LETTING GO WITH GRACE: How Swedish death cleaning can bring you joy.
Decluttering and organizing your belongings is a gift to your loved ones and yourself
| Date: | Tuesday, April 30 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. |
| Cost: | Free; registration required. |
| Location: | Fellowship Hall |
| Instructors: | Mandy Thomas* |
The term "death cleaning" has a morbid connotation to traditionally American ears, but it is a powerful concept that helps people process their stuff and make their life run more smoothly.
Speaking from both personal and professional experience, Mandy will share how the Swedish concept of "döstädning", introduced by Margareta Magnusson in her book The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning in 2018, can help you lead a lighter, more joyful, and more purposeful life.
The basic idea is to declutter and organize your belongings now so that your loved ones won't have to when you're gone. While that may feel like end-of-life planning, it really is about living a more intentional and fulfilling life today by making choices that align with your values and priorities. This makes your daily life easier and more manageable, which in turn helps craft your legacy.
*Mandy Thomas is founder, owner, and master organizer of RETHINK organization LLC, a professional residential, photo, and digital organizing business based here in the South Hills. Mandy began her corporate career in the energy industry, working in data and information management for many years. She was drawn to data storage and software and developed a passion for the orderliness and coordination of project management. Mandy earned a masters degree in project management in 2014. In 2020, she pursued her dream to share her organizing passion with others.
NOTORIOUS PITTSBURGH
Step into the dark alleyways, back rooms, and even board rooms with author Christoper Whitlatch as he recounts Pittsburgh's seedier past.
| Date: | Tuesday, June 25 |
| Time: | 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. |
| Cost: | Free; registration required. |
| Location: | Fellowship Hall |
| Presenter/Author: | Christopher Whitlatch |
Join author Christopher Whitlatch as he shares stores from his book, Notorious Pittsburgh.
Hopes have been crushed. Fortunes gained. Lives celebrated while others were snuffed out too soon. In the shadows, where corners are cut, and ambition unchecked – that is where the notorious stories live. Step into the 
dark alleyways, back rooms and even board rooms with Christopher as he recounts Pittsburgh’s seedier past. Stories include Pittsburgh’s first bank robbery, a famous jailbreak, as well as several stories from Pittsburgh’s former red-light district and the prohibition era.
Chris Whitlatch is an author, game creator, and nonprofit marketer, but he likes to be best known as a storyteller. For the past several years, he hosted two walking tours in downtown Pittsburgh, telling stories of Pittsburgh’s Notorious past. He collected those stories as well as several more of his favorites into this book. He has a journalism degree from New York University but grew up in Southwestern Pennsylvania and returned to the area in 2000.
