In this episode, I speak with another unexpected guide along my journey of loss. Doug Schoenfelder was my parents’ handyman. A carpenter by trade, Doug is a jack-of-all-trades “yes-man,” who always showed up when my parents asked for help, and then when I did too. I first met Doug while my father was dying and then Doug became my handyman.

In this conversation, he shares about his background, working with my parents, and confides in me his own feelings of loss after they died. Doug demonstrates for me what being a part of humanity is. He helps me realize that I am not the only one who lost my loved ones, and reminds me that there are so many people who constitute family.

The Once and Future Carpenter, written by Timothy Seth Avett, Scott Avett and Robert William Jr. Crawford, is included with permission from The Avett Brothers.

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Cultivate Being™ is created and hosted by Amelia Chiarenza in collaboration with audio producer, Theo Balcomb.