New Year

This memoir details the author’s experiences and growth in the year after her husband’s sudden death. As she untangles the complex web of emotions around losing a beloved partner who struggled with health problems and alcohol addiction among other things, she remembers good times and commemorates the positive impact he had on the world. She also compares her grief at the changes in her mother, stricken with dementia, to the signs of early dementia exhibited by her husband, and she examines family relationships, broken and healed, on both sides. This thoughtful memoir is a realistic look at the grieving process, our societal expectations of the bereaved, and the Christian challenge to love and forgive our complicated and very human companions on this earth.