Tapestry from CBC Radio

In this finale episode of Tapestry, Mary Hynes and co-host Chris Howden send off the show in style with some of our favourite interview moments, well wishes from past guests, and emotional calls from listeners — all in front of a live studio audience.

For Tapestry's penultimate episode, we peek behind the curtain. Tapestry producers Rosie Fernandez, Arman Aghbali, and McKenna Hadley-Burke take the hosting reins to share what the show has meant to them, alongside three stories on unexpected gifts and goodbyes.

The Irish poet John O'Donohue is in a league of his own here at Tapestry — he stars in the single most requested episode we've ever broadcast. O'Donohue, an ex-priest, was also a beautiful writer, and a wildly eloquent partner in conversation. Talking to Mary Hynes in 2004, O'Donohue shares his poetry and soulful wisdom about what it means to live a good life and die a good death.

When he reached the peak of Snowmass Mountain, Fred Bryant made sure the moment lived with him forever. Bryant is a social psychologist and a leading expert on the science of savouring. Later, Shane Sinclair is the founder and director of the Compassion Research Lab at the University of Calgary. He is putting compassion under the microscope to understand how healthcare workers can provide better experiences for their patients.

Writer, artist and priest Malcolm Doney has been tackling life's biggest questions about love, loss, meaning and purpose. Together with co-author Martin Wroe, Doney wrote a guide to living in harmony with the unknown called Hold On, Let Go: How to Find Your Life.

Three stories on writing, music, and paying it forward. Plus, we have a big announcement.

What wisdom can ancient mythology bring to the debate over artificial intelligence? How Pandora's tale and the Golem of Prague tell us about the fear of the unknown, hubris, and the inanimate made animate.

Joon Park is a chaplain who doesn't fit the stereotype. Not only is he the religion guy on call after many years as an atheist, there's also the fact he uses Star Trek: The Next Generation, as a guide for being present with his patients. Park is part of the chaplaincy team at Tampa General Hospital. He says he still loses his faith from time to time — but it always seems to come back.

There are two topics that tend to send some people recoiling from a conversation: aging and death. We hear from people who are confronting both — and changing the way people think about the end of our lives.

Two musical experiences separated by half a century — each with a kind of power and a hold on fans that verges on the spiritual.

Would you sign up for 'The Monk Class?' Students take a vow of silence, abstain from drinking, and put away their phones. You'll meet a few students who did it — and the professor behind the course called “Living Deliberately: Monks, Saints, and the Contemplative Life.”

Learning to ride a bike at age 68 and learning Punjabi — some of the ways people are trying to connect with each other and to a new place. Later, anthropologist Girish Daswani explores the notion that there may be benefits to not belonging.

Where do people turn to when they turn away from religion? Everything from skin care routines to dance parties with theologian Tara Isabella Burton and DJ Bryce G. A look at how people are remixing their connections to religion – from self-care to music — with theologian Tara Isabella Burton and DJ Bryce G. Music in order: Sade - "Your Love Is King" Mac Dre - "Feelin' Myself" E-40 - "Tell Me When to Go" Keak Da Sneak - "Super Hyphy" Earth, Wind & Fire - "September" Anita Baker - "Giving You The Best That I Got" Patrice Rushen - "Forget Me Nots" Bryce G Remix featuring Fred Hammond - "This Is the Day" and E-40 - "Tell Me When to Go"

Two artists, Makoto Fujimura and Naoko Fukumaru, share about how repairing broken items with gold-dusted lacquer can help mend broken spirits.

Can you remember the last time you had a good cry? Pastor and author Benjamin Perry says it's probably been a while since many of us have let ourselves feel our feelings deeply enough to have a good sob. Perry is the author of Cry, Baby: Why Our Tears Matter and is a minister at Middle Church in New York City.

Writer Susan Cain explores the idea that longing and sorrow can make you more human and more whole. Cain is the author of Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole and Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking. Former Miss Canada Tara Teng spent years in the world of beauty pageants. But it wasn't until she left her religion that she began to repair her relationship with her body. Teng is an embodiment coach in Vancouver, and the author of Your Body is a Revolution: Healing Our Relationships With Our Bodies, Each Other, and the Earth.

