Where the Veil Grows Thin

On this episode, Sean is joined by Sheri Gaynor, LCSW, Registered Expressive Arts Therapist, and the Founder of Creative Awakenings International For updates on workshops, events and coaching information visitwww.sherigaynor.comThank you for listening to Where the Veil Grows Thin.  You can always get these  wherever you get your podcasts or for more information, visit seanjeung.com.

Sean sits down with Stephanie Ford to discuss the importance of documenting life stories.Thank you for listening to Where the Veil Grows Thin.  You can always get these  wherever you get your podcasts or for more information, visit seanjeung.com.

Welcome to Where the Veil Grows Thin!In these troubled and troubling times, going back to the basic roots of the natural orderof life and connecting to the Earth can be a salvation.Please join Sonja Linman and myself as we dig around with the idea of connecting withwhat saves us.Thank you for listening to Where the Veil Grows Thin.  You can always get these  wherever you get your podcasts or for more information, visit seanjeung.com.

Join me with special guests Sonja Linman and Ben LeRoy in a meaningful dialogue about this time in our lives and in our world. My friend Sonja and I are both able at this time in our lives to be still and have the space for quiet reflection and introspection. That gift gives us a new and fluid perspective on how to be in the world.Thank you for listening to Where the Veil Grows Thin.  You can always get these  wherever you get your podcasts or for more information, visit seanjeung.com.

What might we find when we embrace grief rather than turn away from it? Can bereavement and beauty co-exist? And how can we navigate our fear of death? From existential overwhelm to the therapeutic powers of writing, psychedelics, and connecting with strangers, author of Dying to Live: Finding Life’s Meaning through Death Andy Chaleff—whose mother died in a drunk driving accident hours after he gave her a soul-baring letter—discusses befriending mortality and the silver lining of sorrow. Thank you for listening to Where the Veil Grows Thin.  You can always get these  wherever you get your podcasts or for more information, visit seanjeung.com.

Ben and I got together on Zoom the other day and had a short albeit rich discussion about different kinds of grief. The different layers of grief, the different names for grief. And in doing that I started thinking about how pivotal grief is in our lives and how sad it is that we spend most of our life running away from it, trying to ignore it or making excuses for it.We’re going to continue this discussion. We just hadn’t talked in a while and Ben called to check in and there you have it. I hope you’ll take a minute and see if there’s something in it for you. Love,SeanThank you for listening to Where the Veil Grows Thin.  You can always get these  wherever you get your podcasts or for more information, visit seanjeung.com.

Have you ever found yourself questioning how much you can let yourself be seen?How open you want to be about how you really feel about something? How honest you are comfortable being with friends and family, how safe you feel in different relationships?And when we know someone needs us to be a certain person, to show up in their life in a certain way, how does that feel when it is not how we are feeling inside in that moment?Join Ben and I as we discuss the truth, the trust, the risks and the reality of being who we really are. No matter what. All the time.Thank you for listening to Where the Veil Grows Thin.  You can always get these  wherever you get your podcasts or for more information, visit seanjeung.com.

Please join me as I welcome Isa Catto to this episode of Where the Veil Grows Thin.Isa Catto's daughter, Bailey, left Colorado for a dream job on Broadway. A charismatic, intellectual, smart, funny young woman, Bailey died just days after graduating high school when she took a drug laced with Fentanyl.Isa graciously agreed to come talk about what Bailey's life was like up until that moment and how her death has disrupted, shattered and reshaped their lives.For more on Isa, please subscribe to her Substack – Swimming at AltitudeThank you for listening to Where the Veil Grows Thin.  You can always get these  wherever you get your podcasts or for more information, visit seanjeung.com.

Join Ben and I as we explore the random encounters in life and the depth and richness that can be found in those moments. We talk about the way reminders of mortality, whether our own or someone else’s, change us. And what we do with what we learn when we wake up and step out into the world.Next episode I'll be welcomg Isa Catto to Where the Veil Grows Thin. You can learn more about her at isacatto.com.Ben briefly mentioned dyingtoserve.com in this episode.Thank you for listening to Where the Veil Grows Thin.  You can always get these  wherever you get your podcasts or for more information, visit seanjeung.com.

