, Vermont
January 21, 2016
Only birth and death are certain, one anticipated and celebrated, the other often feared and generally mourned. Few, if any other experiences are as profound. Death will remain largely a mystery. Is there an afterlife? Will we see our loved ones again? Might we reincarnate into a bird or a peasant in 18th century France?
South Burlington’s resident Pamela MacPherson‘s recent book, Vigil: The Poetry of Presence, consists of 65 poems inspired by deaths she has witnessed over more than three decades, primarily deaths of strangers: the old, not so old, rich, homeless, mentally ill… READ MORE
THE OTHER PAPER: South Burlington’s Community Online
February 4, 2016
Some books have their way with you. Even before they are written. Such is the case of the slim, dove gray tome titled Vigil: The Poetry of Presence. Author Pamela Heinrich MacPherson, a community advocate for end-of-life care for over three decades, had no intention of writing, let alone publishing, a book of poetry. But it turns out to be a blessing that her words and experiences were much larger than that intention. The poetry within her book’s 155 pages hum like a meditation to the soul and were meant to be passed among us for solace and sustenance…. READ MORE
UVM ONE: News for Our Employees
August, 2016
In our busy lives, the concept of being present in the moment often seems unattainable. For Volunteer Pamela MacPherson, being present is essential to one of the experiences in her life that gives the greatest sense of purpose: sitting with a dying patient. A nurse by training, Pamela’s “curiosity” about death and dying led to years working with the VNA Hospice Program. Upon retiring in 2004, she trained to be a volunteer with our No One Dies Alone Program, which provides companionship and comfort to patients who are alone at their life’s end. As her work has evolved through the years, she has come to feel that it is at life’s end that we see its deepest meaning…. READ MORE