In my first month as a curate at Holy Spirit Anglican Church, I
went on a house call with the rector. We were going to visit a couple
with whom was living one of their mothers. The mother was close to death
and had been for some time. It was explained to me that we were going to
be with the couple, in order to care for them as they continue to care for the
mother. When we arrived, the wife informed us that the nurse had just
left and that the mother would not last the night. She told us that she
has started the 'death rattle'. I was not entirely sure what that meant,
but I did get the sense that our visit would be very different from what I had
originally expected.
