Living with Dying

Grace Sheppard is the widow of David Sheppard, bishop, peer and England cricketer. She herself had cancer early in their marriage, but the focus of the book is the journey from David's diagnosis of cancer to his death in 2005. Having lived so long in the public eye, retirement brought a welcome withdrawal, although David still attended in the House of Lords. As evoked in the essential writings of Jean Vanier reviewed last year, a central theme of the book is human vulnerability in the face of death but also the love that transcends it. The loss is counterbalanced by gratitude and a gradual healing after one has let go. At the end of the book, there is a remarkable letter summarising her advice to friends in the 80s, which recapitulates book and its process. We have to live with uncertainty in the present moment, but there are many other practical considerations to remember. It is a touching and profound narrative.