“A Path Revealed” by Carlen Maddux

In 1997, Carlen Maddux was a journalist and editor and working on a newly launched business journalism venture. His wife Martha was active in local Florida politics and had herself been elected to the St. Petersburg City Council. They had three children, two in their 20s and the youngest still at home in high school.

That year, the Maddux family learned that Martha, at age 50, had early onset Alzheimer’s Disease. The forgetfulness had been noticed by the family for some time, but it could have been attributable to the rather hectic schedule Martha kept. What Carlen had really noticed was her failure to grasp a question in a political debate – that had never happened before.

And so, Carlen and Martha, both raised Protestant, went searching for how to deal with what was happening, and what would continue to happen. What they would find themselves embarking upon was a spiritual journey, and it would become a different spiritual journey for each of them.

A Path Revealed: How Hope, Love and Joy Found Us Deep in a Maze Called Alzheimer’s is Carlen’s account of those journeys. It would lead them to resources outside their own Protestant faith, primarily because other faith traditions have been in existence longer and have a deeper understanding of suffering.

Carlen Maddux

This is a journey about pain and suffering, and how God found both Carlen and Martha in the midst of it. They learn much about themselves, and about the need for forgiveness. And they learn to find God in the middle of a disease that destroys memory and personality.

A Path Revealed is a story about a dreaded disease, and it is also a story about hope. The Madduxes have to face pain, anger, frustration, exhaustion, and everything else that comes with Alzheimer’s. But they learn how to face it with love, hope, and courage. You know how the story ends, but you don’t know how two people got to that ending.

It’s a story that will reduce you to tears and lift your heart.

Photograph by Rajesh Misra via Public Domain Pictures. Used with permission.

Remembering for Ruth: True Confessions

We’ve reached the conclusion in Sheila LaGrand’s Remembering for Ruth serial novel. And now it’s time for true confessions.

The story so far: Paul and Margot Goodharte live in Calfornia, and are caring for Paul's mother, who suffers from Alzherimer's disease. Paul is a pastor; his black sheep brother Matthew shows up and seems to have had something of a black-sheep shedding experience. He becomes interested in next-door neighbor Sue, and the family has a coincidental meeting with Matthew's estranged daughter Amelia. The dog of former neighbors of the Goodhartes is left to them to care for, and Ruth becomes attached to him, naming him Zorro. The dog turns out to be a specially trained schutzhund, and obeys numerous commands -- in German. Amelia is invited to spend some time with the family, and when she arrives, she runs into immediate conflict with Matthew.

Then the family discovers Ruth is missing. The police are called in; the news media arrive; and Mrs. Delsey, the church busybody, organizes young people at the church for to help in the search and provide refreshments (in case you ever wondered, churches can’t do anything with food). A reporter talks to Mrs. Delsey, who lets her disapproval of the pastor’s wife slip into something of an accusation as to why Ruth is missing.

In “True Confessions,” the final installment of the novel, the police arrive to question Margot. Zorro the dog, despite the best efforts of the humans in the story, seems to know where Ruth is. Without giving too much of the story away, let’s just say it ends well.

The serial novel originated in the 17^th century, when books were expensive; publishing in installments could help create a wider audience by bringing the cost down. It reached its height of popularity in the 19^th century; large novels were often written in installments (what Charles Dickens often referred to as “numbers”) and published monthly. The 19^th century witnessed an explosion in literacy; Dickens (for one) rode that wave and became famous as a result.  So did Alexandre Dumas with The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo. In the United States, the first novel to be serialized was Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin in 1851, serialized in an abolitionist publication. Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina and Fyodor Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov.  

The rise of broadcasting in the 20^th century led to a decline in serialized fiction; stories were serialized on radio and later on television (ever wonder where the term “TV series” came from?). But radio largely abandoned serialized stories after the 1950s, leaving the concept to television. In 1984, Tom Wolfe’s The Bonfire of the Vanities was serialized in Rolling Stone before being published in book-length form, but it was something of an outlier – until the internet. Web sites, online publications and eventually ebooks (of which Remembering for Ruth is one) have revived the serial form of published fiction.

So Sheila LaGrand’s Remembering for Ruth finds itself in good historical company. The print version of the entire book is scheduled to be published this fall.

Photograph by Peter Griffin via Public Domain Pictures. Used with permission.

Sheila LaGrand’s Remembering for Ruth, Part 6: Police, Pizza, and Paparazzi

We’re approaching the conclusion of Sheila LaGrand’s Remembering for Ruth serialized novel, and the pace is quickening. 

