From a Distance deals with Alzheimer’s in an inspiring way

From a Distance by Kathy Billings, published by Maine Authors Publishing, is subtitled Scattered memories and stories of love. And it is all of that.

Kathy’s stories trace her experiences with her mom who had Alzheimer’s, and with her father who had other health problems. They both ended up in hospice care.

Kathy loved them both and that is obvious from the all the time she spent with them when they could barely speak. She would get them up and out of bed and outdoors in wheelchairs whenever she could.

I especially enjoyed the fact that in every other chapter Kathy took us back to when her mother was a little girl and told us stories about that. She actually had to do a lot of research to come up with those stories.

Kathy raised her own kids in Maine where she enjoyed sailing the waters of Casco Bay. She has been a leader at Maine Maritime Museum (one of my favorite places), Pejepscot Historical Society, and Bowdoin College. Today she lives in Scarborough.

On the back cover you will read that Kathy’s book “captures the essence of family and compassion,” and it certainly does.

I especially hope you will read this book if someone in your family has Alzheimer’s. I know you will be inspired by Kathy’s story.

 

 

 

George Smith

About George Smith

George stepped down at the end of 2010 after 18 years as the executive director of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine to write full time. He writes a weekly editorial page column in the Kennebec Journal and Waterville Morning Sentinel, a weekly travel column in those same newspapers (with his wife Linda), monthly columns in The Maine Sportsman magazine, two outdoor news blogs (one on his website, georgesmithmaine.com, and one on the website of the Bangor Daily News), and special columns for many publications and newsletters. Islandport Press published a book of George's favorite columns, "A Life Lived Outdoors" in 2014. In 2014, George also won a Maine Press Association award for writing the state's bet sports blog. In 2016, Down East Books published George's book, Maine Sporting Camps, and Islandport Press published George and his wife Linda's travel book, Take It From ME, about their favorite Maine inns and restaurants.