Newsroom

Honoring Choices® Delaware has teamed up with the University of Delaware Blue Hen Leadership Program to host several workshops in partnership with the worldwide virtual event week, Reimagine. The weeklong event has taken a virtual shape this year and with the pandemic over the past year are ever more important to help our community “explore death and celebrate life.”

This week long event encompasses National Healthcare Decisions Day on Friday, April 16th. In this life, there are only two constant things, Tax Day (April 15th) and death. There is much planning and preparing of documents that goes into Tax Day and why not the same for our death?

Reimagine is an opportunity for our community to view death in a new light and have the opportunity to understand their healthcare options. Many of the events are free conversations and interactive workshops, discussions ranging on various topics from relaxation, resilience, mind and body balance, starting the end-of-life conversation, and more.

Honoring Choices® Delaware and University of Blue Hen Leadership Program will be hosting the following free workshops alongside many others from across the country-

Monday, April 12: 11am-12pm | Helping Children Grieve after Losing a Parent to Suicide
Speaker: Lynn Worden, Associate Professor, University of Delaware- After losing her husband to suicide, Lynn was left to pick up the pieces and embark on a grief journey with her two young children. Join us as Lynn shares her story about love, loss, and laughter.

Wednesday, April 14: 1pm-2pm | Self and No-Self: A Buddhist Re-imagining Death and Dying
Speaker: Alan Fox, Ph.D., Professor, Asian and Comparative Philosophy and Religion, University of Delaware- Denying the existence of a permanent self, Buddhism presents a unique perspective on death and dying. We will introduce that perspective, emphasizing the Tibetan Buddhist model of death and rebirth.

Wednesday, April 14: 2pm-3pm | Shakespeare: Love, Death, and Transformation
Speaker: Leslie Reidel, Professor, Theatre Department, University of Delaware- Shakespeare lived, loved, and survived in the face of a Plague that ravaged 16th Century Europe and England. His poetry and plays frequently reference the healing power of heartfelt spoken language as a source of reconciliation and forgiveness and as a pathway to closure, peace and new beginnings. The workshop will actively explore a few of his popular poems and speeches and how they can help promote self-awareness, acceptance, and fresh perspectives in these challenging times.

Thursday, April 15: 12pm-1pm | Zentangle© Meditative Art Method
Speaker: Vanesa Simon, Owner, Vanesa Mariposa Arts- Zentangle is a therapeutic art method which is easy to learn, relaxing, and a fun way to create beautiful images by drawing structured patterns called tangles. Participants will receive a supply kit following the event.

Thursday, April 15: 1pm-2pm | A Life Preparing for Death: Tales from Ancient Greece
Speaker: Tyson Sukava, Owner, Assistant Professor of Classics, University of Delaware- With elaborate traditions and burial practices, the ancient Greeks influenced numerous cultures around the world. Even though death was feared, the ancient Greeks created the idea that death is not the end, but the beginning. Join us as Tyson Sukava, Assistant Professor of Classics at the University of Delaware shares a glimpse into how the ancient Greeks lived and what they believed would happen after death.

Thursday, April 15: 4pm-5pm | Contemporary Spirituality and Jewish Traditions about Death and Dying
Speaker: Rabbi Nick Renner, Owner, Senior Jewish Educator, University of Delaware- Judaism is a religion celebrating life. Yet, it doesn’t shy away from the reality of death. Join us as Rabbi Nick Renner, Senior Jewish Educator at the University of Delaware, shares his personal experiences with death and dying while encouraging participants to share their own thoughts in this interactive, progressive space.