Tired of battling the ravages of time, my mother declared herself done at age 88 and stopped eating. We knew this day would come, she had prepared us, but it was harder than my sister and I imagined. We stayed near my mom's side for a week, sitting mostly. Never underestimate the exhaustion created from being motionless. Watching of a loved one die is a depleting process. Here, my sister rests her head on the bed as I hold my mom's hand, her watch marking the passage of time.