A Three Gifts Book Review
BOOK: Nothing Forgotten, Where Love Lingers by Catherine Smith
This is a gentle and loving story of living with dementia. It is sensitively crafted to tell the story of an women in older years looking back over her loves. She “loved a thousand things.” Then come changes. We join her in her experiences of forgetting. She moves to assisted living, and we go there too. Then comes a dream. It changes nothing. It changes everything.
A Gift of Language
My friend, Catherine is a wordsmith, always poetic, always imaginative, and always truthful. This is a real story; those experiencing cognitive decline will see themselves and caregivers will see their part. The language is sparse, just enough to move the story, yet leaving space for your own version of the same story.
There is a gentle humour. I loved the kettle. You’ll see what I mean if you read it.
And I’ll not give away the dream. It is best discovered and not rushed. I will tell you’ll love the gentle wisdom.
A Gift for the Senses
When you lay eyes on the book, you may find yourself instinctively taking a deep breath. The cover is welcoming. The font evokes tenderness and the fulsome image of a green tree is fanciful, yet grounding.
The small book is a delight to hold in your hands. It feels almost soft to the touch. The excellent quality of the paper and the soft watercolours beautifully support the text. The illustrations are sensitive, wispy, with room for imagination and wondering.
A Gift of Practice
Nothing Forgotten is a perfect title. It is a mantra, to be murmured lovingly under your breath. When in life you forget the words, when you make another search for the misplaced item, when past and present merge, it is a mantra of courage. It is a love story.
“The holy was bones of her bones,
heart of her heart.”
If you are longing for quiet wisdom around aging and loss …
If you are carrying questions, you don’t want rushed…
If you love books that feel like spiritual companions…
Then look for Nothing Forgotten, Where Love Lingers by Catherine Smith
Follow Catherine on Hem of the Light.
If you love to buy local and you’re in Sackville, NB you can pick it up at Tidewater Books or, encourage your own local bookstore to order it through Ingram. Your bookstore can find the purchase information here.
You can also find Nothing Forgotten online at Amazon or Indigo.
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