For almost two years before a doctor ever said the word Alzheimer's out loud, I already knew something was wrong. The Long Watch is the honest story of the eight years that followed - not a story of miraculous healing, but of loving someone faithfully through a long, slow goodbye. This is not a book that promises prayer will restore a loved one's mind, or that enough faith will slow a disease's progression. It is honest company for the specific, disorienting work of caregiving through cognitive decline: the grief that arrives in pieces long before any funeral, the exhaustion that coexists with real tenderness, and a faith that gets tested in ways a comfortable Sunday sermon rarely prepares you for. What's Inside: - 48 chapters across three parts: What We Didn't Know Yet, The Long Watch, and The Watch Ends - A recurring "Small Grace I Almost Missed" reflection closing every chapter - Honest chapters on marriage under strain, anger caregivers aren't supposed to feel, and the guilt of relief - Practical chapters on respite care, facility decisions, hospice conversations, and telling children the hard truth - A Caregiver's Resource Guide pointing toward real medical, legal, and support organizations - A clear note distinguishing composite, illustrative stories from documented medical case studies This book will not tell you that enough faith heals dementia, or that a loved one's mind will be restored if you simply believe hard enough. What it offers instead is companionship: the conviction that grace during a long, hard season rarely arrives as one dramatic rescue, but as an accumulation of small mercies - a hand held at a red light, a friend who keeps showing up, a chaplain's unhurried silence. Perfect for: spousal and family caregivers navigating early-onset or any progressive dementia diagnosis; adult children supporting a parent through a partner's decline; support group leaders and chaplains seeking language for anticipatory grief; and as a steady, honest gift for anyone currently in their own long watch who needs company more than advice.
