Abidance

It is the precise moment in which we concede our transience that life and love become most cherished.

Lois and Les had been married 64 years, still crazy-in-love, when they found themselves in a sudden transition from the category of active-old to old-old. This remarkable story of their next five years describes their ongoing effort to maintain their lifelong egalitarian love affair as they cope with health changes.

“Hjelmstad, in her lyrical prose and poetry, gives us a rare—sometimes funny, sometimes poignant, but always realistic—view of life from the parallel universe of the old-old. This is a story we rarely hear. It is a book for all of us, and a must for health care professionals with older clients.”

– Anne Mahoney, PhD, Professor Emeritus in Sociology, University of Denver, author of Couples, Gender, and Power: Creating Change in Intimate Relationships

“This beautifully written love story inspires couples to renew their commitment to living fuller live together.”

 – Connie Shoemaker, author of The Good Daughter: Secrets, Life Stories, and Healing

“Growing old. It is something we all do. Some do it with more grace and good humor than others. Few are as elegant as Lois and Les.”

 – Fred Silverman, NY Producer

It is the precise moment in which we concede our transience that life and love become most cherished.

Lois and Les had been married 64 years, still crazy-in-love, when they found themselves in a sudden transition from the category of active-old to old-old. This remarkable story of their next five years describes their ongoing effort to maintain their lifelong egalitarian love affair as they cope with health changes.

“Hjelmstad, in her lyrical prose and poetry, gives us a rare—sometimes funny, sometimes poignant, but always realistic—view of life from the parallel universe of the old-old. This is a story we rarely hear. It is a book for all of us, and a must for health care professionals with older clients.”

– Anne Mahoney, PhD, Professor Emeritus in Sociology, University of Denver, author of Couples, Gender, and Power: Creating Change in Intimate Relationships

“This beautifully written love story inspires couples to renew their commitment to living fuller live together.”

 – Connie Shoemaker, author of The Good Daughter: Secrets, Life Stories, and Healing

“Growing old. It is something we all do. Some do it with more grace and good humor than others. Few are as elegant as Lois and Les.”

 – Fred Silverman, NY Producer