Personalizing the Book

Our society embraces a beautiful diversity of race, culture and creed. All of these elements, and many more facets of life experience, will condition the manner in which one anticipates, and prepares for, death. The experience of dying is intensely individual. There are no absolute rights and wrongs in this arena, just varieties of ways of coping with and understanding the process.

Facing Death: A Companion in Words and Images has been crafted to allow for maximum adaptation in its few 90 pages.

To begin with, it must be said that a given reader need not embrace all the statements and images in order to benefit from the book. It is intended that the reader will pick and choose, find the messages that speak to them in particular, find the images that stir their hearts for whatever reason, and avoid the rest if necessary. The book features a variety of locales in the nature photography and a variety of inspirational messages, textually, in the hope that there will be something for almost everyone. If there is a message or image that offends or disturbs, pass it over. This is the first level of personalization of the book.

In addition, the book has been designed in a way that allows the content to be augmented by the end-user themselves, as follows:

In Section One, the four last images are set upon the page without messages attached. The lined sections on these pages are intended to receive messages chosen by the reader or by the person who makes a gift of the book. Verses from whatever scriptures are appropriate, personal notations, statements of values, a portion of a poem: any of these and more might provide inspiration for these four pages.

Section Two is expressly designed to invite note-keeping or journalling. In this section, the dying person or other user could make a record of thoughts and feelings, notes for others to read after death has come, responses to the content of the book--indeed these pages include thumbnail pictures of the larger images in the first part of the book. This part of the book can be highly individualized in ways that have meaning for the reader at the time and, in some cases, that will have meaning for others later.

Section Three is wide open for the insertion of one's own photos, special cards of whatever sort, notes and letters, saint cards, children's drawings, and so on. This section may well become at least as important as the first section of the book if it is used to collect reminders of people and places, critical turning points in life, the love and care of others, and faith supports.

If used to its fullest potential (and of course, there will those who choose not to enter anything in Sections Two and Three), it may become a treasure trove leading up to the end of life and a treasured keepsake afterwards.