Grammy-nominated songwriter Carole King and beloved tunesmiths Gary Burr, Georgia Middleman and Jim Photoglo kicked off the 19th annual Alive At The Bluebird concert series this week! The audience was treated to hit songs including ”On the Roof,” “Pleasant Valley Sunday,” “Dearly Beloved” and “Hillbilly Hollywood,” among many others.

Alive At The Bluebird runs through the end of the month, and more than 80 songwriters are taking part. Proceeds from each show will benefit Alive Hospice, helping us provide care to uninsured and underinsured Middle Tennesseans.

Who else is coming up at The Bluebird? Find out here! Look for shows marked “A Benefit For Alive Hospice.”

Our friend Kip Kirby visited Alive Hospice this month to present a donation in memory of her husband, Mr. Todd Cerney. During her visit she read the following letter, which we share with permission. In January of this year, Mr. Cerney kicked off the 18th annual Alive at The Bluebird concert series, a benefit for Alive Hospice. We’ll be forever grateful to Mr. Cerney and his family for their support. Alive Hospice was deeply honored to provide care and support during Mr. Cerney’s illness.

And unfortunately it wasn’t. When my husband, songwriter Todd Cerney, was given the shattering diagnosis of Stage IV melanoma in November of 2010, we knew from the beginning that his last days would be with you. When that time came – far sooner than any of his doctors predicted – we brought Todd to The Residence with a sense of peace, knowing he would receive the finest care and love possible.

There are no words for me to express my admiration, awe and affection for the staff of Alive Hospice. I stand in awe at the work you do and the lives you touch. You cannot know (yet hopefully you do) how each tiny act you perform, each smile you bestow, each kind word you offer touches your patients and their families. There were many visitors who came to see Todd and me and his parents, Chuck and Phyllis Cerney, while he was with you, and I know how deeply affected they all were by what they saw at The Residence.

Todd could not have had better care anywhere else in the world. I was comforted then and will always be that he spent his last days in the best and most capable, loving hands possible. Who can ask for more than that?

Thank you forever for what you do.

Very best regards,

Kip Kirby

Kip Kirby stopped by this month to present a donation to Alive Hospice in memory of her husband, Mr. Todd Cerney. Pictured, left to right: Todd Cerney’s mother, Mrs. Phyllis Cerney; Alive Hospice Vice President of Community Development Pam Brown; Kip Kirby;  and Mr. Cerney’s father, Dr. Chuck Cerney. Kip is pictured holding the above letter, which we’re sharing with her permission.

Murfreesboro Mayor Tommy Bragg helped Alive Hospice celebrate National Hospice and Palliative Care Month with a proclamation. In fact, Mayor Bragg proclaimed November “Alive Hospice Month” in Murfreesboro. The mayor welcomed Alive Hospice representatives at City Hall on Nov. 22 including board members, staff, and volunteers.

“Knowing your options before you need them is just good planning,” Mayor Bragg said. “I encourage every family in Murfreesboro to learn about hospice and palliative care. It starts with getting information and talking with your doctor before a serious illness comes along.”

Alive Hospice’s Murfreesboro Team includes physicians, nurses, hospice aides (CNTs), social workers, chaplains, and volunteers. They provide hospice care in Rutherford, Cannon, Coffee, and DeKalb counties. Additionally, Alive Hospice’s Murfreesboro office provides grief support services including individual counseling and support groups.

Pictured: Mayor Tommy Bragg presents a proclamation to Alive Hospice Interim CEO Barbara Cannon. With them are Phil Barnett, Faye Northcutt-Knox, Leslie Baker, Joe Rich, Dr. Radford Smith, Dr. Warren McPherson, Charlene Johnson and Hayat Bozkurt. (Photo by Chris Shofner/City of Murfreesboro)

Elizabeth Traugott

Since I was little I had always wanted to go to Africa. Being a nurse made that possible. In February 2010 I finally got the opportunity to go on a medical trip to Sudan.

One thing that stands out most to me is how welcoming the people were. As soon as we landed in the village we were surrounded by adults and children. They were so excited to see us and know they might have the opportunity to see physicians and nurses. The people we met showed such strength and determination to care for the village that I realized how fortunate I was to be able to go to the doctor any time I had a sniffle.

