Death's Midwife

SUMMARY

Ritual provided a way for Nance, her lesbian family, and her birth family to care for each other during Nance's diagnosis and death of cancer. “Death's Midwife” tells of the Tuesday night healing rituals and some of the rituals during Nance's dying days. The survivors used ritual in grief and in the memorial service; however, once Nance died the ritual circle fragmented. This short memoir examines how lesbian-created ritual centered, for a while, a lesbian family and community.

Key Words:

• Ritual
• lesbian
• death/grief
• Jewish
• pagan