Our dear friend, Ed, passed away, just a bit before 3 o'clock this morning (7/8/09). He'd had a rough time yesterday evening -- cancer was causing extreme pain and vomiting. Hospice nurse prescribed extra morphine, to give him some more relief, and compazine to quell the vomiting, but his reaction to them seemed not very good. Ed was very weak, so nurse advised that I keep him in the comfy chair in the living room, instead of trying to get him to bed (noting the danger of his falling, if he tried to stand up and move...) Nurse left, around 11:30 P.M., reassuring me that, even though his vital signs were low, he would be OK. I sat in chair next to Ed, ready to mop his brow or give him a sip of water --whatever he needed-- until he quieted down, around one o'clock in the morning; then I stretched out on the couch, a few feet away from him, grabbing a pillow and blanket for myself. I must have dozed off, for a while; but I was awakened by a sound from Ed --sounded as if he was taking a sip or two of water. I jumped up and greeted him, but he did not reply. Moonlight was streaming in through the windows, lighting the room a little... but it wasn't until I turned on the light-switch that I could see that Ed was immobile in the chair. He had no pulse or heartbeat. I grabbed the 'phone to call hospice, with one hand, and started rubbing Ed's chest with the other hand. Hospice nurse arrived again, within 15 minutes, and confirmed the worst... Ed was gone. He had been trying to tell all of us that he would be leaving soon, but we hadn't wanted to believe it --hadn't wanted to let him go. Looking back at the scene, now, I like to think he hitched a ride on the bright moon, while it hovered there in the back yard, behind the trees. I imagine he sailed off, free of pain, on a grand new adventure. Meanwhile, hospice people were very helpful and put me in touch with funeral home. In a daze, I followed procedures, gave information, made plans... I knew that Ed had requested cremation, and no funeral service... but I also knew that most of us would want to have some way of honoring his memory, grieving and sharing remembrance stories with one another. It occurred to me that we might be able to "meet" on the internet, so I asked a dear friend to look into the possibilities. This website is the result. I hope that you'll take a few minutes to share your thoughts and stories about Ed.