Defining faith is a personal, intimate thing to be asked to do. Join Ben LeRoy and I as we step into the conversation that lead us to realize that what we were talking about was just that; a definition of faith. Different for everyone. And important to have if we want to be able to move through our days and nights and come out relatively intact.Thank you for listening to Where the Veil Grows Thin.  You can always get these  wherever you get your podcasts or for more information, visit seanjeung.com.

Join Ben and I as we talk about the idea of metastatic joy and goodness; the question of how to spread goodness and the idea that it is so ingrained in us to not talk about the things we do that are good, that we forget how important it is to talk about the good things others are doing in our communities thus inspiring more of that to grow. Thank you for listening to Where the Veil Grows Thin.  You can always get these  wherever you get your podcasts or for more information, visit seanjeung.com.

Recently I shared the poem "Proxy" by Gloria Heffernan. Join me now in listening to my conversation with her about the way grief and loss have helped her learn the importance of being a peaceful presence in the world.About this episode of Where the Veil Grows Thin:Gloria Heffernan is the author of the poetry collection, What the Gratitude List Said to the Bucket List (New York Quarterly Books) and Exploring Poetry of Presence: A Companion Guide for Readers, Writers, and Workshop Facilitators (Back Porch Productions). She has also written two chapbooks, Some of Our Parts (Finishing Line Press), and Hail to the Symptom, (Moonstone Press).Gloria’s work has appeared in over 100 journals including Chautauqua Literary Journal, Presence, Columbia Review, Stone Canoe, The Healing Muse, and Yale University’s The Perch. She has been a Pushcart nominee, and a finalist in the Grayson Poetry Chapbook Contest, a finalist in the Naugatuck River Review’s Narrative Poetry Contest, and winner of Third Wednesday’s One Sentence Poetry Contest. She holds an M.A. from New York University and teaches at Le Moyne College and the Downtown Writers Center in Syracuse, New York. Gloria serves as copy editor for Presence: A Journal of Catholic Poetry and served for two years as an assistant poetry editor for Stone Canoe. She is also a workshop facilitator with a focus on poetry as a spiritual practice.Learn more about Gloria at her website -- https://gloriaheffernan.wordpress.com/Thank you for listening to Where the Veil Grows Thin.  You can always get these  wherever you get your podcasts or for more information, visit seanjeung.com.

Join me and my dear friend, Sonja Linman, for a 30 min conversation about grief, the great denominator of humankind....the most common thread that connects us all. We talk about our lives working with children who are grieving. How they so beautifully teach us what they need from us or the times when they cannot how we have to trust we have it in us somewhere. We talked about Sonja being a monthly guest to talk in her unique and wise ways about grounding, having an open heart, listening in stillness and walking in silence. She is richly connected to the Earth, and our conversations take on a life of their own. It's a lovely beginning,  working on this format together with her tiny 3 pound rescue pup, Vida, curled on the back of her couch. Thank you for listening to Where the Veil Grows Thin.  You can always get these  wherever you get your podcasts or for more information, visit seanjeung.com.

I wanted this to be between 5 and 6 minutes and I'll get there some day but this week our moment of meditation/reflection is just over 7 minutes. Hopefully, it will be 7 minutes well spent.It is December 6th. We have just over 4 more weeks of what I'm calling 'the holidays'. And then, Valentine's Day.These reminders, often of things we've lost, don't stop. Learning to ground in those moments of disruption can be a helpful tool and this meditation is just one suggestion for a way to do that.Thank you for listening to Where the Veil Grows Thin.  You can always get these  wherever you get your podcasts or for more information, visit seanjeung.com.

Please join Ben and I to explore just what it means to feel cowardice and show up anyway; what it means to doubt and question our ability to open ourselves to failure and show up anyway; what it means to trust.Thank you for listening to Where the Veil Grows Thin.  You can always get these  wherever you get your podcasts or for more information, visit seanjeung.com.