Noise canceling headphones are only becoming more sophisticated, but media studies professor Mack Hagood is concerned about the consequences of picking and choosing which sounds we get to hear. Hagood is the author of Hush: Media and Sonic Self-Control. Even though he enjoys listening to podcasts and music on his headphones, he says they cut off the possibility of “sonic spontaneity.” “We've really become consumers of sound, rather than people who just simply experience the sounds around us,” he said. Brother Phap Huu is a buddhist monk who left his family in Mississauga, Ont. to study under Vietnamese peace activist and monk Thich Nhat Hanh. Huu tells us what drew him to make that fateful choice when he was only 13 years old.

Before Deanne Fitzpatrick discovered the art of rug-hooking, she had planned to become a therapist. These days her therapy comes from making things with her own two hands. Mark Farmer says we should drop the idea of a bucket list. He's planning something a little more humble to celebrate his days on earth. He calls it his Goodbye Tour.

MrBeast is the most popular YouTuber on the planet, who is making his reputation on viral acts of charity. But are his charitable acts really about giving, or are they about boosting his reputation while exploiting those in need? Tapestry spoke to three experts and a group of kids on what makes MrBeast so compelling, and why it's worth thinking more critically about him.

Ron Rolheiser grew up in Cactus Lake, Saskatchewan, on the family farm. Ordained in 1972, he's spent many years since then teaching philosophy and theology and has become known as one of the most important voices in spirituality today. Ron Rolheiser is a faculty member - and former president - at the Oblate School of Theology, in San Antonio Texas. Rolheiser has a new book, Ron Rolheiser: Essential Spiritual Writings, and he spoke to Tapestry host Mary Hynes about discussing the spiritual with the secular. And what it means to move beyond the supposed sophistication of atheism.

John Francis Leader is a psychologist and cognitive scientist at University College Dublin. He's the director of the Mixed Reality Therapy research project where they use virtual reality as a therapeutic tool with their patients. Leader describes the approach as “theme park meets therapy.” Fay Nugent had a serious fear of heights for years. The simple act of getting on an escalator was terrifying. Nugent heard about a clinical trial for virtual reality therapy at Oxford University and gave it a try. Could a four hour virtual reality session really ease her fears and change her life?

Anis Mojgani is the poet laureate of Oregon and the creator of the Tele-poem Hotline, a phone line that through April, delivered a new poem each day through the phone lines. Anis and several Canadian poet laureates discuss that feeling of receiving and finding poetry in the real world — and what we lose when we ignore poetry.

Until now, a lot of forays into genderless fashion have been subdued and shapeless, featuring neutral colours and boxy silhouettes. The author and activist behind the #DeGenderFashion movement says a truly gender-fluid approach to dressing could allow room for a much more expressive wardrobe.

It's one of the most beguiling and mysterious objects in all of human storytelling, and it has been inspiring people for centuries. But if you come across the words "Holy Grail" today, chances are someone's been shopping. But it can mean so much more. Later we hear from the NakedPastor.

As we near the end of Ramadan, Tapestry gets a glimpse into an important experience during one of Islam's holiest months: watching television. Ahmad Hayat, an assistant professor of Journalism and Electronic Media at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, says watching television is a common leisure activity after iftar — the fast-breaking meal after sunset. Later, Tapestry's Sameer Chhabra visits a mosque in Toronto to talk about fasting survival tips. And we revisit a conversation with writer Abdullah Shihipar on the popularity of the word "inshallah," meaning “God-willing.” CBC Ottawa's Halima Sogbesan shares the story of one woman's experience of memorizing the Qur'an.

Whenever that feeling of uncertainty about the life we've created creeps in, it can be easy to try to solve it with quick fixes like getting a new haircut, ending a relationship, finding a new job, or moving to a new city. But what if those uncomfortable periods are actually an opportunity? Casey Tygrett, author of The Gift of Restlessness: A Spirituality for Unsettled Seasons, has been examining the very human state of being restless. He says that, although it can be intensely uncomfortable, it can also be a kind of gift.

Tricia Hersey thinks grind culture is an assault on your basic humanity. Hersey, also known as The Nap Bishop, is the author of the book Rest is Resistance: A Manifesto. She says resting is a deeply spiritual act. You might find Oorbee Roy wearing a sari when she heads over to her local skate park in Toronto. The 48-year-old mother of two shares how she picked up skateboarding — and why she's not putting her board down any time soon.

