Thanks so much for sharing this, Kat: The timing was beautiful. I just wrote an e-mail to my two sons, telling them about a conversation I had with my Mother this afternoon. Mom is "Packing up, getting ready to go." She turned 99 on June 5th, and Ruth and I were there to celebrate with her and the rest of the family. Even though she had lost a lot of strength in the last year, she managed to muster enough to enjoy two birthday parties, a concert I did for the residents, going for a beloved ride in the country and going out to eat with old friends. Since then, she has been slip-sliding away.
She spends most of her time sleeping now, and is very weak.

When I asked her how she was doing she said, "I'm just turning the pages now, and each one is a good one."

She will leave this earth the way she walked it for so many years: in faith and love.

Jerry