Silver City -- The second meeting of the monthly "Life Cafe" takes place Thursday at 4:00 pm at the Silver City Public Library, when local resident Jamie Thompson will share his research about green burials and the potential for creating a green burial plot on his land here in Grant County. The many other options for disposing of human remains will also be discussed, including aquamation, cremation and more.

The monthly, 90-minute life cafe is free, and facilitated by Lisa Jimenez, certified death doula and practitioner of Shamanic healing arts.

"The goal is to simply get people from all walks of life talking about death and having fun while doing so," said Jimenez. "Understanding what a good death looks like and planning for it now allows us to live more fully in the present. And I believe like anything in life, if we have a solid plan, it's all likely to go that much more smoothly for the dying person and their loved ones." 

Each month a new death-related topic will be explored, often through a presentation by guest speakers. Such topics include New Mexico’s Aid in Dying Act; advance directives and other planning tools; estate planning; life celebrations; home funerals; Hospice care; working with death doulas; and more. 

Jimenez added that there is no intention to lead people to specific actions, conclusions, products or services. 

"At our first meeting in March participants established clear guidelines for the cafe, creating a safe space where people of all religious faiths, belief systems - all "walks of life” -  can express themselves fully without cross-talk or unsolicited advice or comments. My primary goal is to simply open up the discussion and have fun."

The Silver City Public Library is located at 515 W. College Avenue, and this monthly event is being offered free of charge. For more information, please contact Lisa Jimenez, lmjimenez13@gmail.com or (575) 574-5473.