I actually witnessed firsthand the extraordinary care Barbara Brown gave her daughter Andi at her home, those final months of Andi's life. I watched as Barbara changed the feeding tubes or tried to cook the sweet potatoes just right while juggling insurance companies or arranging for Hospice. As for Phil Authier, I am among the many who have received care from him simply by sitting next to him at dinner or in a personal conversation anywhere. I, like many, never dreamed Phil would need care. We just come to expect God or the universe to care for these special angels.

So, for this Caring Issue, part II, I am sharing a book, which was a gift to me by a colleague and friend, Carol Ann Cavouras. Carol and I met up in Seattle, at Alaska Airline's Boardroom. It was one of those treasured meetings where friendship provides caring in the most unexpected places. Carol Ann had just finished reading Christina Baldwin's the Seven Whispers. She was so moved by the book that she gave it to me: Betty, a gift to you, 5-9-06, Carol Ann. At the time, I thought it was a good book, and had previously enjoyed Christina Baldwin's Calling the Circle. But I was not certain what I was to do with this earlier book by Christina. Now I know. As the author notes on the cover, the Seven Whispers is "a spiritual practice for times like these."