You may remember the image above from my White Moth post this summer, when I traveled to Amsterdam to visit my old friend M., who had suffered a serious relapse into cancer. I had enough frequent flier miles for a ticket, and decided to go tell her goodbye. I hoped for a miraculous recovery, of course, but M.’s sister told me that the odds were stacked against that happy outcome. So I went to tell my friend how much I loved her, how much she had meant to me all these years, and, well, goodbye.

Last night came word from the Netherlands that M.’s doctors were sending her home from the hospital today, to die in peace. There is nothing more they can do. M. will be attended by hospice nurses until the end comes. M.’s sister, who is also a dear and old friend, writes to ask for our prayers for M. and M.’s family in these agonizing final days. I ask you to join us in prayer, if you pray. When M. finally passes over, I will tell you all about her, and what she meant to me. For now, I will respect her privacy.