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"When my father was dying, I took joy in holding his water for him. He drank it through a straw. I would hold the straw lightly, guided by his eyes and head nods to get it into his mouth exactly as he liked it, then he&amp;#039;d look up at me again and tell me with his speaking eyes and nod when he had had enough. I felt privileged to do this. It was so simple, yet so concrete. Nourishing and necessary. It was lovely, silent communication. A look straight in the eye and trust. Recently, Mom&amp;#039;s needed help with her water bottle, and I am happy to do it. It feels familiar, bringing me right back to Dad, right there, right in his bed beside hers. Mom&amp;#039;s gestures are just the same; the eyes the nod, the guiding. What an intimate moment this is; as bonding as baby and bottle. It is possible to see an entire lifespan in the nod at the end of a straw. D.G. Fulford is the author of Designated Daughter: The Bonus Years with Mom, written with her mother Phyllis Greene. She is also the co-founder of TheRememberingSite.org. You can find her at DGFulford.com. Photo credit: Marcia Smilack "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.womansday.com/life/a45826/the-nod-at-the-end-of-the-straw-853/>