May this 13 minute meditation help remind you to love yourself exactly as you are. May it help you remember you have something to offer the world. May it help you find a moment of solace and comfort and safety in an otherwise crazy day. Thank you for listening to Where the Veil Grows Thin.  You can always get these  wherever you get your podcasts or for more information, visit seanjeung.com.

This short 9 minutes is offered as a way to help us remember that we've got this, we really are ok and we have this wonderful way of centering in goodness and light. We can all be visionaries!Thank you for listening to Where the Veil Grows Thin.  You can always get these  wherever you get your podcasts or for more information, visit seanjeung.com.

This 9 minute episode reflects on a lesson learned long ago. Initially through tears of sadness and feeling lonely and later understanding the honor and the sanctity of that loneliness.Thank you for listening to Where the Veil Grows Thin.  You can always get these  wherever you get your podcasts or for more information, visit seanjeung.com.

Sometimes, in less than 10 minutes, we can recalibrate and re-align with a clearer understanding and a renewed connection. I hope for some, this 'less than 10 minutes' feels worth the listen.Thank you for listening to Where the Veil Grows Thin.  You can always get these  wherever you get your podcasts or for more information, visit seanjeung.com.

This guided imagery is one that uses the vision of a mountain lake on a beautiful summer day. These offerings are best utilized at home or anywhere that you can create the space necessary to listen with your eyes closed. I hope it eases you into your weekend with a greater sense of peace.Thank you for listening to Where the Veil Grows Thin.  You can always get these  wherever you get your podcasts or for more information, visit seanjeung.com.

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about a sleepless night spent thinking about my death. Since then, I’ve had a couple of people ask me what I have seen happen to others when the reality of their death becomes very clear. What kinds of ‘shifts’ in their day to day life? What kinds of shifts in their focus? Do priorities rearrange suddenly? Join Ben and I as we discuss some of the ways people approach their own mortality.You can also watch this episode on YouTube here.Thank you for listening to Where the Veil Grows Thin.  You can always get these  wherever you get your podcasts or for more information, visit seanjeung.com.

This is the first offering of a guided meditation. It will ask, if you are willing, that you listen with your eyes closed. Please don't try to listen and drive, or listen and cook, or listen and do anything else. I can promise you, it will lose something if you do.Thank you for listening to Where the Veil Grows Thin.  You can always get these  wherever you get your podcasts or for more information, visit seanjeung.com.

I thought this would be my first podcast of guided imagery. Not exactly meditation. Not in the sense some of you may be used to. These will be moments of grounding, thoughtful words of possibility, offerings of ‘what if’. This first one requires nothing of you but a listening ear. Next week, I’ll ask a bit more of you if you are willing.Thank you for listening to Where the Veil Grows Thin.  You can always get these  wherever you get your podcasts or for more information, visit seanjeung.com.

A very short 'little something' I wrote to close a weekly meeting of cancer patients. Thank you for listening to Where the Veil Grows Thin.  You can always get these  wherever you get your podcasts or for more information, visit seanjeung.com.

When things happen, completely out of the blue, do they really come from nowhere? Are they really, just, a coincidence?Thank you for listening to Where the Veil Grows Thin.  You can always get these  wherever you get your podcasts or for more information, visit seanjeung.com.

It was a 10 hour day working a rare shift at the hospital and it is pretty well captured in this 18 minute episode.Thank you for listening to Where the Veil Grows Thin.  You can always get these  wherever you get your podcasts or for more information, visit seanjeung.com.

This 22 minute is episode is base on a talk I wrote when I was asked to speak at the local Methodist Church. It is based on a conversation Ben and I had recently about hospice and NODA trainings and whether or not I thought the things we teach in those trainings could help people in everyday living right now while the world seems so chaotic.Thank you for listening to Where the Veil Grows Thin.  You can always get these  wherever you get your podcasts or for more information, visit seanjeung.com.

Another meaningful conversation with Ben Leroy about avoiding falling on the double edged sword of internal pressure to be and do everything and external pressure to be and do more.Thank you for listening to Where the Veil Grows Thin.  You can always get these  wherever you get your podcasts or for more information, visit seanjeung.com.

