* As people live longer, dementia is more common but no less tragic. In this bittersweet memoir, Benson shares his family's struggle to deal with the growing mental incapacity of "Miss Peggy"---and witnesses to God's abiding grace as siblings who had grown apart reconnect to help their mother adjust to a "new normal." 128 pages, hardcover from Abingdon.
When the vibrant, beloved Miss Peggy began the agonizing descent into the “darkness” of dementia, her family faced what an estimated 35.6 million people around the world live with each day. “Moving Miss Peggy: A Story of Dementia, Courage and Consolation” by Robert Benson is an intimate look at what dementia means for a family – how do you organize your mother’s new life, how do you move her from her cherished home… how do you come to terms with the fact that the woman who, as Benson writes, “once seemed to hold the whole world in her hands, now does not know the day of the week?” With his signature style, Benson’s artistic touch lends a warmth and softness to a harsh reality in this powerful story.
Robert Benson is a critically acclaimed writer who has published nine works on the contemplative life, including Punching Holes in the Dark, Moving Miss Peggy, Living Prayer and A Good Life. He is a graduate of the Academy for Spiritual Formation and a member of the Friends of Silence and of the Poor, an international ecumenical prayer community. He leads retreats and workshops on prayer, writing, and the contemplative life around the country. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee.
