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The More the Merrier: Celebrating Seventy
How is it that I can remember every word, every bit of musical phrasing, every nuance from every song from my early years (Mitch Ryder And The Detroit Wheels, Abba, The Band, Credence Clearwater's Revival's Bad Moon Rising, Judi Collins' rendition of Joni Mitchell's Both Sides Now) but had a bit of a time recalling the last four digits of our phone number when somebody asked me for it last night? So begins one of Judy Pollard Smith's journal entries, which she started to write to mark her seventieth birthday. As a fan of the memoirs, journals, and letters of famous people, she wanted to explore whether the journals of everyday people have value. How do others perceive us when we look seventy on the outside but feel twenty-seven on the inside? She writes about light and weighty topics - from relaxing with a favorite book to considering the removal of reminders of Canada's colonial past. "How can the past be erased for all its faults?" she writes. "If the current vein continues, Canada will end up with a revisionist history, without truth." The More the Merrier offers a glimpse of the rich experiences of a seventy-year-old woman living life to the fullest.
444 pages, Paperback
Published January 10, 2019
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December 28, 2019
Are you turning seventy? Read this book. Are you not? Read it anyway, for a peek into the life of a woman who is living life fully, and may give you some insight into your own.
Having enjoyed reading the journals of famous people Pollard Smith decided to write a journal entry every day for one year after her seventieth birthday, to see if the journal of an ‘ordinary person’ would have worth. It does. This is largely because Pollard Smith records events that are ‘ordinary’ and otherwise with humble but razor-sharp intelligence and a wide-ranging eye.
Among other interests she loves family and friends near and far, reading, gardening, and watching the birds and other wildlife in her neighbourhood. She and her husband were instrumental in relocating many Vietnamese people to Hamilton, Ontario, many years ago, and some of these people and their descendants make appearances from time to time, as do a large number of friends and acquaintances from many walks of life. I love the way she sifts through each encounter and gleans little nuggets to remember.
She recognizes the ills and evils of our world. but never lets them bowl her under or sway her faith. She always finds a way to rise above, and her deep love of life shines through on every page.
Having enjoyed reading the journals of famous people Pollard Smith decided to write a journal entry every day for one year after her seventieth birthday, to see if the journal of an ‘ordinary person’ would have worth. It does. This is largely because Pollard Smith records events that are ‘ordinary’ and otherwise with humble but razor-sharp intelligence and a wide-ranging eye.
Among other interests she loves family and friends near and far, reading, gardening, and watching the birds and other wildlife in her neighbourhood. She and her husband were instrumental in relocating many Vietnamese people to Hamilton, Ontario, many years ago, and some of these people and their descendants make appearances from time to time, as do a large number of friends and acquaintances from many walks of life. I love the way she sifts through each encounter and gleans little nuggets to remember.
She recognizes the ills and evils of our world. but never lets them bowl her under or sway her faith. She always finds a way to rise above, and her deep love of life shines through on every page.
Displaying 1 of 1 review