A brief episode this week.Thank you for listening to Where the Veil Grows Thin.  You can always get these  wherever you get your podcasts or for more information, visit seanjeung.com.

In this episode Ben and I are talking about things we can all do to alleviate some of the difficulties so many people face when a loved one has died with nothing taken care of. It was a rich discussion when we started to record it so it begins a bit abruptly. We will re-visit this topic soon.Thank you for listening to Where the Veil Grows Thin.  You can always get these  wherever you get your podcasts or for more information, visit seanjeung.com.

In this episode we begin to look at the varying ways grief is altered when someone dies as a result of suicide. If you have never known anyone who died from suicide, you may not understand and if you have, you absolutely will.This was not an easy episode to write. And in recording it I realize there is so much more we can talk about when talking about the devastation left in the wake of most suicides.Thank you for listening to Where the Veil Grows Thin.  You can always get these  wherever you get your podcasts or for more information, visit seanjeung.com.

 In this weeks 17 minute episode I am joined again by Ben LeRoy to talk about the way hospice experiences and trainings can carry over into a world that feels chaotic and unstable. We explore the possible benefits for daily practices that help keep us grounded as we leave our homes to do whatever it is we need to do. Thank you for listening to Where the Veil Grows Thin.  You can always get these  wherever you get your podcasts or for more information, visit seanjeung.com.

In this 11 minute episode, I share my personal and private thoughts about time. How I see it, how it impacts my daily life and I wonder aloud if I am alone.                                                                                                                                                  And, I don’t think so...Thank you for listening to Where the Veil Grows Thin.  You can always get these  wherever you get your podcasts or for more information, visit seanjeung.com.

In this 12 minute piece I am speaking about the state of the world and whether or not it is better or worse than we found it when we were born. Offering some ideas about how we, as individuals, might effect change and how we, as communities, already do.Thank you for listening to Where the Veil Grows Thin.  You can always get these  wherever you get your podcasts or for more information, visit seanjeung.com.

 Is it ever too late to make amends with somebody? To say the thing that is on your heart? What if our bucket lists weren't filled with trips to far away places, but in making sure we've made our peace with the people in our lives who have had an impact? Thank you for listening to Where the Veil Grows Thin.  You can always get these  wherever you get your podcasts or for more information, visit seanjeung.com.

I'm excited this week to introduce another new visitor, my friend and producer Ben LeRoy. It's a 26 minute conversation about how to be present for family and friends who are in a Hospice experience.This episode is also available on Youtube.Thank you for listening to Where the Veil Grows Thin.  You can always get these  wherever you get your podcasts or for more information, visit seanjeung.com.

This 12 minute episode explores the place hindsight can have in our lives when we are processing loss. Those things we wish we’d done or not done and what we do with that awareness.Thank you for listening to Where the Veil Grows Thin.  You can always get these  wherever you get your podcasts or for more information, visit seanjeung.com.

In this episode I am recalling an exquisite moment of beauty and grace in the middle of the worst possible nightmare.Thank you for listening to Where the Veil Grows Thin.  You can always get these  wherever you get your podcasts or for more information, visit seanjeung.com.

This is an exciting episode for me because it will also be published on You Tube. Shelby joined me to talk specifically about Medical Aid in Dying, referred to here as MAID. What it can do for a person's peace of mind and what the process of bringing a family on board can look like. The right to die is something I feel deeply passionate about and something I am very comfortable talking about.  I am excited to share that with someone who is still actively working as a death doula.Thank you for listening to Where the Veil Grows Thin.  You can always get these  wherever you get your podcasts or for more information, visit seanjeung.com.

 Today we dive a little more deeply into that big black cauldron of stuff called grief. I've had people request that I speak more about my work as a grief counselor. It isn't something that can be covered all at once so we'll put our toes in the water and see how it feels. Thank you for listening to Where the Veil Grows Thin.  You can always get these  wherever you get your podcasts or for more information, visit seanjeung.com.

