Sara’s review of When the Cranes Fly South > Likes and Comments

Sara, eloquent, beautiful and heart felt ! Thinking of you and saying thanks for sharing your intimate thoughts . ❤️

Thank you, Angela. I'm sure you are the reason I had this on-hand to read. I never buy contemporary authors I don't know without your approval!

What a beautiful review Sara. Thanks for sharing.

Thank you, Dave. I almost didn't post it because it might fall under the heading TMI, but it was hard to say what I thought of the story without saying that I felt a very personal connection to the character.

Sometimes our unconscious steers us where we need to go. This does sound painfully beautiful. I'm glad it was there for you at the right time, and appreciate this beautiful review so much, Sara.

Kathleen wrote: "Sometimes our unconscious steers us where we need to go. This does sound painfully beautiful. I'm glad it was there for you at the right time, and appreciate this beautiful review so much, Sara."

I agree, Kathleen! It would seem like the wrong choice, probably, but it was a very bittersweet experience and one I would not have foregone. I felt a bit like Bo, reflecting on a life I used to have and then, also, the one I have been left with.

Thanks for this lovely review. My mother who lived to 97 pretty much intact always said, "just wait till you get old." Now at 76 I think back on her words so often. Living a good, kind life is the best revenge and recalling all the wonderful moments even better. I hope this reading allowed you to remember many of the good ones.

How lovely to have had your mother for such a long time, Kerry. I will be 75 this year, and I agree with your assessment of the best revenge. I have had such a good run that if I went tomorrow no one should be anything but happy for me. I lost my next older sister when she was 59 and I think of all the wonderful things and years she missed out on, dying so young.

I was blessed to be married to the best kind of man and husband for 42 years. We knew one another almost 2 years before we married. This book made me think about his last days, but also about the bounty of our lives together. It is a book well worth reading, especially for those of us who are old enough to recognize, first hand, most of what Bo is feeling.

Sara, for those of us in the know, this is not TMI.
The first time I was in a nursing home/rehab, I was 48-49. When I went to say goodbye to Mary another inmate--sure felt so--picked up her hanging head and told me to leave there, get strong, and never get old. I try hard. Time takes its toll. Yet I know better than to give up trying. Strive on!

Cynda wrote: "Sara, for those of us on the know, this is not TMI.
The first time I was in a nursing home/rehab, I was 48-49. When I went to say good your to Mary another inmate--sure felt so, left her hanging h..."

I'm sorry you had that early taste of being in rehab, Cynda. I absolutely agree that even though we recognize the losses that come with aging, we have to continue to strive to get everything out of life that we can. It should also make us a bit more grateful for what we still have and what of joy and goodness we have had in the past.

Sara - I agree not a coincidence on you picking up this book and sending comfort your way. Beautiful review. And KERRY - you’re a very youthful 76! Agree with all who are recognizing how our earlier choices impact the looking back and feeling at peace.

Thanks so much, Seawitch. I agree that Kerry is a doll! I'm sure the curse of mankind is that he is always looking back wishing he could change what he has already done in some way. The trick is to get smarter as you get older--easier said than done.

Wonderful review.

One of you most beautiful reviews Sara, and that is saying a lot. I do believe in coincidences, and I feel this was one of those for you.

Bob wrote: "Wonderful review."

Thank you, Bob.

Diane wrote: "One of you most beautiful reviews Sara, and that is saying a lot. I do believe in coincidences, and I feel this was one of those for you."

Thanks, Diane. It was definitely the right book at the right time and I love when that happens.

Sara, what a beautiful review!

Sara what a beautiful stated and shared review. I had added this to be read stack a little while back, now I know I should read it. You and I share the frustration with many contemporary fictions. Moving this one up. Thanks for sharing your life experience and no it’s not TMI. Thank you♥️

Linda wrote: "Sara, what a beautiful review!"

Thank you so much, Linda.

Cece wrote: "Sara what a beautiful stated and shared review. I had added this to be read stack a little while back, now I know I should read it. You and I share the frustration with many contemporary fictions. ..."

Thank you. It is nice to know I am not the only one who finds contemporary authors frustrating. So many of them seem to be writing from a formula that I can almost see the check marks next to the items they include. I despair sometimes of there being a Steinbeck or Stegner to represent this era. Sometimes I do stumble across someone who gets it just right and I think it is just a matter of sifting through the chaff to get to the wheat, and probably always has been.

