“I let the word wash over me. I wanted Mom to know I’d heard her, and I repeated back the same word. When I said it, I felt as if I was signing a contract between us.”

Sarah Gormley’s debut memoir, “The Order of Things” is the story of how her return to the family farm to care for her dying mother changed her life in ways she never imagined possible. She owns Sarah Gormley Gallery in Columbus, Ohio, which operates from the belief that original art can be a source of joy for everyone.

This piece was previously published on HuffPost and is being shared again as part of HuffPost Personal’s “Best Of” series.