The USA Today–bestselling author delivers a poignant historical romance of a desperate woman, a lonely cowboy, and the never-ending search for hope. RT Book Reviews Reviewer’s Choice Award for Best Americana RITA Finalist for Best Short Historical Booklovers’ Award for Bestselling Americana Marrying Maddie Sherwood, a woman who works in a brothel in order to survive, widower Charles Lawson hopes to provide his three children with a loving mother—until his terminal illness causes him to arrange a match between Maddie and his brother. Praise for Lorraine Heath “Lorraine Heath’s books are always magic.” —Cathy Maxwell, New York Times–bestselling author “Heath is known for her beautiful, deeply emotional romances.” —The Washington Post “A powerful writer.” —Atlanta Journal & Constitution

On the day of her late husband's funeral, widow Kyra Latimer is confronted by a young woman claiming to be her long-lost daughter, given up for adoption twenty years earlier, who leaves her toddler son with his "grandmother" to raise among the eccentric members of Kyra's famous British theatrical family

Broken by their unorthodox Midwestern childhood, sisters Catherine, Anne, and Jessica Mathers search for love, acceptance, and worth—often in the most unlikely places. Catherine, the oldest of the Mathers sisters, is an English professor battling breast cancer with Cytoxan, red wine, and profanity. Anne is a wife and stay-at-home mother of two struggling to make ends meet in a suburban existence that both suffocates and confounds her. Jessica, the youngest by ten years and estranged—by choice—from her family, is an exotic dancer who feels safer on stage than in a relationship. But when the sisters are faced with an incomprehensible loss, they are forced to reevaluate themselves, their damaged bonds, and their fragile future. Parting Gifts illuminates one highly dysfunctional family’s tentative, desperate crawl toward a life of meaning and worth.

In this moving and compassionate classic—now updated with new material from the authors—hospice nurses Maggie Callanan and Patricia Kelley share their intimate experiences with patients at the end of life, drawn from more than twenty years’ experience tending the terminally ill. Through their stories we come to appreciate the near-miraculous ways in which the dying communicate their needs, reveal their feelings, and even choreograph their own final moments; we also discover the gifts—of wisdom, faith, and love—that the dying leave for the living to share. Filled with practical advice on responding to the requests of the dying and helping them prepare emotionally and spiritually for death, Final Gifts shows how we can help the dying person live fully to the very end.

A boy asks others how they felt when his grandfather died and then shares his own feelings.

At times we may be called to be companions on a journey we would rather not take--the journey of a loved one toward the end of life. For those who choose to serve as close companions of terminally ill relatives or friends, Parting offers the collective wisdom of people from many cultures and faith traditions as a "travel guide" for meaningful companionship--helping someone toward a peaceful transition from this life. Sections of the book discuss how to cross the bridge from ordinary conversation to spiritual reflection; how to provide comforts for the body, mind, and soul; and how to care for yourself while concentrating on the needs of another. Transcending any specific religion or culture, this handbook addresses universal spiritual needs. Designed for easy reading by weary travelers, this practical, pocket-sized guide prepares the spiritual companion for an enriching experience, even on the journey toward life's end. It is an indispensable tool for family members and friends, hospice workers, religious leaders, counselors, and medical providers.

A last gift of? Poem maybe but not really the time for right? Abstract, concrete, maybe personal, maybe an interrogation of things as they are towards an undetermined ending. Drawing to a conclusion, thanks for participating, these are your gifts.