In Lessons for the Living: Stories of Forgiveness, Gratitude, and Courage at the End of Life (Trumpeter, June 2009) professor emeritus Stan Goldberg, PhD, is diagnosed with prostate cancer. He turns to support groups and books, but doesn’t find anything that speaks to him. For reasons unclear to him at the time, he decides to become a bedside hospice volunteer.

Goldberg’s experiences volunteering are surprising, challenging, occasionally funny, and always humbling. These are not stories of sadness and despair; these patients’ tales shine a light on our capacity for beauty, insight, gratitude, and connection. With simple acts of kindness, Goldberg gains a new perspective on living with love and compassion for others. He learns not only to speak directly from his heart, but also how to be fully present for other people. In his remarkable book, Goldberg gives voice to the voiceless and shares not lessons for dying, but lessons on how to live.

Stan Goldberg, PhD coaches individual and corporate clients in how to affect change. He is also Professor Emeritus in Communicative Disorders at San Francisco State University. He has authored six technical books in that field. He lives with his wife in the San Francisco Bay area. For more information, visit www.stangoldbergwriter.com.

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