Foreword 9
Preface 12
Acknowledgments 13

Part One
1 Forebodings • 17
2 Speaking the Truth • 22
3 Starting a New Life Together • 28
4 Speaking the Truth to the Families • 35
5 The Battle for Ray’s Body • 39
6 The Long Watch • 45
7 The Unfinished Lives • 51

Part Two
8 Setting the Stage • 55
9 The Early Years—Ray • 57
10 The Early Years—Ann • 60
11 Adolescence to Young Adulthood—Ann • 68
12 Attraction, Marriage, and Early Career Goals • 74
13 Ten Years of Transition • 80
14. Heartaches and Arrangements • 91
15. My College and Career • 97

Part Three
16. Farewell Rituals • 109
17. The Comfort of Community • 116
18. Heart-Wrenching Grief • 120
19. A Gracious Interlude • 129
20. Complicated Grieving • 133

Part Four
21. A Search to Understand • 141
22. The Imperative to Embrace • 149
23. Going Outside the Gate • 154
24. The Power of Fear and the Power of Compassion • 163
25. A Vision Is Born • 168
26. The Legacy I Received • 182
27. Gratitude and Blessing • 189

Notes 194
The Author 195