When I lost my father five years ago, and saw what wonderful care he
received from hospice volunteers, I became quite immersed in and
impressed by the caregiving world. Caring in Remembered Ways
is in some ways written for caregivers and/or people who are watching
their parents and friends age and die. But it is also written for almost
anyone who loves other people a great deal -- anyone who needs to step
back and reflect how important the relationship truly is in their lives.
Maggie Steincrohn Davis runs her own press, Heartsong Books, in Maine.
This is one of a handful of inspirational books she has published. The
books are lovely to look at and to hold. This one is also inspiring,
full of short narratives and quotes from heroic people like Mother
Teresa and Albert Schweitzer. Davis' connection with animals and all of
nature also makes this a solid read.
You can pick the book up, dip into it or read it straight throughout.
There are several chapters, and within these chapters short anecdotes
and quotes set apart by floral graphic devices. One could easily take
some of these thoughts and write a journal response or a letter to a
loved one.
In her preface, the author tells how she might have condensed
everything she wanted to say into one sentence: " See deeply the beauty
and interconnectedness of all life; then think, speak and act from what
you see." That does about sum up her purpose here. Another wonderful
line which sums up much of her content appears in her chapter entitled
"good vibrations": " We are all healers, each one of us containing
richness from all kingdoms of nature. One day, believing this, we will
call forth from ourselves all we need to heal ourselves and others."
One might ask who is Maggie S. Davis? She is a wise woman, a mother,
twice-married, a dog lover, a writer and a philosopher of sorts. She has
run a café and is an enthusiastic gardener. She has gone through quite a
bit of physical and emotional hardship, which she shares briefly with
her readers.
The only thing I wish is that Davis had a more careful editor. Many of
the quotes she has added are not adequately credited. If the reader
wished to find such and such a video or such and such a book, there are
no clues where to go to do that. More credit ought to be given.
That said, that is the major argument I have with this book. Caring in
Remembered Ways is warm, good-spirited, thought-provoking and easy to
read.
There are many, many feel-good books these days. Many of the Chicken
Soup books do just this. But this small volume is somehow more
substantial. It rises above the basic level of "smell the flowers,
smile, be happy" and imparts some deeper thoughts and actions we might
incorporate into our daily lives and into the way we care for others and
ourselves. This is a good and useful read.