In this expanded second edition of STANDING THE WATCH: The Greatest Gift, R. J. Brown weaves excerpts from the medical log she had to keep for the State with memories, e-mails, essays & useful lists, as she stands The Watch for her beloved Poppa's final days.
At 89 years of age, Lincoln Brown, in a Seattle hospital is told by his doctor that he has only three months left to live. Lincoln reminds his son that he promised not to let him die there, so they drive the six hours home across the Olympic Peninsula into the rainforest where Lincoln's cabin & his beloved Buddy-dog await. There, in his son & daughter-in-law's care, together with a home health agency crew, Lincoln prepares to die in his own bed, watching Blue Jays & Chipmunks feed on the picnic table outside his window.
As we Baby-Boomers begin taking care of our aging parents we're faced with the last big question: How shall we leave this world? Standing The Watch at a home death is no walk in the park of peace & harmony, it can be frightening, time-consuming, worrying, stressful, unpleasant & tedious. It is also fertile ground for courage, discipline, stamina, spirituality, compassion, loyalty, humor & love.
So who has the time to waste waiting for someone to die? There's nothing money can buy that gives more comfort. Nothing anyone can do or make other than give of their presence and time to bid you bon voyage. For in the meditation of Standing The Watch, you are in the pulse of life, totally present in the here and now, giving unconditional support. One moment we breathe, & the next we're gone.
And the greatest gift? It goes both ways: you giving of your strength and caring, with the understanding that this time it isn't about you, while your parents, for the last time, give you this once-in-a-lifetime experience.
If you've decided to care for your parents in their final days, this memoir offers answers to your questions & comfort for your worries.
Praise for STANDING THE WATCH: The Greatest Gift
Midwest Book Review
"A profound testimony and tribute filled with grief, love and courage while narrating a terrible trial. Standing The Watch is very highly recommended reading for anyone charged with the caring for a terminally ill parent."
Ruth Raven, Hospice Nurse, Olympic Peninsula "Standing The Watch is very timely with so many families taking on the challenge of a Home Death. R. J. Brown's articulate and folksy writing style makes for a very readable and fascinating tale."
Dr. Alma Halbert Bond, retired psychotherapist & author of 11 books "Standing The Watch is a page turner, beautifully written & heart warming. One might wonder how a book about death & dying could be heart warming, but it is. R. J. Brown writes clearly, simply, & movingly, & never fails to hold the reader's interest. I cannot imagine that there is anyone who would not deepen & evolve on reading Standing The Watch."
C. Lynwood Sawyer, co-author of An Uncertain Currency "I have a genuine affection for Standing The Watch. It addresses a very important topic that Americans evade at every opportunity. Not only is it strikingly vivid, the book ultimately feels very necessary."
