Living with the End in Mind; A Practical Checklist for Living Life to the Fullest by Embracing Your Mortality [Paperback]

Erin Tierney Kramp (Author), Douglas Kramp (Author), Emily P. McKhann (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1998

Living with the End in Mind takes a life-affirming look at preparing yourself and your loved ones for the inevitable--whether you are in perfect health or are ill--so you can live life to its fullest. The inspiring couple who have coauthored this book have already garnered widespread media coverage, from 20/20 to The Oprah Winfrey Show.
        
Erin Kramp, who was diagnosed with a life-threatening illness four years ago, her husband, Doug, and their friend Emily McKhann have written a groundbreaking checklist that takes an uplifting and thought-provoking approach to addressing the emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of mortality. They share practical advice on how to create a legacy for your loved ones with tapes, photo albums, journals, and letters; how to make funeral arrangements; how to talk about death with your children; how to incorporate prayer, meditation, and purpose into your life; and much more.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

When Erin Tierney Kramp learned that she had a potentially fatal case of cancer, she was 32 years old and woefully unprepared for death. In Living with the End in Mind, Kramp and her coauthors chronicle her efforts to come to terms with her illness and suggest many practical steps people can take to prepare for their deaths. Kramp writes that taking care of all "the little 'what ifs' associated with the possibility of dying" decreased her stress level and allowed her to concentrate on the things that really mattered to her. Terminal illness forced the author to reevaluate her life and she hopes that this book will prompt her readers to do the same:

Five years ago, if anyone had asked me if I expected to live, I would have thought the question silly. Of course I expected to live, what was the alternative? Now I am well aware of the alternative. The question for all of us is, what are we doing between now and when we die?

This guide should be quite useful to a wide variety of people, even those who don't feel the least bit ill. The authors tackle this difficult subject in a matter-of-fact way, which makes it easier to take. Kramp urges her readers to organize their papers, mend their fences, buy a cemetery plot, and make the most of their time left on Earth. She includes tips on helping children deal with the loss of a parent, and discusses the importance of leaving a legacy of letters and pictures to comfort people after one's death. Living With the End in Mind is a handy reference guide to preparing emotionally, physically, and spiritually for death. --Jill Marquis

From the Inside Flap

Living with the End in Mind takes a life-affirming look at preparing yourself and your loved ones for the inevitable--whether you are in perfect health or are ill--so you can live life to its fullest. The inspiring couple who have coauthored this book have already garnered widespread media coverage, from 20/20 to The Oprah Winfrey Show.
        
Erin Kramp, who was diagnosed with a life-threatening illness four years ago, her husband, Doug, and their friend Emily McKhann have written a groundbreaking checklist that takes an uplifting and thought-provoking approach to addressing the emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of mortality. They share practical advice on how to create a legacy for your loved ones with tapes, photo albums, journals, and letters; how to make funeral arrangements; how to talk about death with your children; how to incorporate prayer, meditation, and purpose into your life; and much more.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press (September 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0609803816
• ISBN-13: 978-0609803813
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #440,347 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspirational guide to dying peacefully & living gracefully, October 12, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Living with the End in Mind; A Practical Checklist for Living Life to the Fullest by Embracing Your Mortality (Paperback)

'Living With the End in Mind" not only provides a comprehensive, well-thought out plan for preparing for death, it also inspires a thought process for how I want to live my life. This book has made me appreciate the blessings and joys that our daily lives make us take for granted. Like most of my peers, I often am so caught up with the minutiae of my everyday life that I fail to be thankful for the people who surround and love me. I find inspiration in the upfront, common-sensical and yet sensitive way the Kramps have dealt with their issues. More than anything else, they are a prime example of showing us how in life, the proverbial cup, rather than being half-empty, is always at least half-full. And I am thankful that they have chosen to share their story with the rest of us.

For not only is this a book for people for whom mortality looms on the horizon. It also provides a framework for me to think about how I want to live my life, what is important to me, and what I need to do to get there. A combination of practical how-to advice and inspirational thoughts, it is no surprise 'Living With the End in Mind" has received national attention from the Oprah show amongst others. My congratulations and thanks go out to the Kremps and their co-writer Emily McKhann for helping me refocus my life to the things and people that truly matter.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely astounding, October 19, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Living with the End in Mind; A Practical Checklist for Living Life to the Fullest by Embracing Your Mortality (Paperback)

I am 75 years old and, frankly, have been procrastinating for years about doing those things necessary to prepare my family for that time when I won't be here. The book, "Living with the End in Mind", is absolutely an inspiration to take that action. In addition to the point by point instructions, which are easy to follow, the book invokes in the reader a true spirit of awe concerning the trevail the writer, and husband, have undergone during this period of their lives. Their effort in publishing their story and guiding others in the handling of their preparatory duties is astounding. We all should take a lesson from their experience. They, truly, are to be commended for their support of the total community.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspirational message and invigorating writing style., December 12, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Living with the End in Mind; A Practical Checklist for Living Life to the Fullest by Embracing Your Mortality (Paperback)

Inspirational message and invigorating writing style. I will recommend it to all the people I care about.