Neil Heinen: We give precious little thought to the meaning of life

Neil Heinen: We give precious little thought to the meaning of life 
Madison Magazine, Madison, WI; by Neil Heinen; 9/17/25 
An Op-Ed on the importance and profundity of being with a person at the end of their life, and how hospice plays a special role.
We don’t think about death enough. How’s that for an opening sentence? ... We’d be considerably better off if we did think about life’s end a little more. The main topic of this column is hospice, which adds a bit of a buffer to the existential angst of contemplating death. ... Being with a person at the end of their life is one of the most profound and loving of life’s many possible experiences. And what brings meaning to a dying person is as varied as life itself. A song, a poem, a pet, a knitting needle and yarn, a recognition of service, stories, pictures, memories, another person who will listen, who cares; the list is long and filled with small acts of kindness so many of us could easily provide.