Overview

"How can one daughter mend fences with her father through dementia? Harriet Boorhem's relationship with her dad had been tenuous at best, and non-existent at worst. Fraught with anger, longing, misunderstanding, and disapproval, her feelings remained conflicted and raw for years. She preferred to love him from afar rather than deal with the complications of loving him up close. Then Harriet got a call that she needed to join her siblings and get into the rotation of taking care of Daddy-with-dementia. She decided two things. First, Harriet would ask him everything she ever wanted to know but was afraid to ask. After all, he had dementia and wouldn't remember. And second, she would let him eat and do whatever he wanted whenever he wanted as long as it didn't kill him. Ding Dongs for breakfast? Great. Chase the imaginary cat around the yard? Sure. Cake for dinner? Great idea. She realized her father didn't have that much time left. If she was ever going to mend their relationship, now was the time. She had to put on her big-girl panties and face her demons. And his. Thus began a year of sacred conversations, painful moments, and hilarious adventures for Harriet and the Boorhem siblings. From the tragedy emerged a profound opportunity for Harriet to mend fences, love in new ways, and dig deep into her inner strength. Now Harriet is ready to tell the story. In honor of the tenth anniversary of her dad's death, The Year of Grace chronicles the last years of his life. It's also the story of Harriet's transformation by walking alongside him. The Year of Grace is a memoir of Facebook posts for family and friends who want to remember the outrageous personality of ""Crusher Bill."" Chock-full of the Boorhem flair for the cuss word, it's a testimony that although the outcome of caring for a parent with dementia is tragic, the journey can be instrumental. Caring for their father brought the Boorhem siblings much closer together. Harriet wouldn't have traded it for the world. So step into the Boorhem fold. Get ready for a journey that's funny, imperfect, sad, and raucous. You can count on a rollicking good time and some tears. Welcome to the Year of Grace. A perfect gift for people who want an honest, unfiltered look at a family coping with dementia."

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"For someone whose dream was to be a Broadway star, Dr. Harriet Boorhem's career trajectory might seem a little strange. Although she lived for theatre in high school and college, she couldn't handle the ""drama"" and back-stabbing and soon dropped out to ""go make money."" After ten years in the corporate world, she decided that wasn't for her either and took a U-turn back to school to finish her bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees, all in one fell swoop. The next thirty years were spent in private practice as a therapist, teaching at the university level, consulting with nonprofit agencies, and leading a large youth-serving organization. Most recently, Dr. Boorhem co-founded It's Lonely at the Top! a professional leadership development program for female nonprofit CEOs. Although Dr. Boorhem has published scholarly articles, this is her first book. Writing has been a constant in her life, however, with her chronicling opinions, stories, and observations in blogs, social media, newsletters, diaries, and letters. The Year of Grace was birthed from ongoing updates she posted on Facebook throughout the time she cared for her father. A ""cliff-dweller for life,"" Dr. Boorhem has lived in Oak Cliff in Southern Dallas, Texas, for over thirty years. She has two grown daughters, one of whom is married, two large and rambunctious dogs, and a Maine Coon cat. She enjoys reading, solving NYT Crosswords, walking her dogs, doing nothing, practicing yoga, writing, and watching British TV."

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