The Resting Place: A Graveside Diary. Pamela Little. Soul Custody Press. November
2014. 143 pp. ISBN#: 9780990784807.
Pamela
Little wrote this memoir to put her life in perspective. Since she was young and suffered from bipolar
disease, as well as suffering an abusive trauma in her youth, she’s had an
obsession with death. She’s not afraid
of it but finds herself drawn to it. She
therefore decides to begin a journal which she mainly writes only when visiting
a cemetery, where she has bought her own plot which she plans to share only
with her mother someday. Initially, it’s
the only place she truly feels at peace!
Don’t
write off Pamela’s background, for this memoir is replete with gems about
living that few people take the time to ponder and appreciate!
A
great deal of the account takes place as the author attempts to write through
her chemical changes that put her into either a manic or depressive state,
exacerbated with panic attacks. But it
is in those places where she sees what has weakened her relationship with her
family and acquaintances and what she could possibly do to strengthen them
instead of giving in to the compulsions that turn destructive if acted
upon. One doesn’t have to be bipolar to
recognize how normal and prevalent these situations are in every family.
The
close relationship she shares about her mother and daughters is what fuels her
continuous writing of this journal with the goal of being more obsessed with
living than dying. She does just
that. For example, choosing not to give
in to binge eating when in the depressed phase of her illness actually allows
her freedom and space to grasp what is bothering her behind the surface
manifestation of illness. Choosing to
write one’s obituary frees one to realize an opportunity to actually put into
practice what few of us actually do, rather than wait until after a loved one’s
death when one writes of words, feelings, and thoughts that were never actually
shared with a loved one while alive.
Most
of all, this account is about realizing how responsible we each are for our own
lives, leaving out the blame game that only serves to distort reality!
Cherishing
and loving life as it manifests in people, places and events are what fuel the
unique quality of this memoir. It’s a
rare and special gift for any and all readers, one to relish and even share
with our own families, friends and acquaintances. Thank you for sharing this account, Pamela
Little!
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