I lost Mom last April. After receiving the call that she was struggling, I hopped on a plane without packing. I stayed in the hospital with her. My brothers, sister, niece, and nephew--we occupied every available surface--and took turns laying beside her in the bed. And when we understood she wasn't going to get better, we took her home to die. We sang to her, and told her stories, though she already seemed to be on her journey. She only stayed with us another day. Because I