Today I'm talking a bit more about how animals respond to us when we are grieving and how beneficial it can be to align with one when we are sad.Thank you for listening to Where the Veil Grows Thin.  You can always get these  wherever you get your podcasts or for more information, visit seanjeung.com.

This 40 minute episode welcomes special guest, Akaljeet Khalsa, who  joins me to talk about her work as a Life Coach and Death Doula, how she came to the work, what it looks like and what she does. We explore the three main components of her work being:Planning, Active Death Care and After Death Care. Thank you for listening to Where the Veil Grows Thin.  You can always get these  wherever you get your podcasts or for more information, visit seanjeung.com.

This piece came as a result of feedback from listeners that not all deaths are like my mom’s. I already knew that, but  hadn’t written about it.                        Today, I do.                                                                                                                                                 Not all death is graceful.                                                                                                                   Dying can sometimes bring the very worst of who we are out into the open.                                                                                                                                                      Caring for someone when they are at their worst can be a challenge.  If they are someone we love, even loving them can be hard.Thank you for listening to Where the Veil Grows Thin.  You can always get these  wherever you get your podcasts or for more information, visit seanjeung.com.

This relatively short episode is an experience I had very early in my work as a hospital chaplain. It is about the honor of sitting with this gentleman.And how a brief sighting the night before helped set the groundwork.I was not then and I am not now ever very surprised by the way things seem to unfold. I have had very good teachers. Some of them in class rooms and some of them in hospital rooms.Thank you for listening to Where the Veil Grows Thin.  You can always get these  wherever you get your podcasts or for more information, visit seanjeung.com.

‘Grannie’ was 100 years old. I never saw her out of bed so I don’t know if she was short or tall, lean or heavy. She had a cat who loved her fiercely and all of us knew that cat was unpredictable and cruel in her punishment if she thought you were trying to do something to Grannie. The cat’s name was Precious and I remember how Grannie smiled when I questioned the choice of names after the first time Precious turned her claws on me. It was a beautiful thing to behold the way Precious would tend to Grannie and stay by her side. Theirs was a deep abiding love and may have been one of the reasons Grannie lived as long as she did.Thank you for listening to Where the Veil Grows Thin.  You can always get these  wherever you get your podcasts or for more information, visit seanjeung.com.

There are always waves in end of life work. In hospice work, we know going in, that someone is going to die. But not everyone understands what that really looks like. Sometimes, people think they want to work in hospice but the emotional costs turn out to be too high. I guess I was lucky. I came to it because it had come to me in the most magical way when I was given the gift of bearing witness to my mom’s death in 2000. As a result I know I came to hospice with an incredibly high bar for what it can be like. But I was not prepared for what it feels like when a wave crested that was actually a tidal wave and we found ourselves literally running from one death to the next.Thank you for listening to Where the Veil Grows Thin.  You can always get these  wherever you get your podcasts or for more information, visit seanjeung.com.

If there is magic in the time we spend with those who are dying, it is in the listening. It is in the revelations and the epiphanies and the secrets they may tell us. It is in the way their lives spiral inward to reveal the truest beauty in the smallest detail of how we show our love.Thank you for listening to Where the Veil Grows Thin.  You can always get these  wherever you get your podcasts or for more information, visit seanjeung.com.

Where and why I hide. Not wanting to assume that this applies to anyone else, I will just own it right now. This is about me. Maybe it's about you too.Thank you for listening to Where the Veil Grows Thin.  You can always get these  wherever you get your podcasts or for more information, visit seanjeung.com.

Four minutes. Four minutes to think about new beginnings, family traditions, and resolutions. Thank you for listening to Where the Veil Grows Thin.  You can always get these  wherever you get your podcasts or for more information, visit seanjeung.com.

Grief and Loss do not take days off.  Death comes without regard to what day it is or what the day might mean to us and Christmas is no exception. This is a short 7minute episode speaking to all of us as a way to help hold the light steady for those whose lights have been temporarily diminished.Thank you for listening to Where the Veil Grows Thin.  You can always get these  wherever you get your podcasts or for more information, visit seanjeung.com.