When I purchased this book Dad had already passed away and Mom was in a good nursing home. Before I had a chance to really open the book to start it Mom passed away. The main focus of this book is to help you as you make the journey from having aging independent parent(s) to helping them to gracefully give up the independence so near and dear to them. So in thinking the book no longer pertained to me I put it aside. But then a trip to see my son graduate from the US Marines Corps gave me the opportunity for some book reading so I grabbed this one and went on my way, I was not prepared for the impact that this book would have on me.
You don't have to go very far into this book to see the gift that the author has with people, not just the elderly but their children and grandchildren. A gift indeed! I could hardly put the book down and by the time I finished it I was grateful for the journey I had just taken through the author's eyes. Ms Gros-Daillon clearly has a gift for writing but I also believe that it was the subjects in her book who were the stories and she kindly and skillfully shared them with us. This is not a clinical book by any means. It is not dry reading, and even if you don't think you need a book on transitioning the elderly I suggest you read it anyway. For one day, sooner or later, you will be elderly and out of necessity someone will have to make decisions for you. Read this first and it will be much easier for all when that time comes.
As we siblings gathered to decide what to do with Mom's things the realization of what to do became bigger than we thought. Mom was poor so money wasn't the issue but sentiment runs deep and emotions can run high. We are not done with this task but I learned so much about "things vs. relationships", you will too. A must read for everyone. Some of the real people written inside were young and had growing families and still had to face what they thought would not happen to them concerning their loved ones until much later in their lives.
I also want to thank the author for sharing her personal experiences, she knows what she is writing about; the balance between grace and grit.
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