Sara this is such a beautiful heartfelt review. It was just the right book for you right now at this moment. I don’t believe in coincidences either but Gods perfect timing.

Oh my, Sara. I know that one was probably a hard one -- but you couldn't put it down, right?! Hope it was also healing for you.

Lori wrote: "Sara this is such a beautiful heartfelt review. It was just the right book for you right now at this moment. I don’t believe in coincidences either but Gods perfect timing."

Exactly that, Lori.

Terris wrote: "Oh my, Sara. I know that one was probably a hard one -- but you couldn't put it down, right?! Hope it was also healing for you."

It really was a great book and perfect timing. I would love to know how a younger person would react to it. I keep searching my mind for the right 25 year old to buy a copy for and demand an after-the-read discussion.😊

Thank you for your beautiful review and reminding us of the gift of reflection on life and the ones we hold dear and loved.

Heartfelt and beautiful. Thank you

Saphirra wrote: "Thank you for your beautiful review and reminding us of the gift of reflection on life and the ones we hold dear and loved."

How lovely of you to say, Saphirra. I hope you will read and appreciate it.

Bonnie wrote: "Heartfelt and beautiful. Thank you"

Thanks, Bonnie.

Such a beautiful, inspiring review, Sara. To say your words touched my heart is an understatement. Your reading this book now was meant to be.

Thank you, Antoinette. I am not surprised that it touched you as well. One of those books that is timeless, I think.

A very touching and beautiful review , Sara 💖 ! I read ,too , the above comments and I think you're a blessed lady ( Msg 8 ) ! I, also , agree with Lori : God's perfect timing !

Oh, Sara. I can't believe it's been three years already. It seems like yesterday. I think that the "three years" anniversary is still a bittersweet space.
I give you so much credit for reading this book right now. I suppose it was the perfect time for it, but I feel like it might break me, at the moment. I've only been able to handle poetry and Ms. Pilcher's rendition of Scotland and Cornwall these days!
Consider my hand on your shoulder, my friend. Some days that's what we need, I think.

Savita wrote: "A very touching and beautiful review , Sara 💖 ! I read ,too , the above comments and I think you're a blessed lady ( Msg 8 ) ! I, also , agree with Lori : God's perfect timing ! "

Thank you, Savita. I was a blessed lady indeed. I'm sorry you did not join us for our read of Family Matters. I would have liked your informed POV when we were reading about India.

Julie wrote: "Oh, Sara. I can't believe it's been three years already. It seems like yesterday. I think that the "three years" anniversary is still a bittersweet space.
I give you so much credit for reading this..."

It is so weird how time is, seems like yesterday this happened and then it seems like forever since I have had his arms around me. I think it helps to remember that you are not experiencing life in a bottle--other people are going through and have gone through what we feel, crossed the rivers that we have crossed, as part of the human experience that not one of us can avoid.

I think poetry and Cornwall are very, very smart choices, Julie. I do feel your hand on my shoulder and I hope you will feel my arms around your neck. ((hugs))

Sara wrote: "Savita wrote: "A very touching and beautiful review , Sara 💖 ! I read ,too , the above comments and I think you're a blessed lady ( Msg 8 ) ! I, also , agree with Lori : God's perfect timing ! "

T..."

Yes , Sara , I wish I hadn't missed that group read ! It would have been an interesting experience, definitely. But I will be looking out for your review . I have already read some of your comments, and that's how I know I've missed a good read .

Sara,
I truly appreciate that. I have always felt you were a kindred spirit and I wish you were a neighbor. I think I can truly appreciate the duplicitous nature of time and loss.
I remember that it took TEN years before I felt like I could truly go through a day without wondering if/when my Dad would call. He was 71 when he died suddenly, with very little warning, and, prior to that, we spoke almost every morning together, on the phone. Our birthdays and Thanksgiving are still the hardest for me; I can hardly accept him not being a part of those days. Honestly, it took 10 years before I could accept that he wasn't going to call that morning. Grief is a circuitous and complicated journey.

It surely is, Julie. I lost my mother 32 years ago and I still have moments when I almost reach for a phone to tell her something. It took me years to stop crying spontaneously because I came across something that reminded me so much of her or a piece of a memory tucked in the back of a drawer. With great love comes great loss. It is because you loved you father and had such a deep relationship that the loss resurfaces over and over again.

I am always glad that I can say I miss Matt as much today as when I first lost him. I had the love, I can endure the pain.

