Standing The Watch: The Greatest Gift was awarded First Place in the 2008 ReaderViews.com

Big River Press proudly announces
Standing The Watch: The Greatest Gift was awarded
First Place in the 2008 ReaderViews.com
Reviewers Choice Awards
RV_Awards2009
Memoir/Autobiography Category
Standing The Watch: The Greatest Gift
R. J. Brown
Big River Press (2008)
ISBN 9780979874437
Reviewed by Danelle Drake for Reader Views (10/08)
Standing the Watch by R. J. Brown

I will start by saying that this is one of the most beautiful books I have ever read. The writing brought me to tears with the loving way this leaving was embraced. As with many touchy subjects; death is not often discussed until it is upon us.
As written in Standing The Watch, "There's something about caring for our parents in their last days that's more spiritual than all the religious words any holy man could say. More rewarding than the fruits of any other work." This simple phrasing says it all. David and RJ Brown dedicate their lives to allowing his father, Lincoln, die at home with honor and peace.
Upon his death, RJ writes; "We quietly speak to Poppa's Spirit as we take care, for the final time, of his earthly remains and I sing songs for his departure, while Buddy-dog sleeps beneath the bed. David turns off the heater, opens the door so Poppa's Spirit is free to leave and lets in cool, clean, moist air."
Not only is Standing The Watch somewhat of a guide to home death with many informative, educational pages at the end for those who will be embarking on the journey, it is filled with compassion for those caring for loved ones regardless of their location. I highly recommend this loving book as I feel those who read it will grow as a person and open their eyes to all of the beauty that surrounds us.

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R. J. Brown
Publisher
Big River Press
Author & Essayist

VITAL INFORMATION:
TITLE: Standing The Watch: The Greatest Gift
AUTHOR: R. J. BROWN
PUBLISHER: BIG RIVER PRESS
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Watch for The Dead Husband by R. J. Brown. A Sally Sees Cozy Mystery. Cleaning up dead husbands is not in SALLY COLLIER's job description so when she finds one half-buried at the bottom of his garden, her Monday morning schedule gets seriously derailed.


A warm-hearted, down–to–earth memoir of children honoring a parent's choice to die at home.

Are you facing the death of your parents?

Rebecca Brown has been there, done that. Standing The Watch is the story of her journey and will help you face your future.

“Love It! Love It! What a wonderful tribute and I wasn’t at all offended!” May Tracer, email friend.

Does the idea of dying worry you?

"Standing The Watch is truly wonderful, evoking images and feelings that are visceral and real. I have attended a number of home deaths, your book will be a great help to people who are afraid. There is so much goodness there. Many, many people will cherish your book." C. J. Macgenn, author of A One-Legged Cricket.

Are you undecided about taking care of your dying loved-one?

"Whether you intend to care for a loved-one as they die and are looking for comfort, wisdom and help, or whether you doubt that you will ever be at the bedside of a dying person, there is much to gain from Rebecca Brown's book." Lynn Lott, author of Do-It-Yourself Therapy.


4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars a chance to do it right, July 25, 2002
By Rebecca Brown "rebeccasreads" (Clallam Bay, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
STANDING THE WATCH grew out of the logs I had to keep for the State & the home health nurses, emails with my friends who gathered around me, & essays & memories of when I took care of my beloved father-in-law in the last years of his long-lived life.

You know how death can be a conversation-stopper! It came into my adopted family's home in London, England, when I was 15, & my father died after a long illness, at home in his bed. While my mother told me I was too young to participate, I thought much about dying & death. I learnt it was a taboo subject, as if dying was like getting an F in life.

In the early 1990s on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State, I married a man who had promised his father that he would take care of him for the rest of his life. As we homesteaded in the rainforest, I felt I was being given a second chance at both having a father in my life again, & being gifted with participating in Standing The Watch for a loved-one.

STANDING THE WATCH takes you gently into my world as my elder lies dying. You will read about my fears & joys, anger & affection, as well as precious funny moments. Day by day, memory after memory, you will be at my side during one of the most difficult & thrilling times in the life of a family.

"Soon more people will have matured into eldership than ever before. No matter our ethnic roots, our age will make us a majority. No one gets out of life alive, so how then will we choose to die?"

I have written STANDING THE WATCH as if you have come to tea to listen to the memories of Poppa's enjoyment of living in a cabin he helped build, relish his companion Buddy-dog, & enjoy his golden years until he begins to experience dramatic & painful "heartburn" episodes.

If you are facing the death of your parents, or a loved-one. If you are undecided about taking care of them. If the idea of dying worries you - then reading STANDING THE WATCH will give you some comfort & some idea of what you will face in the future. It will answer many of your questions about death, dying and what a home death is like.

While STANDING THE WATCH is about Poppa's final thirteen days, it is also my tribute to all parents. I hope it brings you tears, laughter & comfort when your time comes to step forward & Stand The Watch for your parents.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Great story of a deathing experience, August 23, 2002
By bjrburns (Port Townsend, Wa. United States) - See all my reviews
Helping a friend or loved one through their final transition is one of life's most rewarding treasures. As a hospice nurse I consider midwifing death a challenge with a payoff in unmeasurablly rich emotional & spiritual experiences.
Rebecca takes us on her journey thru her deathing gift to "Poppa" and lets us see the healing, the insights & the blessings a Home Death can be. She artfully weaves her history, Popa's story & current bedside happenings. The humor of willful equipment balances frustrations with the medical system and the clergy. The long hours keeping watch & the fearfulness of managing cardiac pain are authentically detailed from her journal.
This story is very timely with so many families taking on the challenge of a Home Death and Rebecca's articulate and folksy writing style make for a very readable and fascinating tale.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Standing The Watch- Memories of a home death, October 1, 2002
By Kate Holmes (Somewhere in the North Country) - See all my reviews
During a recent online search, I met Rebecca Brown, who offered me the opportunity to review Standing The Watch. I approached Standing The Watch with great interest, and was immediately drawn to this tiny family, a husband and wife, and his elderly father, sharing a piece of land with a dog who is more like a family member than a pet. This wife is Rebecca Brown, and these are her memories.

As we accompany Lincoln Brown in his journey through the Shadow of Death, his daughter-in-law shares the wisdom gained from the experience of Standing The Watch for her much loved Elder. A vivid sense of humour is evident in the liberally scattered and light-hearted ancedotes. This is surely a tribute to a tradition that is sadly lacking in much of our modern day society.

The author is as honest in her assessment of the professionals in modern society as she is fiercely tender in her regards toward her much loved Poppa, her husband David Brown, and the supportive online friends who stuck with both her and her husband through this troublesome and exhausting time.

I was able to look back upon sitting with my own elder and sharing with her this part of her journey. I was blessed to know that she left with no remorse, or regret.

"By attending death with the same seriousness as birth we learn how to die. We gather around to welcome new life, yet disappear when a loved-one signals it's time to die. This is why you must make space in your schedule for writing Standing The Watch", said one of the women in her support system. What a gift we have received, and what a lesson we can take from the experience of Rebecca Brown and her husband.

Standing The Watch is a compelling endorsement for home death, as well as a lesson in the social, financial and psychological impact of death, providing a list of books that deal with many of life's more difficult issues including grief. A short, but fascinating eulogy pays tribute to the life of this most endearing man who's epitaph reads, HERE LIES A GOOD MAN.

SOURCE: BigRiverPress.com, P.O.Box 371, Clallam Bay, WA 98326