Comments on: Susan Tweit’s new book “Walking Nature Home”: It Takes a Village to Create a Book–and to Sustain Life

By: Susan J. Tweit

Susan J. Tweit — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 22:08:50 +0000

Oh, I love the idea of a community forming through connections between readers of this (or any) book! I hope that we can always light each other’s lives–in these times we need every community we can form…. Thanks to Deb and Janet for hosting me so generously. And today we extend that reader-community to Donna Druchunas’ Sheep to Shawl blog, with an interview that taught me much about who I am and how I write. Check it out at http://sheeptoshawl.com/blog/index.php?itemid=523

By: Janet Grace Riehl

Janet Grace Riehl — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 22:35:24 +0000

Deborah,

Intriguing thought. Something like “6 degrees of separation of influence” maybe? Loved your post on Susan’s “walking Nature Home.”

Janet

By: Deborah Robson

Deborah Robson — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 16:13:17 +0000

There’s a lovely community coming together around this book’s readers, in addition to the communities mentioned in the post.

Although it won’t exactly be traceable, it would be interesting to be able to follow, in a handful of years’ time, how many lives have changed in subtle but significant ways because of it.

By: Susan J. Tweit

Susan J. Tweit — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 14:28:21 +0000

Thanks, Susan, for your enthusiasm and for participating in this tour of the blogosphere. I’m blessed with interesting hosts whose reading audiences continue to inspire and inform me. Janet, thanks for including me in your far-flung, multicultural village with its wisdom of ages and cultures!

By: Susan Gallacher-Turner

Susan Gallacher-Turner — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 02:28:40 +0000

Susan,
Such a wonderful, touching, and life-lesson book. I loved it. And read many pages aloud to my husband. He loved it, too.
Can’t wait to talk to you more on my blog next week!
Susan GT
Susan’s Art & Words

By: Susan J. Tweit

Susan J. Tweit — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 16:04:06 +0000

Lindy,

Somehow I missed our second comment, and I want to say about glaucoma that it’s totally treatable. My dad’s progressed the way it did because his doctors didn’t realize it was the rarer form of low-pressure or open-angle glaucoma. If they’d known that, they could have kept his ocular pressure lower and prevented his vision loss. So get yourself to a specialist, make sure they test you for both types of glaucoma, and take the medication (it’s usually just eye drops). Glaucoma is really quite treatable.

I suspect that being out of place is as devastating for you as it is for me. I hope that this book gives you what you need to find your way home to your places of the heart–whichever or both!–when the time is right.

My heart goes out to you. Breathe, take in the glory of the desert in spring, and listen to yourself. Hugs and blessings, S

By: Susan J. Tweit

Susan J. Tweit — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 19:13:17 +0000

Sharman, thanks for that wise observation about our need to tell stories. I have to agree that we are a storytelling animal (I love that characterization!) and like you, I believe that our stories can make the world a better place. That’s certainly how I see your work. As Mary Pipher says, “We become the stories we tell ourselves.” If we can redeem ourselves, it will be through telling ourselves the kind of stories that we can rise up in, and that bring out the best in ourselves and our species.

By: Sharman Apt Russell

Sharman Apt Russell — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 16:44:24 +0000

Susan, it is such a lovely book. We are the story-telling animal and we tell our stories to deepen our connection to the world and, who knows, to even make the world a better place. Sometimes, and I am thinking of global warming a lot lately, our species seems…quite probematic. But we do tell stories, and maybe they will redeem us. All best, Sharman

By: Janet Riehl

Janet Riehl — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 22:49:10 +0000

Dearest Lindy…I am so struck by your stories of how Susan’s story parallels your life. Touching, truly, for a story to so reach your heart. As I read your phrase: “two places of the heart” I could so identify with that as well: New Mexico and Ghana. Perhaps someday I’ll be able to spend more time in these.

Be well and strong within yourself.

Janet

By: Lindy

Lindy — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 21:48:33 +0000

Dear Susan, I am reading your most beautiful and eloquent book as I follow the blog tour. I nearly came to a standstill when I read of your father’s diagnosis and subsequent blindness with glaucoma in spite of the fact that he did everything he and his doctors could do to prevent it from “progressing”. I have recently been diagnosed with the same and have been in almost total denial. I did come to a complete standstill when I came to the page early this morning where Richard asked you what you wanted for your birthday and you told him you wanted to go to Salida. You then went on to explain how you had come to know Salida – the parallels are uncanny. I have two “places of my heart” in the United States – Salida, CO and northern Michigan. I have not been able to go on with the book. I will but not right away. These two things need to sink in and be digested. It seems this book was meant to be published at just the right time in my own life and was meant for me to read.

Thank you and Namaste,

Lindy