At their million-dollar housewarming party, my daughter-in-law shoved me off the couch and said with disdain, “We only invited you out of courtesy. Don’t linger — and don’t make things uncomfortable.” I just smiled and rose to my feet. “Enjoy it while it lasts,” I said gently, “because nothing stays with anyone forever.” She laughed out loud — but two weeks later, she understood perfectly what I meant.

Angela Whitman had never been fragile, but she had learned to move gently through a world that often…