Talia doesn't wake up on an otherwise ordinary Thursday morning in late autumn.
I find her still and peaceful, considerable serenity evident throughout her expression despite the profound weight of this moment settling over me immediately upon realization.
Dr. Patel arrives within the hour, confirming what I already understood the instant I saw her.
"She passed peacefully in her sleep," Dr. Patel tells me gently, genuine compassion evident despite decades of professional composure throughout similar difficult moments. "No pain, no struggle. Simply, quietly, she was ready."
I sit beside her for considerable time before calling anyone else, decades of partnership creating profound need for private grief before sharing this devastating news throughout our extended family.
"Ninety-two yea
