Spiritual Care

Margaret is a woman of integrity and honest care. Supportive, firm and accepting, she has walked alongside me as I’ve tumbled into scary and lost places. Her sharing is a much-valued gift of non-judgement offered with many breathing spaces too. These have allowed me to tentatively ponder possibilities, embrace ideas with excitement; discuss and disagree as and when. Happily we can laugh together too and share the joy of this and that along the way, which brings balance to the whole, puzzling, sometimes torturous, adventure.
Annah

I see you as a therapeutic coach, but it’s spiritual work, too; you hold that energy, sometimes explicitly, sometimes in the background.
Lisbet

I found it really helpful to ponder and look at how my responses to my current situation were strategies I had developed at a young age but no longer served me – it put me in a position of being able to choose whether to hold on to them or create something different.
I appreciated the space you gave me to think on the questions/possibilities you put forward. I never felt you were telling me how it was – I was free to play with the idea or have an ah-ha moment because of what was triggered.
I loved that you actually listened and were able to bring things I had said into a context further down the process. At all times I felt the process was mine and as a result was able to take ownership of where I arrived.
You created a safe environment for me to explore very sensitive areas of my life. Thank you.
Merilyn

Accompanying people who are dying

When my brother-in-law became very fragile… it was wonderful to observe how Margaret coped with such gentleness, but great strength and understanding of what was required. Her skill and compassion enabled a very strong-minded old gentleman, with high ideals, but no religious attachment, to end his life comfortably and at peace. 
Bibi

Those hours we sat together, Margaret, not saying much, just being with E. were very special to me. If you hadn’t been there those times would have been very different. That brought me comfort.
Bob R.

Margaret has a deep personal trust in the process of living and dying. She respects the dying person’s needs, and is led by them for timing and intervention. Her blend of practical sense, objectivity, caring, calm presence, and humour, smooth the process for all concerned. Margaret shared in the day-to-day process of my Mother dying. Her presence was certainly a huge part of allowing Mum a peaceful transition.
Jo

Funeral celebrancy

Within the last year I have attended two funerals where Margaret was the celebrant. Both times I was touched by her gentle presence and skillful facilitation. She has a gift to bring both respect and authenticity, celebration and mourning, into the sacred space where a loved one is farewelled. I’m grateful that she is in our community, where she offers her skills at such an reasonable rate.
Irma Jager,  Motueka, 2024

I met Margaret at our local choir, little did I know of her hidden talent as a funeral celebrant until a member of our choir died and she led all present in a gentle and heart-warming send off.
At this time, my wife’s mother also died, so, we enlisted Margaret’s help in putting together an order of service. Margaret’s assistance with this was invaluable as she has an innate sense of how such a service needs to be structured and what to include. I especially liked how she suggested it was important to allow time in the service to grieve our loss as well as to celebrate my mother-in-law’s life.
Margaret has an affinity for people’s end of life journey. It does not frighten or intimidate her. She also has a wonderful sense for the flow of a funeral and how poignant such occasions are for family and friends. We were fortunate that her skills in this regard presented themselves at just the right time.
M C   Motueka

I’m so very glad we decided to have your help with Raye’s funeral. It was as good as I could possibly have hoped, and you played a pivotal and significant role in that. We did her proud, and in a way that was very much in keeping with her life. It is a testament to your sensitivity and consideration that you were able to play the role you did so effectively without ever having even met Raye. Thank you so very much.
Kate  

Margaret was celebrant at the funeral of an old friend of mine where she handled a sensitive family situation with tact and diplomacy. The service was a gentle,  reverential farewell to a loved one who had served her community for many years.                                             
R B  

I just wanted to say what a fantastic job you made of organising today… in every way. The service was fantastic – just perfect. I will never view funerals in the same way again – it was just a wonderful tribute to Margaret and reminded us all of her at her best. It was all so appropriate and so dedicated to her – no irrelevant talk – a celebration of her life. Brilliant.
Joanna

Thank you, Margaret; you helped make the day an amazing celebration of Victor’s life. I believe everyone felt comfortable with the tone and the beautiful wording you gave the eulogy. We couldn’t have done such a wonderful job without you.
You made the eulogy honest and yet kind. You managed to write something that left us believing we’d written it ourselves.  My brother has never spoken out in public like he did and he’s rightly proud of himself. It’s done a lot for his grieving and healing.                                    
A S 

Thank you so much for all of your advice and kind words, they truly were a blessing. I used the format to help gather my family members to say some words. I am a bit more of the “entertainer” in my family so it was my impetus that got it together. I wrote a speech from my heart, just like you said, and it flowed out of me perfectly: What I love About My Papa. Genevieve  (Canada)