Vision Quest & Journey Shield

 One of the most inspiring things Ilene did in the last months of her life was to complete a Native American Vision Quest and create a Journey Shield based on the experience.

The great value of the Vision Quest for Ilene, Margarita and me was the way it enabled all of us to see the fullness of her life.  We saw and heard the joys and sorrows of her life.  She, and we, felt the wholeness of her life, shortened though it was, and moved toward acceptance of her eventual death with a greater sense of celebration of her life and her impact on others.

Every time I look at the Journey Shield it inspires me to continue building the Living in Light of Dying community as a site for anyone facing a life-threatening illness or those who care for and about them.  Each of us has a story to tell from that experience, and each of us can learn just a bit more of our humanity by sharing and reading these stories.