We Generally Don't Want to Think About It...

"My heart ached with sadness as I felt my soul floundering in the universe. She was right in front of me, but I missed her so much already."

You may not yet have experienced the process of losing a parent but may be trying to prepare for it. You may be going through it right now or already be dealing with the loss. The hard reality is nothing can truly prepare us for what is a nearly universal experience. You will most likely outlive your parents and you will have to deal with the grief and difficulty of that loss. You know of course that such a loss is inevitable, we are after all human and not immortal, but coping with it and second-guessing the choices you made and what you did with the time you had are all the things you don't normally consider or talk about until after you experience such a loss.

Didi—The Life and Death of a Hidden Artist is a true story written to tell you about my mother’s last ten days on earth. It is my effort to both deal with my own grief through the outlet of writing and to help others cope with the same. My hope is that sharing Mom's story can provide a perspective that may not have been heard before.

It can happen fast. In my story on day one, she was visiting the hospital for testing, by day four I found her on a ventilator, and finally on day ten I was saying goodbye to her in hospice. Each day was something new that I thought I was prepared for, only to find out afterwards that I could not have possibly been ready. This book is not designed to give you answers, but does prompt you to consider asking your own questions before you only have ten days.

It is my sincere hope this will help your parents, kids or any loved one prepare for this very unpredictable, yet inevitable event by taking an hour of your time reading to learn from my path.

A lover of all things art and nature my entire life, Didi created the artwork I have used to illustrate this book and help her tell her own story.

Welcome to a book of my mom, Didi as the grandkids called her.