Do you ever think about the fact that we are all only two generations (three at most) from being completely forgotten? I look at pictures of my great-great grandmother and there is not one person alive on the planet who knows the sound of her voice or what made her laugh. What remains are a few worn pictures and a couple of stories that managed to get passed along to me. My grandmother was devastated; my mother cherished her memory and spoke of her with love and respect; I never saw her face and my sister's children could not pick her out of a picture and say her name.

With great love comes great loss.

So true, Sara.

You're right about what you've shared here. For sure. But, I do have a rather heart warming story to share, on this topic. My sister is our family's amateur genealogist. She's very good at it, but I write "amateur," because it is an unpaid labor of love. Anyway, when I moved back to the South, after being in the West so long, my sister was like, "You know, we had ancestors there, somewhere near where you've landed." I sincerely doubted it, to be honest. Almost all of our people came over from the UK and landed in the Ohio River Valley. My sister was persistent, though, and did some fresh research. Sure enough, one group of our ancestors landed HERE, about 30 mins from where I moved, and they were Quakers who helped found a town here, in the 1700s. We took a drive and ended up at the church that they helped found, and the graveyard where they are buried, and my youngest child, my sister and I stood before their graves, almost incredulous. They not only helped found the area, they were anti-war and abolitionists and good people (the woman was named Sarah, FYI). We stood over their graves, like we were at a fresh funeral and named them and gave recognition to their good deeds here and we felt totally connected to them. It was such a crazy, special day.
I guess I'm just saying. . . You never know!

I absolutely love that story. How wonderful for you all! I have done a good bit of research on my family, which goes back to before the revolution here. I moved to Charles County, Maryland and had no idea that I had any origins there, but I found an entire line of my family and also sought out their graves and laid a wreath. So, I know that awesome feeling you are talking about. It makes them "real" to you, not just names on a chart.

I did research for my husband's line and we actually found a 3rd cousin who had copies of letters from a 4th great grandmother of his to her husband. They were amazing! I longed to find something like that from my family, but nothing that personal came to light.

I come from a large family and I cannot find a single young member who is interested in taking up the gauntlet and keeping this history alive. I did not have children of my own, so I think all the research I have done will probably die with me. I can see them all saying "no" when asked if they want it.

I did show a five-generation picture to my niece and nephew and said "do you know who these people are?" And they said, "great grandmothers or something like that?" No names and no interest.

This is such a wonderful review, Sara! Thanks for sharing g how this book was so special to you. Coincidences are one of my favorite things, especially when it’s so personal. I loved this book, too. Even though it was a sad book, it was beautiful.

Debbie wrote: "This is such a wonderful review, Sara! Thanks for sharing g how this book was so special to you. Coincidences are one of my favorite things, especially when it’s so personal. I loved this book, too..."

Thanks, Debbie. This book is going to be loved by a lot of people, I think.

Heartfelt review.

Sara,
I get it! It makes you wonder what will be the fate of a lot of old photographs?? I guess they'll end up as memes??

Chris wrote: "Heartfelt review."
😊

Sara,what a moving tribute to a beautiful marriage. Loss always percolates just beneath the consciousness but being alive allows us to continue to add joy to our life story. I can hardly believe it has been three years since your husband passed. Sending you a hug and a thank you for your heartfelt reviews. You share your perspective so kindly and your soul very gently!

Lori, you are such a kind and lovely friend! Sometimes I feel as if I am in a time warp, but I have learned that God still has some use for me, so I am contented to stay until He calls me home.

Sara, it's wonderful that you gleaned some reassurance from this stunning book.
Every reader is likely to react differently to such a story.
For me, it was powerful but disturbing.
Very difficult for the patient and the caregiver to be able to view the situation in the same way.

I loved that there is a balance. We don't feel like condemning anyone and we can understand both points of view. "Powerful but disturbing" describes it perfectly.

Sara wrote: "Lori, you are such a kind and lovely friend! Sometimes I feel as if I am in a time warp, but I have learned that God still has some use for me, so I am contented to stay until He calls me home."

This is a selfish thought, Sara , but , in truth , we all , here , need you here with us, so please don't speak of leaving . 🕯

Savita wrote: "This is a selfish thought, Sara , but , in truth , we all , here , need you here with us, so please don't speak of leaving ..."

If that is a selfish thought, Savita, it is the sweetest selfish thought I have ever encountered. 😘