The story so far: Paul and Margot Goodharte live in Calfornia, and are caring for Paul's mother, who suffers from Alzherimer's disease. Paul is a pastor; his black sheep brother Matthew shows up and seems to have had something of a black-sheep shedding experience. He becomes interested in next-door neighbor Sue, and the family has a coincidental meeting with Matthew's estranged daughter Amelia. The dog of former neighbors of the Goodhartes is left to them to care for, and Ruth becomes attached to him, naming him Zorro. The dog turns out to be a specially trained schutzhund, and obeys numerous commands -- in German. Amelia is invited to spend some time with the family, and when she arrives, she runs into immediate conflict with Matthew. And then the family discovers Ruth is missing. 

Part Six – Police, Pizza, and Paparazzi – focuses on the search for Ruth. The police are called in, Mrs. Delsey (the church busybody) gets involved and organizes the church’s youth group, and Matthew and Amelia set conflict aside while they search together for Matthew’s missing mother. The publicity-hungry mayor arrives, as does the news-hungry television news crew. The church busybody is only too happy to point the finger of blame at Margot Goodharte (author LaGrand has her do this effortlessly – drawing a picture of a church “type” we may all have experienced).

And then there’s the dog, Zorro – the dog sense something the people don’t. I kept wanting to shout, “Follow the dog! Follow the dog!” But you know how characters in a story are – they never listen to the reader.

I suspect LaGrand is enjoying writing the story. The basic premise – loving and caring for a patient with Alzheimer’s disease – is a serious one, but LaGrand keeps it from overpowering the characters and the plot. She uses occasional moments of laughter and even hilarity to leaven the seriousness. And she includes recipes of the foods mentioned in the story -- in this installment, they are pizza, crock pot oatmeal, and "Shredded Fiesta Chicken."

I’ll have to wait a few weeks to find out what happens to the church busybody. I have some suggestions, and know a place LaGrand can buy tar and feathers.

Photograph by RonMzr via Public Domain Pictures. Used with permission.

Sheila Lagrand’s “Remembering for Ruth: Something in the Water”

I could get used to the serial format of publication.

Part 5 of Sheila Lagrand’s Remembering for Ruth serialized novel has now been published. Entitled Something in the Water, it continues the story of the Goodharte family.

The story so far: Paul and Margot Goodharte live in California, and are caring for Paul’s mother, suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Paul is a pastor; his black sheep brother Matthew shows up and seems to have had something of a black-sheep shedding experience. He becomes interested in next-door neighbor Sue, and the family has a coincidental meeting with Matthew’s estranged daughter Amelia. The dog of former neighbors of the Goodhartes is left to them to care for, and Ruth becomes closely attached to him, naming him Zorro. The dog turns out to be a specially trained schutzhund. And Amelia is invited to spend some time with the family she never knew.

In Something in the Water, everyone manages to have a bad day except for the dog. Matthew gets too overbearing with daughter Amelia, and Sue has to tell him to ease up. Best friends Margot and Sue have a fight. Brothers Paul and Matthew have an argument, and Matthew storms out. An elderly church member is upset with the flower arrangements for worship services. Alzheimer’s patient Ruth has good moments and bad moments. The dog, Zorro, however, shows some of what he’s been trained for.

And then the family discovers Ruth is missing.

At the end of each installment, Lagrand usually includes a recipe or two from the story. And I was expecting to see recipes for overnight waffle batter and something called “glom.” But something must have been in the water.

Photograph by Maliz Ong via Public Domain Pictures. Used with permission.

Sheila Seiler Lagrand’s “Remembering for Ruth: Mitchell Meets Matthew”

Sheila Seiler Lagrand’s “Remembering for Ruth: Mitchell Meets Matthew”

Sheila Lagrand’s serial story continues.

Pastor Paul and Margot Goodharte live in Mitchell, California, where they care for Paul’s mother Ruth, who has Alzheimer’s Disease. In the first installment of this serialized novel, Lagrand set up with the story with a fall and injury for Margot, the return of Paul’s older brother Matthew, and Matthew’s interest in Sue, the next-door neighbor, Sue.

In the second installment, Mitchell Meets Matthew, new elements are introduced. Ruth keeps asking after Amelia, who turns out to be Matthew’s estranged daughter born out of wedlock decades earlier. A neighbor experiences a family tragedy. Matthew’s relationship with Sue continues to grow.

We’re beginning to see the major themes of the story emerge – reconciliation, grace, how a serious illness can provide blessing, and a little romance.

Related: My review of Remembering for Ruth: Paul Loves Snickerdoodles