I received a disturbing phone call last week just as I sat down to write the latest newsletter. An 85 year old woman in my extended family had suffered a stroke. She and I have known each other since the early 1980s, and have had an interdependent relationship for all these years — excluding a seven year break after I told her we never needed to speak again.

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Meanwhile, all the facts of life and all the caretaking that rise up in this situation immediately became apparent. I needed to be sure her cats, dog, garden and house were cared for. She and I talked about how to pay her bills. And then the choices ahead for her, including where to get physical therapy and what kind of help she might need when she goes home.

Read more in Stephen’s People.