Bessie's Story - Watching the Lights Go Out

by Thomas W. Farmen

Black and white interior. Bessie's Story - Watching the Lights Go Out is an inspiring story about a charming, brave, chocolate Lab who gradually loses her eyesight. The author leads the reader from the unexpected diagnosis of terminal blindness for his beloved four-year-old pet through the two-and-a-half year transition to sightlessness. In the process, Bessie unwittingly becomes an expert mentor and teacher for the high-wire act of growing older with grace and optimism.

177 pages, Paperback

Published November 1, 2018

Reviews

[Jody Hamilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely book, full of the powerful life of dogs who live for the day without worry for the future. Each chapter has little gems of wisdom that humans can learn from their canine best friends. This author and Bessie are coming to my town's library at the end of the month and I can't wait to attend.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very touching true story about a four-year old Lab going blind but teaching the author valuable lessons along the way.

[Samantha C · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very quick read and heart warming story for any dog lover. The life lessons infused along the way will certainly give a reader a slight pause, as will the cherished memories that any dog owner will have of their former beloved dogs, who brought similar joy and lessons into their reader's lives.

[Dane37 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uplifting and encouraging

Fear not, this is no sob story. Nor do Bessie’s lessons feel like lessons. Tom has conveyed her example of dignity with a “Live in the now” enthusiasm. If Bessie could read she would be pleased that her owner both got the point and expressed it well.

[Nina · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully inspiring book with lessons full of grace . Having met Bessie and her owners made Bessie ‘s story even more special . If you have a special four-legged angel in your life , then this is a must read !

[Mary Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a lovely book. Bessie is a neighbor who we love. This book is a work of Zen..

[Harvey Havel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful gen of a book about an older dog who is going blind and how the author, Thomas W. Farmen, learns some very important lessons about growing older with both grace, fun, and dignity. Written in simple, focused, and clear prose, Farmen, using his expert pedagogy and his experiences of almost four decades of being a teacher and then Headmaster of a small New England boarding school in rural Connecticut, he shows that his relationship with his blind dog is not what it seems. It is actually Bessie the Dog who is teaching him some of the lessons that must move him forward through the immense and delicate difficulties of older age. The love he has for his dog and his family are touching. There is even the subtle admission that Farmen may be approaching Buddhism in his older age, as he discusses his trips to the peaceful countrysides of South Korea. While his knowledge of his biology is a bit antiquated, and perhaps some of his readers may prefer a fuller discussion about football rather than baseball, these negligible flaws never encroach upon the message that this book is trying to convey: that there is a way to age gracefully, if we only start to look at it differently. For those of us who have heard about this legendary teacher and Headmaster from Connecticut, this book is an exquisite collection of his thoughts and philosophies of life and his progressive movement towards older age. I highly recommend this book.