With the invaluable assistance of the devoted Denise
Roy, I am putting the finishing touches on a book about death and dying,
specifically my Mother’s death and the last two years of my Father’s life. It
sounds positively dreadful when stated this way, but it really isn’t. It’s just
the story of a family trying desperately to honor their parents amidst great
loss and the often humiliating experience of caring for a dying Father. Most of
the “story” is simply my unfiltered response to it all as it was happening…on
this blog.
Compiling it all has meant living it over again in
slow motion. As I have read and reread each post I have felt it all again, the
frustration, the sadness, the anger and even the pride that comes with the
realization of just how noble and dignified it all was, despite many missteps.
I’m hoping to have it all done and ready by
Christmas. I will self-publish. There will be a physical paperback version in
limited quantities, but mostly it will be a digital book available in e-book
form.
Mostly, this project is intended as a tribute to my
parents and my brother, sisters, nieces and nephews and a wide assortment of
friends who were instrumental in insuring that my Dad’s final year was filled
with dignity instead of despair. Also, the thought occurred to me that the
record of our experiences might be of value to someone out there who might be
going through the same journey.
There is still much
to do. For one thing, I need to come up with a title, cover art…those sorts of
things. Writing is the easy part, everything else is a mine field.
No comments:
Post a Comment