Introducing the New Book
By
Dr. Regina Gerstman

Blossom, The Art of Sacred Dying is out NOW.You can order it from Amazon and Barnes & Noble below.

Blossom, The Art of Sacred Dying

Blosson-The Art of Sacred Dying is a sensitive portrait of an elder who enters the last nine months of her life. Gerstman was invited into the mysterious and metaphysical world of Blossom Flowers Ford Burns through private meetings at her studio house in Austin, Texas. As Blossom navigates the tasks of living alone after receiving a terminal diagnosis, Gerstman reaped the rewards of an intellectual friendship stoked with reading assignments, introductions to important friends, co-hosting a neighborhood meeting, and a peek into a private prayer room.Written in sixteen picturesque chapters of their encounters, Gerstman's rendering of a brilliant woman in decline is intimate and compelling. A session of singing with Blossom's childhood boyfriend ends in a small banquet. There is a brief interlude at hospice from which Blossom recovers. She unexpectedly contributes a final gift to her community. People of all ages and faith traditions have something to glean from this stoic and proud march towards her final days. So many want to die at home in our time; this story displays the Eastern philosophy Blossom used to show how it is done.

“My book is about a friendship between an elderly woman and a woman at midlife. Very quickly the friendship becomes the journey of one walking with the other towards the end of life. The heroine demonstrates how enhancing her social connections by creating a caretaking program strengthened her coping and contributed to her final good works.""She also shows how Eastern philosophies prepared her for her death. All seniors and people facing terminal disease are target audiences, as well as those afraid to die, those who live alone with no immediate family or adult children living nearby to provide caretaking, and medical professionals who believe the medical model is the only way.”

About

Dr Regina Gerstman holds a doctorate in Educational Psychology (UT, Austin) and taught Human Development for 9 years. She is also a licensed clinical social worker who has focused on people in midlife and late life for 30 years, after 20 plus years working with women and minorities. She currently maintains a part-time practice.Although Blossom was the first vigil she observed, she participated directly for a 10-year period when first her husband and then her mother diminished. Most important, Blossom considered the author to be a scholar, a new, but very close friend, and included her in her inner circle in the months before her death.Attending classical symphonies, singing in choruses and exercise at gyms are also three important pieces of Dr. Regina’s life.

Reviews

Gerstman tells the powerful, fascinating, and instructive story of discovering the difference. Befriending Blossom and learning of her terminal diagnosis takes the author on an emotional and informative journey combining the metaphysical and the practical with great compassion and humor. A must-read for all of us as we face our final journey.
Karen Jones
Author of Death for Beginners and The Summer of Grace www.kjwriter.com

This is an excellent read for anyone seeking insight into the profound journey of life’s final stages. Gerstman's book offers a deeply personal and inspiring look at the last nine months of Blossom Flowers Ford Burns' life, sharing her courageous and thoughtful approach to dying. Blossom’s story is filled with joy, humor, and the wisdom of embracing mortality with open arms.Readers will find valuable lessons on caregiving, community, and the beauty that can emerge even in life’s most challenging moments. Gerstman’s intimate portrayal of Blossom’s life and death provides comfort, guidance, and a fresh perspective on how to face the inevitable with grace. Whether you are a caregiver, healthcare professional, or simply curious about the sacredness of dying, This book is a powerful reminder that death can be the natural, sacred experience it was meant to be with the right education, kindness and support.Suzanne B. O'Brien, RN
Founder of Doulagivers Institute

In her moving new book, Regina Gerstman shares a deeply personal account of entering, observing, embracing, and ultimately absorbing the multidimensional world of Blossom Flowers Ford Burns, a revered Austin feminist elder who was navigating her last year of life. Transformational themes of spirituality, friendship, social connection, positive awe, loyalty, legacy, and ultimately transcendence are well-represented here. As a friend and colleague of Dr. Gerstman's now for almost fifty years, I've had the continued benefit of directly witnessing the ongoing legacy of Blossom in this author's life. I highly recommend this book to seekers of any age or tradition.Susan Raeburn
PhD, clinical psychologist, author (with Eric Maisel), Creative Recovery: A complete Addiction Treatment Program That Uses Your Natural Creativity" Shambhala, 2008.

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