Memoir of “A Good Daughter”

All too often, we can get caught up in the tangles of reductionist thinking to simplify rushed clinical settings. Conversations with family members might be focused on accomplishing our necessary goals: pain management of their loved ones, advance directives, the shift to focus on comfort, sharing probabilities about the success of further interventions, and so forth. And although all this is excellent practice, we may inadvertently miss the sacred moments in our patients' illnesses and dying. We may fail to notice the family members' angst or confusion over their own efforts to care for their loved ones. Carolyn Brown's poignant article, “Memoir of 'A Good Daughter',” about her journey with her parents' illnesses and dying, serves to illustrate what we professionals often miss. Dr. Brown, Director of the Office of Scholarly Programs at the Library of Congress, is familiar with scholarly work that sometimes misses passion to satisfy academic requirements. Our efforts to support the holistic basis of palliative care inspired her to share her story with us-a story of a family member walking the sacred journey with her loved ones.