Abidance: A Memoir of Love and Inevitability

It is the precise moment in which we concede our transience that life and love become most cherished. Lois and Les had been married 64 years, still crazy-in-love, when they found themselves in a sudden transition from the category of active-old to old-old. This remarkable story of their next five years describes their ongoing effort to maintain their lifelong egalitarian love affair as they cope with health changes. "Hjelmstad, in her lyrical prose and poetry, gives us a rare--sometimes funny, sometimes poignant, but always realistic--view of life from the parallel universe of the old-old. This is a story we rarely hear. It is a book for all of us, and a must for health care professionals with older clients." - Anne Mahoney, PhD, Professor Emeritus in Sociology, University of Denver, author of Couples, Gender, and Power: Creating Change in Intimate Relationships "This beautifully written love story inspires couples to renew their commitment to living fuller live together." - Connie Shoemaker, author of The Good Daughter: Secrets, Life Stories, and Healing "Growing old. It is something we all do. Some do it with more grace and good humor than others. Few are as elegant as Lois and Les." - Fred Silverman, NY Producer It is the precise moment in which we concede our transience that life and love become most cherished. Lois and Les had been married 64 years, still crazy-in-love, when they found themselves in a sudden transition from the category of active-old to old-old. This remarkable story of their next five years describes their ongoing effort to maintain their lifelong egalitarian love affair as they cope with health changes. "Hjelmstad, in her lyrical prose and poetry, gives us a rare--sometimes funny, sometimes poignant, but always realistic--view of life from the parallel universe of the old-old. This is a story we rarely hear. It is a book for all of us, and a must for health care professionals with older clients." - Anne Mahoney, PhD, Professor Emeritus in Sociology, University of Denver, author of Couples, Gender, and Power: Creating Change in Intimate Relationships "This beautifully written love story inspires couples to renew their commitment to living fuller live together." - Connie Shoemaker, author of The Good Daughter: Secrets, Life Stories, and Healing "Growing old. It is something we all do. Some do it with more grace and good humor than others. Few are as elegant as Lois and Les." - Fred Silverman, NY Producer

Review :
"Hjelmstad, in her lyrical prose and poetry, gives us a rare--sometimes funny, sometimes poignant, but always realistic--view of life from the parallel universe of the old-old. This is a story we rarely hear. It is a book for all of us, and a must for health care professionals with older clients." - Anne Mahoney, PhD, Professor Emeritus in Sociology, University of Denver, author of Couples, Gender, and Power: Creating Change in Intimate Relationships "This beautifully written love story inspires couples to renew their commitment to living fuller live together. "Whether you've been married for one year or seventy, this wonderful story will bring tears, laughter, and inspiration to your lives. A must for aging readers, which includes everyone." - Connie Shoemaker, author of The Good Daughter: Secrets, Life Stories, and Healing "I truly adore this book. Lois has written a page-turner about two soul mates whose marriage has endured much struggle and yet have been blessed with boundless love and good times. In this day of social media and everything digital, this is a tale about something we oen forget: e deep and abiding love two people can have for each other, and the life's journey they share." "Growing old. It is something we all do. Some do it with more grace and good humor than others. Few are as elegant as Lois and Les." - Fred Silverman, NY Producer "What a love story!" - Judith Macomber, Retired IT Analyst/Manager "Lois has chosen her words in a wondrous fashion. I couldn't stop reading until I had turned the last page." - Arlo Sonnenberg, 100-year-old Renaissance