Meredith, I was really moved by this post, too, in a very personal way. I loved it right away when you sent it to me on Wednesday. But last night, when I was talking to my mom on the phone, she told me that they've decided to start hospice care for my grandma (her mom). As you can imagine, by the time I was getting your post formatted and published this morning, it had taken on a very different meaning. I'm so glad you followed your instincts and decided to write about this. What we love and what brings us joy can't be isolated from what saddens us, if we really want to understand either end of the spectrum.