This time of year is a time of giving. This week, we have an opportunity to help out Alive Hospice’s sister hospice organization in another African nation, South Africa, with Alive Hospice’s annual All Things Beaded and Beyond sale.

This Friday, December 2nd from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., come see (and buy!) the beautiful crafts that have been created to help out Hospice West Gauteng. The sale is at Alive Hospice’s administrative offices at 1718 Patterson St. in Nashville. Call 327-1085 for more information.

Elizabeth Traugott is an Alive Hospice nurse.

For anyone who couldn’t attend Alive Hospice’s Nov. 17 Grief During the Holidays seminar, we have two more coming up! Next Thursday, Dec. 1, Alive Hospice will host a seminar in Nashville and another in Murfreesboro. Both are free and begin at 6:30 p.m.

To register online, click here. For more information, call 615-963-4732 for the Nashville seminar and 615-907-1677 for the Murfreesboro seminar.

If you can’t make it to one of the seminars on Dec. 1, check out tips for coping with holiday grief on Alive Hospice’s Facebook page. Click here.

Just in time for the holidays, Alive Hospice’s annual craft sale is coming back on Friday, Dec. 2. The All Things Beaded and Beyond sale will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Alive Hospice’s administrative offices at 1718 Patterson St. (near downtown Nashville.) Purchases will benefit Hospice West Gauteng, Alive Hospice’s sister organization in South Africa.

Merchandise will include hand-crafted items provided by Alive Hospice employees, volunteers and community artisans. Items vary from year to year, but the sale typically features jewelry, original art, photography, greeting cards, seasonal items and much more.

For more information, call 615-327-1085. Please join us! 

Pictured: Hand-made jewelry by Alive Hospice Social Worker Alyson Garvey.

Ruth Williams

We’ve just finished Camp Forget-Me-Not, one of Alive Hospice’s summer camps, and the other (Camp Evergreen) will begin in a few days. Before camp, as one of the group leaders, I find myself “flashing” on memories of past groups and thinking about the children who will join us this year.

Serving children from 1^st through 8^th grade, we offer a variety of activities to help them in their own individual process of grieving.

As you might imagine, when we discover an especially meaningful craft project, we tend to repeat it year after year. Something we do every year is make plaster masks with every child. It is fun to observe how magically the little white strips form into a perfect likeness of the child’s face. Plus, it’s always an adventure seeing just how these masks, once dried and hardened, can be transformed into quite magnificent, symbolic creations, unique to each child.

We use the masks as a way of talking about feelings, recognizing that what we feel on the inside might not always be what is seen on the outside by others.

Another repeated activity is a scavenger hunt. Small groups of children are led around the grounds of the camp, exploring and discovering little pieces of nature that represent the life cycle. We use these as examples of the wonders of beginnings, endings, and “middles” of life.

Group leaders also usually have their favorite stories and books to share that beautifully illustrate the process of life and death and of grief and loss.

Regretfully, in our culture, we tend to avoid discussions of death. Although it is literally a part of life, sadly, we don’t all include it in our “teachable moments” with our children. Craft projects, nature walks, and even finding and reading together favorite storybooks can be so helpful in guiding children through their own understanding of death and dying and grief and loss. All are a part of life.

As we all take a deep breath together, perhaps finding ways of helping our children accept death as a part of life, we “grown-ups” will gradually be able to do so ourselves. And that’s a good thing.

Ruth Williams is a counselor with Alive Grief Support Services, the bereavement support program of Alive Hospice.

Cyclist and hospice advocate J.W. Frye arrived at Alive Hospice this afternoon! He’s completed about a quarter of his 6-month journey, which will cover 8,000 miles by the time he reaches Alaska later this year. J.W. had a warm welcome from Alive Hospice staff, volunteers and friends, and he even had an entourage of local cyclists to escort him — his friends from Alive Hospice and the Gran Fondo cycle shop.

Saturday afternoon, J.W. Frye will be the guest of honor at a wine and cheese reception at Gran Fondo. For more information, click here.