The Divine Art of Dying explores the time when individuals facing a life-limiting illness make critical decisions about how they will live until they die. Authors Karen Speerstra and Herbert Anderson teamed up to write this book shortly before Speerstra's death. Their hope was that this book would be a gift to help people who are irreversibly ill (and their friends and family) navigate the perilous journey to the point at which one decides to discontinue curative treatment and turn toward death. The book includes reflections from Speerstra's hospice journal and essays written jointly by Speerstra and Anderson on themes that include learning to wait, letting go, giving gifts, and telling stories. Karen's experiential and moving reflections are woven together with Anderson's pastoral insights gleaned from years of teaching, writing, and lecturing on death, dying, and bereavement, as well as practicing hospital chaplaincy and pastoral care. Together they have created a deeply profound and practical book that aims to empower people who are dying to live as fully as they can until life's end, and to help those who care for them to share this journey with compassion and hope. Several reflections by Speerstra's friends and family are included along with sidebars describing "divine-human virtues." Suggestions for caregivers are provided at the end of each chapter.
Karen Speerstra was a writer, editor, and the author of ten books, including the Nautilus gold medal winner, Sophia: The Feminine Face of God. Karen lived courageously and creatively with ovarian cancer for ten years until she died in November 2013, shortly after completing the manuscript for The Divine Art of Dying. Herbert Anderson remains active as a Lutheran pastor and has served as a hospital chaplain, pastoral counselor, and seminary professor of pastoral theology and care. He is the author or coauthor of thirteen books and over one hundred articles on dying and grieving, family living, ritual and stories, spirituality, and masculinity. He lives in Sonoma, California. Dr. Ira Byock is a leading medical authority and public advocate for improving care through the end of life. He is a past president of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine and is the founder and chief medical officer of the Institute for Human Caring, a component of Providence healthcare system. His books include Dying Well, The Four Things That Matter Most, and The Best Care Possible. He lives in Missoula, Montana.
