Are we ever ready to say goodbye?
She looked out into the yard sprinkled with spring dandelions. "Yellow flowers," she said, searching for her words. We knew something wasn't right. That's when things began to fall apart for our family, when our longest goodbye journey began-the defining before-and-after moment. And now, looking back, it's been almost a decade of slow loss and drawn-out grief as we slowly let go of our beautiful mom. In the middle of it all, though, we have learned to look for hope and chase down joy, discovering that, in spite of our pain, there are always gifts to be found, even on the hardest of days.
Alzheimer's disease affects almost fifty million people worldwide. It touches people across every walk of life. So, how do millions of people figure out how to love as they let go? The Longest Goodbye is a collection of stories and moments not just about the clinical side of memory loss-but the emotional heart journey. It is a story that shows how joy and grief are often intertwined and wrapped up together in the glorious mess of life.
The Longest Goodbye encourages readers to remember the ones they love while they are still here and to intentionally celebrate and live through the pain and hard days. It's filled with tears, hope, and bitter-sweet moments all held together by the beautiful love of a mother and daughter holding onto a life filled with memories, while learning to let go and say goodbye.
"Losing a parent is one of life's most difficult moments and, in some cases, a difficult season. Shelly's heartwarming, poignant, personal account of her decade-long journey of saying goodbye to her mom who suffered from memory loss will be a source of comfort and hope to anyone going through a similar experience."
Carey Nieuwhof
Bestselling Author, Speaker, and Host of the Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast
"In The Longest Goodbye, Shelly gives us hope and help to navigate when a loved one faces memory loss. Shelly shares her decade-long journey watching her mother decline with Alzheimer's disease. Through heartfelt stories and reflections, she gives her readers a glimpse into the pain of seeing a loved one slowly fade away while at the same time looking for hope-filled moments along the way. Shelly expresses how joy and pain can co-exist and where to look when everything feels lost. And most of all, her experience shows how the bonds of family and unconditional love carried her through. This book isn't about the clinical part of the disease; it's about the heart and how to hold on through all the seasons of memory loss."
Kevin Scott
Author, Leadership Expert, and Co-founder of ADDO
"It's much easier to write fiction than to share a hard, human story of love and loss for others to read. Shelly has brilliantly authored pages that share the hard and the good of loving someone fiercely, while losing them slowly to Alzheimer's. Shelly is both honest and honoring with her words as she draws the reader into the journey of the one thing she feared most-her mother's diagnosis and slow decline due to Alzheimer's. Shelly's words paint a stunning picture of a brave and tender response to human suffering. Be moved in the reading of this beautiful remembrance."
Cathie Ostapchuk
Author of Brave Women, Bold Moves
Co-Founder and Lead Catalyst for Gather Women
Host of The Strong Way Podcast