What do you think?
Memories in Dragonflies: Simple Lessons for Mindful Dying
Life―and death―may be hard; but joy is simple.
Lannette Cornell Bloom, a typical, overworked nurse, wife, and mom of two, was forty-three when her mother was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis. She quit her job and dove headlong into the familiar role of caretaking. This choice―to slow down and be present for the hardest year of her life―resulted in an awakening. In unexpected moments, as childhood memories flooded into the present, Lannette glimpsed bits of magic that existed just beyond the pain. Without knowing it, she was experiencing a mindful dying process with her mother―and it was a journey that would change the way she lived the rest of her life.
A touching and soulful memoir that gracefully uncovers the beauty that is often lost within the dying process, Memories in Dragonflies is a beautiful portrait of what it means to be human and a gentle reminder to enjoy every moment, because even the simplest ones bring lasting joy.
Lannette Cornell Bloom, a typical, overworked nurse, wife, and mom of two, was forty-three when her mother was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis. She quit her job and dove headlong into the familiar role of caretaking. This choice―to slow down and be present for the hardest year of her life―resulted in an awakening. In unexpected moments, as childhood memories flooded into the present, Lannette glimpsed bits of magic that existed just beyond the pain. Without knowing it, she was experiencing a mindful dying process with her mother―and it was a journey that would change the way she lived the rest of her life.
A touching and soulful memoir that gracefully uncovers the beauty that is often lost within the dying process, Memories in Dragonflies is a beautiful portrait of what it means to be human and a gentle reminder to enjoy every moment, because even the simplest ones bring lasting joy.
126 pages, Paperback
Published August 21, 2018
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 12, 2018
Simple beauty in the overwhelming task of caring for a dying parent, Lannette Cornell Bloom, RN, renders a gorgeous narrative about living life to the fullest.
You will be utterly surprised to learn MEMORIES IN DRAGONFLIES (September 1 2018) is the author's first book. Lannette Cornell Bloom was a typical over-worked mother, wife, and school nurse, when she got the call that her mother was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, a slow decline in which the lungs gradually fill with scar tissue, in effect, suffocating the person.
After careful consideration, Lannette decides to quit her job to care for her mother and maintain her parent's home full time. What results is a tender vulnerability filled with unexpected moments, an awakening about her mother, the lessons imparted to Lannette and her sister, and so much more.
Written eloquently in first person, MEMORIES IN DRAGONFLIES is ultimately a memoir that reads as though it could be a novel. It's not long and can easily be finished a in one setting. It's not exactly a how-to-guide for caring for an ill loved one (but it could be used for that), and it's not strictly a memoir or a book about grief--it's about living. I felt inspired. I wanted to mine experiences in my own life in which I was shown greater truths behind those events that may seem 'unfair.'
There's symbolism, understanding, empathy, and lush prose contained within this slim book, and I feel everyone should have a look.
For all my reviews, including author interviews, please see: www.leslielindsay.com
Special thanks to PRbytheBook and She Writes Press for this review copy. All thoughts are my own.
You will be utterly surprised to learn MEMORIES IN DRAGONFLIES (September 1 2018) is the author's first book. Lannette Cornell Bloom was a typical over-worked mother, wife, and school nurse, when she got the call that her mother was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, a slow decline in which the lungs gradually fill with scar tissue, in effect, suffocating the person.
After careful consideration, Lannette decides to quit her job to care for her mother and maintain her parent's home full time. What results is a tender vulnerability filled with unexpected moments, an awakening about her mother, the lessons imparted to Lannette and her sister, and so much more.
Written eloquently in first person, MEMORIES IN DRAGONFLIES is ultimately a memoir that reads as though it could be a novel. It's not long and can easily be finished a in one setting. It's not exactly a how-to-guide for caring for an ill loved one (but it could be used for that), and it's not strictly a memoir or a book about grief--it's about living. I felt inspired. I wanted to mine experiences in my own life in which I was shown greater truths behind those events that may seem 'unfair.'
There's symbolism, understanding, empathy, and lush prose contained within this slim book, and I feel everyone should have a look.
For all my reviews, including author interviews, please see: www.leslielindsay.com
Special thanks to PRbytheBook and She Writes Press for this review copy. All thoughts are my own.
December 17, 2018
4 out of 5 stars
I wish there was more!
December 12, 2018
Format: Paperback
These vignettes that started with the author caring for her ill and dying mother always included a past memory of the mother caring for the author. And they each had a beautiful lesson that her mother taught her.
I love how she became spiritual with the help of a healer. I loved how the family tried to recreate the mother's love and carry it on, assuring that her memory lives on forever.
Bloom's mother was so full of wisdom and love that I wanted to know more about her. Maybe she will write a longer memoir about growing up with this wise and wonderful woman.
Thank you to the author for the healing that occurred for me while reading this story.
Sherrie Miranda's historically based, coming of age, Adventure novel “Secrets & Lies in El Salvador” is about an American girl in war-torn El Salvador:
http://tinyurl.com/klxbt4y
Her husband made a video for her novel. He wrote the song too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P11Ch...