Why are people still drawn to paper planners in such a digital age? Rowena Sunga owns a stationery store in Toronto's west end and meets a lot of people who are looking for ways to tame the chaos of life by writing it all down. The calligrapher Salman Khattak shares why he believes the act of doing something with your hands is a profound human experience.

Andrew Jamieson had so much going for him: a loving family and a successful business. But when Andrew hit midlife, midlife hit back! He did get through it with the help of a lot of therapy. Now a therapist himself and the author of the book Midlife: Humanity's Secret Weapon, Andrew shares how the midlife crisis can be a kind of rebirth — a desperately needed stage in the evolution of the human being.

Wherever the word ‘parenting' is found, judgment and guilt and stress won't be far behind. Dorsa Amir is a development scientist and postdoctoral researcher at the UC Berkeley department of psychology. And as a parent herself, she's been offering what she calls “anti-advice” to parents - because someone has to say it: “You can ease up a little bit. You're doing fine!”

This year was the first time Ireland celebrated a national holiday dedicated to St. Brigit. Theologian Mary Condren says there is rich feminist symbolism in St. Brigit, whether you consider her a Celtic goddess or a Catholic Saint. Julian Munro is many things: a United Church member, a divinity student, a non-ordained Christian minister, and a drag clown known as King Julez. Munro says transitioning is a holy act and that drag has become one of their most profound spiritual practices.

Why is Lord of the Rings and fantasy novels so intriguing to conservatives and the far right? Journalist John Last has been researching the links between The Lord of the Rings and Italian fascist movements. He talks about how the Italian prime minister's love for Tolkien is interwoven with her politics.

The psychologist Monnica Williams co-created a series of graduate courses in Psychedelics and Spirituality Studies at the University of Ottawa. She has a special interest in the use of psychedelics to heal racial trauma. As an only child, Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff figured that having a big group of friends was the way to feel fulfilled in life. When she finally found herself in a large friend group she was surprised by what it was really like.

Psychology professor and Denmark native Marie Helweg-Larsen shares how Danish words can encourage better living by helping us settle, set boundaries, create community, and tune into shared moments. Sometimes we need more than words during really difficult periods of life. Katie Thornton shares the history of European funerary fashion — and how death rituals can help us move through grief.

Astrophysicist and Jesuit priest Adam Hincks shares the value he's found in studying both the Bible and the Big Bang.

The word ‘psyche' comes from the Greek and Latin, meaning soul or spirit — so why is any talk of ‘the soul' so absent from modern-day psychology and psychiatry? Psychologist David Rosmarin shares how and why he's trying to bring spirituality back into his profession. Michelle Huang shares an unconventional method for advancing her own mental health and inner child work — with a little help from an AI chatbot and her childhood journal entries.

The scholar of religion Karen Armstrong says rational thinking has brought all kinds of wondrous things to the world. But when the scientific worldview began to take over in philosophy and spirituality, something vital was lost — the sense of wonder.

Maybe you've used the phrase yourself: "It's purely platonic." Plato would not be impressed. The word he lent his name to was supposed to mean a love so powerful it transcends the physical. Marisa G. Franco is a psychologist, and a professor at the University of Maryland. She is the author of the book Platonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make – and Keep – Friends. Something is happening to men that's leading them to have fewer friends than women. Producer Arman Aghbali looked into two recent books examining friendship among men: Hua Hsu is the author of Stay True. Michael Pedersen is the author of Boy Friends.

In the last few decades, cities across North America have lost many of their beloved third places — spaces outside the home or work where people can go to find community. But this isn't happening because people don't want to hang out anymore. Nathan Allebach says this problem has a lot to do with how we build our cities and who profits from our public spaces.

Footage from Iran shows girls and women removing their hijabs in protest. But when the videos end up on Tiktok some of the complexity around the veil is going to get lost. Tapestry spoke with Homa Hoodfar, on the meanings of the veil in Iran and Islam.  Peak into our voicemail as we hear from Iranians across Canada on their hopes and fears. Kiana Karimi speaks about what it means to discipline your hope so it'll be there for you when you need it most. 

Author and meditation teacher Jon Kabat-Zinn shares the value of staying in the here and now and making peace with paying attention.

A German town's Passion Play is back on to fulfill a holy promise. Max Miller, host and creator of the YouTube channel Tasting History, brings the past into the present by recreating historic dishes.