Another Path

by Gladys Taber

Inspirational story on meeting grief over the loss of a beloved life companion, based on personal experiences by the author of the "Stillmeadow" books.

Genres: Nonfiction

140 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1963

About the author

A prolific author whose output includes plays, essays, memoirs and fiction, Gladys Taber (1899 – 1980) is perhaps best recalled for a series of books and columns about her life at Stillmeadow, a 17th-century farmhouse in Southbury, Connecticut.

Born Gladys Bagg on April 12, 1899 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, she was the middle child and only one to survive to adulthood. Her parents were Rufus Mather Bagg, who could trace his ancestry back to Cotton Mather, and the former Grace Sibyl Raybold. An older sister, Majel, had died at the age of six months while a younger brother Walter died at 15 months. During her childhood, she moved frequently as her father accepted various teaching posts until they finally settled in Appleton, Wisconsin. Gladys graduated from Appleton High School and enrolled at Wellesley College, receiving her bachelor’s degree in 1920. She returned to her hometown and earned a master’s in 1921 from Lawrence College, where her father was on faculty. The following year, she married Frank Albion Taber, Jr., giving birth to their daughter on July 7, 1923.

Mrs. Taber taught English at Lawrence College, Randolph Macon Women’s College in Lynchburg, Virginia, and at Columbia University, where she did postgraduate studies. She began her literary career with a play, Lady of the Moon (Penn), in 1928, and followed with a book of verse, Lyonesse (Bozart) in 1929. Taber won attention for her first humorous novel, Late Climbs the Sun (Coward, 1934). She went on to write several other novels and short story collections, including Tomorrow May Be Fair ( Coward, 1935), A Star to Steer By (Macrae, 1938) and This Is for Always (Macrae, 1938). In the late 1930s, Taber joined the staff of the Ladies’ Home Journal and began to contribute the column “Diary of Domesticity.”

By this time, she had separated from her husband and was living at Stillmeadow, a farmhouse built in 1690 in Southbury, Connecticut, sharing the house with Eleanor Sanford Mayer, a childhood friend who was often mistakenly identified as her sister. Beginning with Harvest at Stillmeadow (Little, Brown, 1940), Taber wrote a series of books about her simple life in New England that possessed homespun wisdom dolled out with earthy humor and an appreciation for the small things. She published more than 20 books related to Stillmeadow, including several cookbooks.

In 1959, she moved from Ladies’ Home Journal to Family Circle, contributing the “Butternut Wisdom” column until her retirement in 1967. In 1960, her companion, Eleanor, died and Taber decided to abandon life at Stillmeadow. Having spent some summers on Cape Cod in Massachusetts, she decided to relocate to the town of Orleans where she would live out the remainder of her days. While a resident of Orleans, Taber contributed “Still Cove Sketches” to the Cape Cod Oracle . Her final book, published posthumously, was Still Cove Journal (Lippincott, 1981).

Gladys Taber had divorced her husband in 1946 and he later passed away in October 1964. She died on March 11, 1980 in Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis, Massachusetts at the age of 80.

Reviews

[Julie Durnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book took me by surprise-not her typical country life musings. It was written after she lost her dear friend and deals with grief. It was so relatable, beautifully written, with snippets of Scripture, Keats, Gibran and others. I only wish I'd read it earlier to give me perspective, when grief was raw. A wonderful bonus is that it was my mom's, along with quite a few other books of Taber's that I kept of hers, and she had made annotations that made the reading even more special.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gladys Taber was born in 1899, roughly the same year as my great-grandmother. I read her columns toward the end of her career in a magazine my mother received, back when I was a child in the 1970s. I remember her sensible yet sensitive tone, and how she was in step with nature, the seasons, and the quiet of home. In her case, the home was Stillmmeadow, a 1690 farmhouse she shared with her companion Jill; both stayed on after husbands died or divorced and raised their children together.

Another Path is her memoir of going through the aftermath of Jill's sudden death. She describes leaving the hospital in bright sunshine, feeling stunned that life around her carries on, overwhelmed with the paperwork, exhausted after doing even the smallest of tasks. In short, she eloquently wrote of my experience last month after my mother died suddenly-- her experience and mine were so similar that it was an enormous relief to know that I wasn't going crazy; that all the strange reactions were within the normal range of sudden grief.

Her remedies have helped me, too. She advises going outside and spending time in the normalcy and beauty of nature, to appreciate the order, the chaos, and the cyclical nature of the world. She also advises to resist the urge to isolate oneself, and instead to strengthen friendships and form new ones. I've found both of these to be tremendously helpful in easing the pain of loss. It doesn't make the grief go away-- nothing can do that-- but it puts the grief into perspective so that it doesn't take over one's whole being.

This book has been long out of print, but if you can find a copy, it is a touching tribute to her companion as well as a very comforting short read after experiencing a life-changing death. One of my favorite quotes: When you walk a dark path, it is a good thing to know there are footprints on the soggy turf. Someone walked this way before, and you, in turn, leave footprints for another who will soon stumble this very way. At times, someone may be close enough to reach out a hand and say, "There's a bad spot here."

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful, poignant story as Mrs. Taber deals with her life alone after the death of her longtime friend "Jill". Sad but a lovely read.

[Debra Lampert-Rudman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rereading this for either the second or third time - it's the kind of book that you just settle in to and remember loving and then just keep reading.

[Barbara]

Quote Barbara wrote in Calendar, "Gladys Taber May 7, 1985 from "Another Path"

"In solitude, one may grow stronger, having to depend on one's own resources. Reflection may bring wisdom. Hours apart from the pressures of life may give new meaning to existence. The discipline of accepting solitude makes one grow in grace. An understanding heart is born of quiet, and in silence the voice of the soul speakers."

Give this book to Eliner Dalke in 1986.

[Sherri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading Gladys Taber is like having a cup of tea with a good friend while cozy by the fire. She is sensible and loving and makes you feel hopeful. Reading about her grief after the loss of her companion of 30 years (a couple???) helped me gain some perspective on my own grief after the loss of my beloved mother. She reminds us that life is dynamic.

[Laurel Zeisler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not a how-to, but it did help me with my own grief. Well written. It stood the test of time. I borrowed the 1963 book from my wonderful library. Now I'm going to read all of her books that they have in their collection.

[Claudia Mundell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Taber admits her failings at dealing with grief at loss of lifelong friend...then walks reader through the process of the author seeing the light again. In places she talks about the crisises that the world faces and how dark the evil of war and greed look...it is 1963 and while some paragraphs are dated (this writer's typewriter breaks!),some paragraphs sound like she writes of today.