Core Principles of Mothers' Living Stories

Every life holds at least one unique, meaningful story at its heart
It is good to know your own story and to tell it
After a loss or a major life challenge, reviewing and transmitting a life story and legacy can be therapeutic for the narrator, as well as for future recipients
Potential for healing takes place in the encounter between a mother, who discovers meaning and connection through telling her story, and a Listener, who creates the conditions for telling and receives the story in its entirety
Unconditional presence, witnessing, and deep listening are the ground of the healing encounter
All of us, especially parents, have a responsibility to prepare for death
Facing our own mortality can help us live more fully and meaningfully in the present
There is no one right way to live with serious illness or to face death
Ill parents have the right to choose or stop medical treatment without judgment from others
No one can predict another’s dying time; all life stories are “works in progress”
Ill and dying parents have much to teach all of us
Compassionate self-care and self-knowledge are necessary in caring for others
Community volunteers can be trained to be with the suffering of others and to record life stories
Volunteers and mothers each have a right to privacy and to their own values
The relationship created between the ill parent and the volunteer listener provides benefits to them both