I'm sitting in a Panera in Manhattan at the corner of Fifth and something, trying to write an opening blog for Gracious Goodbyes and hoping to convey to you the importance of end-of-life planning. But as I sit here, I realize that more than that, I want you to know that you and your story, matter to me.
 
If I've learned nothing else through the Alzheimer's process (see Our Story), it's that everyone has a story and we all have a desire to share our stories with others... We all need to be heard.
 
 I've also learned that we all have something in common:  we live and we die. We all start with "Once upon a time, but we do not all end with "happily ever after"; nonetheless, what's in the middle is important. What's in the middle connects us, draws us to one another and gives each of us a story, and each story is important, has value and needs to be told. Even the hard, messy, scary, sad parts need to be told.  Because we all have them.
 
It is my hope that as I tell you part of my story, you will tell me some of yours, that as I teach you things I've learned about saying "good-bye" to loved ones, you will share what you've learned   These pages aren't simply for my story, or my mother's, they are for yours as well. That is why you'll hear other stories here, other voices, for mine isn't the only one.   That is why you'll hear about pain and heartache, illness and dying, and the hard, messy parts of life that bring us together and connect our stories.  So tell me your story and better yet, tell the ones you love. Start with "once upon a time", and if you can't close with "happily ever after", then attempt to close with a Gracious Good-bye. And if you don't know how, then visit with me and we'll learn together.
 
Once upon a time, there was a wonderful, loving lady named Jeannette and she had a little girl and named her Jill, and they lived...
 
 
Jill Francis