Start close in, don't take the second step or the third, start with the first thing close in, the step you don't want to take.  -David Whyte

It is difficult to be a dying human in this place and time.  It is almost as hard to be the loving family member or caregiver of a dying person.  It is hard for many reasons, but foremost among them is that we live in a culture where aging and dying are not permitted.  We don't look at them or talk about them and we certainly do not apprentice ourselves to their mysteries.  There is no space in "the way things are" for the truths of aging and dying, and so we find ourselves struggling desperately to look away from what we know is happening.  But it is possible to turn toward this ending, its mystery, and all the pain and beauty that adorn it.  

Inviting The Conversation is dedicated to supporting individuals who are approaching and/or planning for the end of their lives, and to empowering the families and organizations that support them.  We work to reduce the likelihood of destructive conflict at the end-of-life by assisting the invested parties in articulating their deepest concerns, and when requested, by facilitating dialogue or mediating between those parties.  ITC is dedicated to embracing diversity of ethnicity, history and spiritual path and makes every effort to incorporate, rather than maneuver around, these individual and family dynamics.  This work is a central passion of ITC's founder, Asher Wallis, who focused his Conflict Resolution Master's work on cultural and religious competence in end-of-life care.  He has presented his original model, developed with the help of the local community, to multiple organizations in the Portland area and continues to build on that foundation.   If you are in need of support in your current situation, please contact us for a free 20-minute consultation.

Wonder is part fascination, part ability to believe in things as they are, part willingness to be confused, even devastated at times, by the epic mysteriousness of ordinary things. -Stephen Jenkinson