Title: Dad Died, Then Mom
Author: Malia Arries
Genre: Memoir
Book Blurb:
Malia, along with her siblings, Bill, Marvel, Franchion, and Shonnie, came face-to-face with the inevitable. Their parents were dying. They came together and worked as a team because it was about what was best for their dad and then their mom. They guide you through something you do not want to experience - until you come to realize it can be the experience of a lifetime. Malia is not a nurse, a doctor, nor a psychologist. She is a family caregiver who is writing to you as a family caregiver. Because you are looking for a deep and hands-on realization of what you or someone you know might be going through, or will be going through, you may feel better able to connect with her. Offering insight to prepare and help you, she shares her family's heartwarming journey so you might also choose to experience this truly extraordinary time of life with your loved one, or to compare your experience... or perhaps you have received a terminal diagnosis and wonder what it might be like during your last few months of life.
Excerpt:
Franchion asked Mom if she’d had any dreams the previous night. Mom responded by saying she “wasn’t sure.” However, when Franchion asked her if she had seen Virginia [who had died five years earlier], Mom’s eyes lit up, and she exclaimed, “Yes!” Franchion wrote: “[She] kept repeating “Virginia!” and reaching her hand out. I asked her if she had touched her, and she said yes. I asked her if she had seen anyone else (Grandpa and Grandma or Dad), said no. I clarified again if she had seen and talked with and touched Virginia, her sister, and she said yes.”
Marvel was with Mom when she talked about Virginia again. Marvel wrote what Mom added about the visit: “She was about fifty years old and sat on [the] loveseat with Mom. She had a purse with her.” Shonnie’s comment after reading that, “Wow, Aunt Ginny travels pretty light!”
Mom was somewhat awake that afternoon. She could see me and say my name. She smiled a bit when she tried to tell me about a “light.” She said, “I’m so tired.” I took off her glasses because she wanted them off. However, when I reached to remove her hearing aids, she stopped me and said, “I want to hear them when they come.”
I heard her say something about “expecting.” Mom kept repeating, “Expecting.” I asked her if she was expecting someone; she said no. I asked her if someone was expecting her; she said yes. Then Mom surprised me with how quickly her focus changed. I watched her eyes clearly follow something move across the living room floor. She couldn’t tell me who or what it was. By 8:15, I noticed her eyes open again. She looked at me and said, “I’m trying to figure something out.” But Mom couldn’t tell me what.
It was 10:15 when Mom’s eyes were open but unfocused. She said “daughter” in such a way as to be making an introduction. Was Mom introducing me to someone? Astonishingly Mom then raised her left hand high and slightly to the left. She smiled, looked at me, and said, “Oh, I guess I can’t open the curtain.” She lowered her hand. An hour later, Mom said, “I can’t wait ‘til everything is quiet.” Mom’s attention quickly switched back to something (the curtain?). She said, “Every once in a while, I get a view.” She couldn’t tell me of what.
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B4637N1K
Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/3HPSELr
What makes your featured book a must-read?
“Malia did the last thing most people would consider doing at the time of her father's passing on; she created a journal and with the cooperation of her siblings recorded the final days of her father and then those of her mother when she too passed on. . . . She tells her story in an immersive manner so that I felt like I was with this unique family. . . . This is one book everyone should read.” ~ Readers' Favorite
Giveaway –
Enter to win a $15 Amazon gift card:
Open Internationally. You must have a valid Amazon US or Amazon Canada account to win. Runs May 9 – May 16, 2023. Winner will be drawn on May 17, 2023.
Author Biography:
I’m Malia and I am a wife, a mom to two dogs, and the author of Dad Died, Then Mom.
Family, friends, dogs, and dancing, are what I live for (and eating vanilla ice cream cones once-in-a-while).
During a usual day, I’m likely to be at my computer, throwing a ball for my dog, relaxing on our outdoor swing, or watching a movie. I am pretty much retired, but continue to teach a few ballroom and Latin dance classes; I practice patterns often so I won’t forget them – well, at least the ones I can still remember.
Darrell Shelby (husband), Arries (Labrador), Shelby (Border Collie/Labrador), and I live full-time in our vintage Prevost bus. Everything we own is in our “grand old lady” or in the Jeep we tow. Spending summers near Minocqua, WI and winters near Pahrump, NV takes us from lush woods and lakes to barren deserts and mountains. We love them both!
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