Being Present for the Dying

 Ken Budd's essay On The Obligation to Prevent People from Dying Alone is a beautiful meditation of what those moments together mean to the person who is dying and the person who is there, to talk or not, to read scripture or not, just to be present. Budd, still distressed that his mother died alone, has volunteered with NODA. 

I sit quietly. The dying can feel our presence, I’ve been told. That’s the mission here. To be a compassionate human being. To provide family members — in this case the woman’s devoted daughter — with a break from their vigil. To make certain someone is here if she needs something. To ensure that she won’t feel alone and, most important, that she won’t die alone.