Earlier today I finished a book. It’s been a long time since a book captivated me so much that I picked it up one day and finished the next, but this was one of those books. Earlier in the week, I had attended the Willamette Writers meeting. I became aware of the organization when I read about their annual conference that was being held in Portland the first week of August in The Oregonian (Portland paper). I didn’t attend that but noted that their September meeting was on “memoir”. Jenny Forrester was going to be the guest. Her memoir, Narrow River, Wide Sky, had recently been published. She was interviewed during the meeting and read from her book. I was intrigued and wanted to know more so stood in line, after the meeting, while she sold/signed books.
She writes with honesty about her youth, the challenges she faced, the family dynamic at play and all the individuals that defined her life. Her love and reverence for the landscape acts as a backdrop. I thought of another favorite author, Terry Tempest Williams, as I read her words.
While riding our bikes this afternoon, I continued to reflect on the book and questioned why I was so moved, not wanting the book to end. My heart was open, I realized, as I read her words. She described herself as sensitive, stating she cried easily. Something I could relate to as I also cried easily. As I pedaled, powering my bike, trying to keep up with Mark, I thought of my daughter being shocked when her cousin, who was visiting us in Seattle, saw me cry (my Volvo station wagon had died and I was bereft) and said she had never seen her Mom (my sister) cry. Em’s response, “My Mom cries all the time”. I believed in the power of tears as much as I believed in the power of the written word, just like Jenny Forrester.
I rode along considering how our families shape so much of who we are….the decisions made by our parents affect us for years. I consider, as I always have, how my divorce when Bob was 12 and Emily 7 defined who they are today, 20 years later. I considered how she grew up with a single Mom and a brother. They would discuss their dreams at the kitchen table. I too was a single Mom who discussed dreams at the breakfast table with my kids. Reading her book stirred many so many emotions in me. I realized that this is my birthday month and though I want to celebrate each day, I also know that time marches on stopping for no one. At my age today, I can “see” things more clearly than in the past. I’m the happiest I’ve been in a long time as I wrote recently. I’m no longer striving for goals that seem to always be just out of reach. I’ve given them all up and instead have decided to focus on enjoying the fact that I’m in good health with a good husband, job, home, family, friends and lots to live for each and every day. Grateful…Grateful for the time to read a book that captivates me and has me consider so much of where/who I am at this moment.
Thanks Jenny Forrester!
Here’s a link to the book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Narrow-River-Wide-Sky-Memoir/dp/0997068353/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1505101117&sr=8-1&keywords=jenny+forrester
Check it out! What books have moved you? What would you recommend as a captivating, thought provoking book?
Observations of Life 