Dear Brothers, With Leader’s Guide
Letters Facing Death
by Richard L. Morgan, Howard Morgan and John C. Morgan
Imprint: Resource Publications
Sooner or later every person faces questions about death and whether there is anything beyond it. This little book consists of personal and sometime private letters between three brothers who realize their own lives may soon come to an end. The wisdom they offer is not only for their own families and friends left behind, but for others who have faced the loss of loved ones. Writing from different religious perspectives, the letters are nonetheless spiritual in the way they seek to wrest from a life lived in the face of death some wisdom for one another as well as others who have shared their struggles with life's deepest questions. When he was asked about the essence of his philosophy, Plato reportedly said, "Practice dying." These letters take his wisdom to heart in a series of heartfelt exchanges over the course of a year, concluding with each author's request for what his memorial service would be like.
Richard Morgan is an ordained Presbyterian minister and a national leader in spiritual autobiography and issues of aging. He is the author of No Wrinkles on the Soul, Remembering Your Story, and No Act of Love Is Ever Wasted.
Howard Morgan was formerly chairman of Chicago Theological Seminary, and currently serves as a director of the Interfaith Youth Core.
John Morgan teaches philosophy and ethics at an inner city community college. His most recent books include Daybreak and Eventide: A Little Book of Prayer and Worship for Small Groups, Awakening the Soul, and Thin Places, a book of his poems.
"Kudos to the Morgan brothers for opening the discussion of life after death-not life after almost death! As elders and baby-boomers face aging and death, this topic lurks in the back of many minds, but there seems to be a reluctance to open the subject to general scrutiny. In Dear Brothers: Letters Facing Death, Richard, Howard, and John Morgan break through this reluctance. Via honest and heartfelt letters written to one another over the course of a year, each shares his unique understanding and questions about death and life after death. Because the topic is so close to the human heart, this lovely and provocative book provides a way for us all to open discussion of our own beliefs, fears, and hopes of life after death."
-Dr. Jane Marie Thibault
University of Louisville School of Medicine
Co-author of No Act of Love Is Ever Wasted: Spiritual Care for Persons with Dementia