On Living

As a hospice chaplain, Kerry Egan found that the dying rarely want to talk about God, at least not overtly. Rather than talk, she listened to their stories -- stories of hope and regret, shame and pride, loyalty and betrayal and secrets held too long. Most of all, she listened as they talked about love--love they gave unconditionally, love they didn't know how to offer or wished they'd received, love they belatedly learned to grant themselves. With each story, she was graced with the chance to witness firsthand what she calls the "spiritual work of dying" -- the work of finding or making meaning of one's life. On Living isn't a book about dying. It's a book about living, about making whole the brokenness we all share, by finding courage in the face of fear, the strength to make amends, compassion. In this profound, moving, and beautiful book, Egan passes along all precious and necessary gifts.