They drove away from my dorm in LaCrosse that September morning, and Mom cried the entire way home. Dad comforted her as best he could, but she was inconsolable. It felt as though her baby was going away forever.

We drove from the hospital in Madison this afternoon, and I cried the entire way home. Dad comforted me as best he could, but I was inconsolable, and he joined me in my tears. It feels as though my momma is going away forever.

An ambulance is bringing Mom home tomorrow morning. Hospice is bringing by supplies tonight...setting up a hospital bed. She wants to be at home. She's faded quickly this week. The pain is etched in her face. She struggles just to move her arm. The pain is making her cranky, a complete deviance from her normal demeanor. The shift in personality is perhaps the hardest for me.

But, as I left, I lightly brushed her arm, and said my goodbye. She opened those beautiful hazel eyes and smiled so sweetly...and I just wanted to cradle her and protect her from the world. I want to save her from the end, but ah...I'm meeting with the brick wall of my finite power.