My Favorite Thing Death doula Alua Arthur tells the story behind her favorite crystal.

My Favorite Thing Death doula Alua Arthur tells the story behind her favorite crystal.

  • Words John Clifford Burns
  • Photograph Kanya Iwana

This crystal belonged to my brother-in-law, Peter, who died from Burkitt’s lymphoma in 2013. My sister wasn’t yet ready to pack up all of his things or to get rid of them, so we just moved his belongings into storage briefly. About six months later, we went through them and I found a crystal at the bottom of a backpack that he’d probably used for traveling. Since I’m a traveler and have often traveled with only a backpack, I found it significant. I took the crystal and now I tuck it into my own backpack whenever I go traveling. 

I was in Sri Lanka on the day that a park bench, which was dedicated to him, was unveiled. While I couldn’t be with my family in New York for the unveiling of his bench, I put the crystal out on the windowsill all night long. I was able to feel like I was with...

ISSUE 54

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