When the time comes to tend to an aging parent, how do you manage to take care of yourself?
For Trudy, Lauren, Judith, and Nancy, the answer was found in each other.
After meeting at a writers' support group, the four women soon bonded over a common factor-they all had concerns about the health of their mothers, and topics of physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being grew to dominate their conversations.
For three years, the women documented every reflection they shared, in an attempt to find their ways through the complex maze of caring for their mothers during their final stages of life. From sibling relationships, to physical and emotional loss, to spiritual faith, no topic was left untouched and no emotion was left unfelt during these profound and difficult times.
The result is a shared memoir-a candid collection of essays meant to provide comfort, bolster confidence, and offer encouragement for those who find themselves in the unique position of caretaking for an ailing parent. Poignant, humorous, and raw, each chapter contains four essays from four very different perspectives, which together craft an honest and realistic view of the tough topic of end-of-life care.
About the Author: Trudy Bush has a PhD in English and lives in Columbus, Ohio. She currently works as an editor for The Christian Century.
Nancy Bauer-King, who lives in Racine, Wisconsin, is a published author, prize-winning essayist, and United Methodist clergywoman.
Judith Christopher is a United Methodist clergywoman, a published author, and a Reiki Master. She currently lives in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Lauren DeVuyst is a published author living in Mesa, Arizona.
Together, these four women wrote a collective memoir about caring for their ailing mothers: What About Mother?