I wish there was more!
December 12, 2018
Format: Paperback
These vignettes that started with the author caring for her ill and dying mother always included a past memory of the mother caring for the author. And they each had a beautiful lesson that her mother taught her.
I love how she became spiritual with the help of a healer. I loved how the family tried to recreate the mother's love and carry it on, assuring that her memory lives on forever.
Bloom's mother was so full of wisdom and love that I wanted to know more about her. Maybe she will write a longer memoir about growing up with this wise and wonderful woman.
Thank you to the author for the healing that occurred for me while reading this story.
Sherrie Miranda's historically based, coming of age, Adventure novel “Secrets & Lies in El Salvador” is about an American girl in war-torn El Salvador:
http://tinyurl.com/klxbt4y
Her husband made a video for her novel. He wrote the song too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P11Ch...
September 6, 2021
I cried for 30 minutes at 2am towards the end of this book
September 5, 2018
Normally at the end of a review I'll tell you who will like this book the most but I'm actually going to start with it. Everyone. Literally everyone should read this because we all have parents and grandparents, we will all face someone close to us dying. We might even be the caregiver, we might not know how to navigate the feelings of wanting to grieve what you're going to lose but trying to be strong for that person so you don't make them feel worse about the situation. But everyone can benefit from this book.
The book is relatively short, only 112 pages, I finished this in about two hours. The story is written by Lannette who becomes the caregiver for her mother who was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis. I know we talk vaguely about death and say, "Oh they died of this" but nobody really knows what the process is going to be like. Or maybe we don't want to know. But Lannette frankly states that her mother's lungs will essentially harden and calcify and basically suffocate her. And when you hear it like that you think- who WOULDN'T be terrified of this process?? Her mother is determined to challenge this head on until she can't and the family respects her decision and her care turns from fighting to comfort care to hospice.
I don't know these people but I teared up reading this. She talks about how she struggled with wanting to talk about the truth they were all staring down but how the rest of her family didn't want to talk about it. How she struggled with being the caregiver and the feeling that nobody recognized what she was doing, what she was giving up, what she was going through because being a caregiver is really difficult. I know some people just cannot do it, and I can't fault them. A person knows what their limits are. But for the ones who are in the trenches doing it, they need some respite and maybe someone to check on them.
The other thing I really liked about the book was it touched on Lannette listening to her mom's stories and watching her end relationships with people. Asking them to carry on in her absence, and that was sad. But Lannette also struggled with trying to learn everything she could about her mom. What didn't she know about her? What did she want to ask her in this limited time? I mean, if you knew your parent was going to die soon, what would you want to know? What pieces of history or life lessons would you want to squeeze out of them? I don't think we can ever know too much about someone and I wonder if someone can pass and have had all of that information passed onto someone, or do they pass with some secrets never to be discovered? I don't know. But it makes you wonder.
The greatest part of the story is this daughter's unending, never wavering love for her mom. It's a realization that as we decline it's like we revert back to childhood only this time our children are caring for us. Lannette struggles with helping her mother while maintaining her mother's dignity and man... what a fine line to walk.
The whole book reminds me of the Death Cab for Cutie song "What Sarah Said". It's a really wonderful song and it's one of my favorites, but there is a line in there that says, "Love is...watching someone die. Whose going to watch you die?" and man... isn't that the truth? The most loving thing we can do is guide someone at the end and bring comfort. To assure them it's OK, to not be scared, to know that it's OK for them to go.
I really loved this book and I just hope that when it's my turn I can do as much for my parents as Lannette did. And if you're reading this Lannette, your mom appreciated every minute of every day that you dedicated to her. You couldn't have shown her how much you love her in a better way. I couldn't think of a better way to have gone than what you were able to give her and I hope you know that. We all could only hope for that for ourselves.
The book is relatively short, only 112 pages, I finished this in about two hours. The story is written by Lannette who becomes the caregiver for her mother who was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis. I know we talk vaguely about death and say, "Oh they died of this" but nobody really knows what the process is going to be like. Or maybe we don't want to know. But Lannette frankly states that her mother's lungs will essentially harden and calcify and basically suffocate her. And when you hear it like that you think- who WOULDN'T be terrified of this process?? Her mother is determined to challenge this head on until she can't and the family respects her decision and her care turns from fighting to comfort care to hospice.
I don't know these people but I teared up reading this. She talks about how she struggled with wanting to talk about the truth they were all staring down but how the rest of her family didn't want to talk about it. How she struggled with being the caregiver and the feeling that nobody recognized what she was doing, what she was giving up, what she was going through because being a caregiver is really difficult. I know some people just cannot do it, and I can't fault them. A person knows what their limits are. But for the ones who are in the trenches doing it, they need some respite and maybe someone to check on them.
The other thing I really liked about the book was it touched on Lannette listening to her mom's stories and watching her end relationships with people. Asking them to carry on in her absence, and that was sad. But Lannette also struggled with trying to learn everything she could about her mom. What didn't she know about her? What did she want to ask her in this limited time? I mean, if you knew your parent was going to die soon, what would you want to know? What pieces of history or life lessons would you want to squeeze out of them? I don't think we can ever know too much about someone and I wonder if someone can pass and have had all of that information passed onto someone, or do they pass with some secrets never to be discovered? I don't know. But it makes you wonder.
