Leota's Garden

I just finished reading a fabulous book just for pleasure! I know I know…where do I find the time? Well, I’m not quite sure. I guess I’ve given up a lot of time worrying about assignments and just get them done so I can shut my brain off and dive into the world of fiction. It’s my therapy these days. The book is called “Leota’s Garden” by Francine Rivers. I read the back cover at the library and it jumped into my hands!

“Once Leota’s garden was a place of beauty – where flowers bloomed and hope thrived. It was her refuge from the deep wounds inflicted by a devastating war, her sanctuary where she knelt before a loving God and prayed for the children who couldn’t understand her silent sacrifices. At 84, Leota is alone, her beloved garden in ruins. All her efforts to reconcile with her adult children have been fruitless. She voices her despair to a loving Father, her only friend. And God bring a wind of change through unlikely means; one, a college student who thinks he has all the answers; the other, the granddaughter Leota never hoped to know. But can the devastation wrought by keeping painful family secrets be repaired before she runs out of time?”

Can’t you tell this was a good one!?!?! The book let me experience end of life and geriatric issues from an 84 year olds perspective. It was an eye opener on…

*End of life care (residential facilities vs. homecare)
*The loneliness and despair elder adults face with loosing independence and broken relationships
*How much older adults yearn for companionship and friendship. And how easy this can be and how extremely hard it can be also
*I also realized through this book that we have no idea what is good for a person until we understand them fully.

This book went right along with what we are learning in our geriatrics class this semester. I kept thinking though…if we HAD to read this, I wouldn’t have enjoyed it as much as it did There is just something to be said about leisure time! Whenever there is an opening in your leisure time window…I recommend Leota’s Garden