Preface

It's never easy to say final goodbyes to someone you love. When it's both of your parents within a six week span, the emotional impact can seem overwhelming.

A River Called Forever was born amidst the wonder and grief I experienced from December 2002 through January 2003. It is written in brief chapters that mimic the way one's mind and emotions function at the deathbed of a loved one. There, as the memories of a lifetime skip ramdomly between time and events, one will become a five-year-old child again and an instant later, an adult immersed in the new reality of oxygen bottles and a ticking clock that marks eternity's threshold.

My story chronicles our family's personal journey through the hardships of aging and the daily issues life placed before us. It is about salvaging joy from tears and meaning from tragedy, while caring for those who once cared for us.

For you to glean anything from these pages, you must understand that we were as average as any family ever aspired to be. There were no famous uncles or spectacular events to hang our glory on. We inhabited a quiet little corner of North Carolina's coast and there, among the live oaks and pine thickets, we carved out our place of existence. In doing so, we learned some extraordinary lessons about life, love, and ultimately, death.

From those experiences this book took form. If you find something of yourself in here, my effort has been rewarded.