The greatest part of the story is this daughter's unending, never wavering love for her mom. It's a realization that as we decline it's like we revert back to childhood only this time our children are caring for us. Lannette struggles with helping her mother while maintaining her mother's dignity and man... what a fine line to walk.
The whole book reminds me of the Death Cab for Cutie song "What Sarah Said". It's a really wonderful song and it's one of my favorites, but there is a line in there that says, "Love is...watching someone die. Whose going to watch you die?" and man... isn't that the truth? The most loving thing we can do is guide someone at the end and bring comfort. To assure them it's OK, to not be scared, to know that it's OK for them to go.
I really loved this book and I just hope that when it's my turn I can do as much for my parents as Lannette did. And if you're reading this Lannette, your mom appreciated every minute of every day that you dedicated to her. You couldn't have shown her how much you love her in a better way. I couldn't think of a better way to have gone than what you were able to give her and I hope you know that. We all could only hope for that for ourselves.
August 27, 2018
A Caregiver’s Story of Her Dying Mother
The family was shocked when their mother was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis after years of trying to get a diagnosis. Lannette, a wife, mother, and school nurse, had many responsibilities, but with the support of her husband and children, she decided it was more important to become her mother’s caregiver at the end of her life.
Not everyone has the desire or requisite skills to be a caregiver, but for Lannette and her mother something magical happened. Childhood memories resurfaced, experiences were shared, and Lannette took time to look at the world through new eyes. This is a beautiful story told with great sensitivity by the author.
This book is well written. The prose is simple and clear and doesn’t distract from the story being told. If you have cared for a loved one, or may be in the position to decide to take on that responsibility, I highly recommend this book. Even if caring for someone seems years in the future, you can learn a great deal from Lannette’s experience.
I received this book from PR by the book for this review.
The family was shocked when their mother was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis after years of trying to get a diagnosis. Lannette, a wife, mother, and school nurse, had many responsibilities, but with the support of her husband and children, she decided it was more important to become her mother’s caregiver at the end of her life.
Not everyone has the desire or requisite skills to be a caregiver, but for Lannette and her mother something magical happened. Childhood memories resurfaced, experiences were shared, and Lannette took time to look at the world through new eyes. This is a beautiful story told with great sensitivity by the author.
This book is well written. The prose is simple and clear and doesn’t distract from the story being told. If you have cared for a loved one, or may be in the position to decide to take on that responsibility, I highly recommend this book. Even if caring for someone seems years in the future, you can learn a great deal from Lannette’s experience.
I received this book from PR by the book for this review.
September 3, 2018
When I closed this book after reading the last page, my heart was simultaneously filled with sadness and joy. Sadness in how relatable it was regarding losing a mother or loved one, and joyful at the wonderful and sacred journey we were taken on with the author, Lannette Cornell Bloom. This book is beautifully written and such a powerful lesson. The reader comes away with a true sense of the author's mother, of the author herself and their delicate indestructible mother/daughter bond. Read this book. Your heart will thank you for it.
July 9, 2018
In this short sweet memoir Bloom shares her thoughts as primary caregiver during her mother’s last stages of life. With honesty, an open heart and vulnerability the author imparts experiences many of us can identify with as we take care of and say goodbye to a loved one. There is much here to learn in this beautiful book about the importance of slowing down, paying attention and appreciating each moment. I highly recommend it.
August 22, 2018
Simple, concise and powerful!
Reading this book was like walking gracefully through a beautiful meadow of flowers. It was beautiful to experience and very easy to be led down the path of emotion by the author. There was so much to take in, so much to feel and experience. And yet, the author made it feel simple and not heavy. Having lost my own mother not too long ago, it was healing to read this story.
Reading this book was like walking gracefully through a beautiful meadow of flowers. It was beautiful to experience and very easy to be led down the path of emotion by the author. There was so much to take in, so much to feel and experience. And yet, the author made it feel simple and not heavy. Having lost my own mother not too long ago, it was healing to read this story.
September 9, 2018
An absolutely lovely portrait of presence in the face of the hardest thing we all need to go through in this life—death. Bloom offers a portal into a more balanced perspective on the death of our loved ones, and how we can truly step into that space and be with ourselves and them in the highest and most loving ways. Thanks to the author for sharing her story and showing the world a beautiful side of life and its inevitable counterpart, death.
April 5, 2020
From the heart
Beautifully written memoir, simple and easy flow, easy to read. In fact for me, threat Lannette has written about caring for her mother and her eventual passing, I almost felt as if I was witnessing it all.
Beautifully written memoir, simple and easy flow, easy to read. In fact for me, threat Lannette has written about caring for her mother and her eventual passing, I almost felt as if I was witnessing it all.
November 26, 2018
I cannot tell you how many times this made me laugh and cry. The best book I've read all year (and I've read quite a few). Bravo to Lannette
May 29, 2018
(3.5)
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews