Love so Deep Within

Joyce Stier

Description

Comparing the intertwining complexity of the Book of Kells with the complexity of our relationship with those we love and care for, Love So Deep Within weaves the difficult subjects of dying and living with cancer into a memoir of one whose recent journey takes you beyond the doors to both worlds. The Book of Kells was written during times of immense struggles within the world for dominance and power in approximately AD 800; however, a small group of monks off the coast of Ireland were diligent in creating a masterpiece of the four gospels of the Bible, illuminated with vibrant, rare colors and tints of the images of life and featuring figures of humans, animals, and mythical beasts together with interlacing patterns.<p.Like the scribes who created their manuscript, Love So Deep Within tells us a story of not giving up and of compassion to the very end. It tells us of the richness of our experience of living with those who are close to death, and yet live with us stillof the passage of time, inconsequential and yet full of transition and of a time so precious to us that it lingers. And that this time is a powerful gift. Love So Deep Within is a story of love, compassion, and hope for caregivers everywhere.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie

Informations

• Publié par: Inspiring Voices
• Date de parution: 20 décembre 2013
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781462408160
• Langue: English

Extrait

Love So Deep Within
A Gift of Praise and Hope for Caregivers
JOYCE STIER


Copyright © 2013 Joyce Stier.
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
Inspiring Voices books may be ordered through booksellers or by contacting:
 
Inspiring Voices
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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
ISBN: 978-1-4624-0815-3 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-4624-0816-0 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2013920374
 
Inspiring Voices rev. date: 12/19/2013

CONTENTS
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Afterword

 
 
 
This book is dedicated to my husband, Paul R. Stier

 
“As a cancer patient, I really didn’t want to read this. I set it aside for a few days, walked past it, pushed it farther away, and then finally picked it up. You’ll be pleased to know I read it beginning to end in a single sitting, which is rare for me and a compliment to your style and command of the language.”
“I was, as you might imagine, afraid of reading my own fate. I have a frightening respect for cancer. It killed my fifty-seven-year-old father, a hell of a guy, a tank commander for Patton who didn’t drink or smoke, as routinely as an assassin.”
“For the past five years, my cancer has revealed itself only as numbers on a printout. No sickness. No pain. Not yet. But, I, like you, know it is a relentless stalker of life and that someday I will meet it face-to-face. That said, I read every world of your work with ease. I believe stories of death should be about life. And yours is tenderly told.”
—Ken Burger, southern author of an award-winning collection of columns, “Baptized in Sweet Tea” plus three novels, “Swallow Savannah,” “Sister Santee,” and “Salkehatchie Soup.”

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Heartfelt thanks are extended to CHOA staff; affiliates with Roper St. Francis Hospital, Charleston, South Carolina; Lutheran Hospice; and Hospice of Charleston for their devoted care and support for Paul through his journey’s end. Your support and kindness will always be remembered.
Special thanks and kindness are extended to Father Marshall Huey of Old St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, the Stier family, neighbors and friends who have held us dear to their hearts, lifted us up with their friendship and support, and with their encouragement, made this book possible.


J ust imagine if we lived in a world without trees. Or imagine that there were no flowers or birds singing in the background of our days. Imagine that the smells of freshness and clean air did not exist. Imagine that the one you love, the one who has been your companion and friend for years on end - it seems forever - has disappeared.
Vanished. Gone.
Where? Why? How could this happen?
I’m sitting here with my love, reading about the Book of Kells . We are talking about the vibrant, rare colors and tints used to create the images of life found in the manuscript, the history of all that had come before. It is so wonderful in its ancient hues of blue, gold, yellow, purple, red, and more, created from inks of the Mediterranean and even from eastern Afghanistan. Did you know the scribes were brought to the Isle of Nolan, off the coast of Ireland, in approximately 800 AD to create and produce the most wonderful and exquisite book ever in print? It is the most magnificent manuscript of the medieval period, utilizing an insular style, and featuring figures of humans, animals, and mythical beasts. The manuscript is tied together with Celtic knots and interlacing patterns. The inscriptions were meant to reveal the history of humankind through the four gospels of the Christian New Testament. It was so treasured that while enduring invasions and plunder, the scribes worked day and night to complete and savor the pages. They knew that at any time the manuscript could be taken away, destroyed, or burned in a torrent of pillaging and war, and lost forever.