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In Each Other's Bones: A Memoir of Love, Loss and Living
Life asks us to deal with loss. It is part of the human condition. Yet we deserve joy no matter our circumstances. This book is Julia's journey from caregiver and wife to finding her separate self. It's about beginnings, endings, goodbyes, and creating anew.
•••
Julia and Mark had carefully constructed a life together. Their vision for themselves, their marriage, and their children had always been in sync. Then, life took a horrifying turn. Mark was diagnosed with a fatal neurological disease with no hope for a cure. They would endure ten years of daily discussions about disease, doctors, nurses, medicines, medical equipment, and dying.
At age forty-eight, riding the waves of emotional whiplash, Julia felt too young to deal with death. But drawing upon therapy, painting, sacred rituals, and writing, she found the strength to remain at peace and not fall to pieces. Julia and Mark worked to keep their marriage strong and family together. Separately, Julia prepared for a life on her own.
Julia, a portrait artist in Raleigh, North Carolina, believes there is an art to living. Her book shows that living artfully means to embrace the cards you're dealt and to soar, express love, have beautiful days, and create anew. It is also a practical roadmap for anyone in the throes of caregiving, tackling questions like
· How do I hold my family together during times of illness?
· How do I maintain personal space/boundaries when so much is required of me?
· How do I navigate the health system and keep my sanity?
The reader may discover, "I felt that way, too. I wasn't alone."
•••
Julia and Mark had carefully constructed a life together. Their vision for themselves, their marriage, and their children had always been in sync. Then, life took a horrifying turn. Mark was diagnosed with a fatal neurological disease with no hope for a cure. They would endure ten years of daily discussions about disease, doctors, nurses, medicines, medical equipment, and dying.
At age forty-eight, riding the waves of emotional whiplash, Julia felt too young to deal with death. But drawing upon therapy, painting, sacred rituals, and writing, she found the strength to remain at peace and not fall to pieces. Julia and Mark worked to keep their marriage strong and family together. Separately, Julia prepared for a life on her own.
Julia, a portrait artist in Raleigh, North Carolina, believes there is an art to living. Her book shows that living artfully means to embrace the cards you're dealt and to soar, express love, have beautiful days, and create anew. It is also a practical roadmap for anyone in the throes of caregiving, tackling questions like
· How do I hold my family together during times of illness?
· How do I maintain personal space/boundaries when so much is required of me?
· How do I navigate the health system and keep my sanity?
The reader may discover, "I felt that way, too. I wasn't alone."
369 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 25, 2022
35 people are currently reading
20 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 31, 2022
I loved Julia's memoir! Caring for her husband, diagnosed with MSA for 10 years is our family's story too! I felt like we were the only family dealing with MSA because it is so rare, but, in fact, there are many families taking care of their loved ones afflicted with this horrible brain disease. There are so many similarities between us--we are about the same age, we're both artists (me performing/classical ballet, her protrait/painting) and we had beautiful families and wonderful marriages, (her for 34 years, me for 37). I felt the same feels, navigating a disease that so little is known. I had the same fears, worries and wants. I found this book in a random email sent to my inbox from Quail Ridge Books, a store in Raleigh, NC. They were advertising their book/author events and the title, In Each Other's Bones, caught my attention. I hesitated to delete the email until curiosity got the best of me. I read the teaser under the picture of the book, my jaw dropped, and knew this one particular book seemed to find me in a powerful way. Julia, thank you for your story- it helped me to make sense of all we went through in caring for my husband with MSA. Your insights and honest wisdom will stay with me always.
November 14, 2022
Extraordinary road map through love and loss
I don't like calling this a book as it implies an ending. There is no ending here. It's a personal memoir of one family and their journey through love, hope, despair, joy and rebirth. I applaud the author for sharing this personal passage of life with the hope of helping others. I want to know more.
I don't like calling this a book as it implies an ending. There is no ending here. It's a personal memoir of one family and their journey through love, hope, despair, joy and rebirth. I applaud the author for sharing this personal passage of life with the hope of helping others. I want to know more.
March 9, 2023
This book is a treasure! Thank you to the author and her family for sharing this heartfelt and life affirming journey. This is a book that encompasses so many things, from family and love to faith and loss. It is beautifully written, sprinkled with poetry, art and humor. I will revisit this book often for another nugget of wisdom and a dose of joy.
August 9, 2023
Memoir of loss.
This book was a wonderful tribute to how one family responded to a horrible disease and death. A tribute to help that was available and how it helped them cope and enabled them to go on living and planning for the future. Well written and approached from so many different people. Admired them all especially the man this story revolved around.
This book was a wonderful tribute to how one family responded to a horrible disease and death. A tribute to help that was available and how it helped them cope and enabled them to go on living and planning for the future. Well written and approached from so many different people. Admired them all especially the man this story revolved around.
October 9, 2024
Why
It was an OK book about a woman dealing with the grieve of loosing her husband though the book. After his death too
It was an OK book about a woman dealing with the grieve of loosing her husband though the book. After his death too
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews