Bless the Birds: Living with Love in a Time of Dying

Writer Susan Tweit and her economist-turned-sculptor husband Richard Cabe had just settled into their version of a good life when Richard saw thousands of birds one dayharbingers of the brain cancer that would kill him two years later. This compelling and intimate memoir chronicles their journey into the end of his life, framed by their final trip together, a 4,000-mile-long delayed honeymoon road trip.

As Susan and Richard navigate the unfamiliar territory of brain cancer treatment and learn a whole new vocabularycraniotomies, adjuvant chemotherapy, and brain geographythey also develop new routines for a mindful existence, relying on each other and their connection to nature, including the real birds Richard enjoys watching. Their determination to walk hand in hand, with open hearts, results in profound and difficult adjustments in their roles.

Bless the Birds is not a sad story. It is both prayer and love song, a guide to how to thrive in a world where all we hold dear seems to be eroding, whether simple civility and respect, our health and safety, or the Earth itself. Its an exploration of living with love in a time of dyingwhether personal or globalwith humor, unflinching courage, and grace. And it is an invitation to choose to live in light of what we love, rather than what we fear. See more