Dimensions
136 x 209 x 15mm
'Now I find myself in late August, with the nights cool and the crickets thick in the fields. Already the first blighted leaves glow scarlet on the red maples. It's a season of fullness and sweet longings made sweeter now by the fact that I can't be sure I'll see this time of the year again . . .'
Philip Simmons was just thirty-five when he learned that he had ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease, and was told that he had less than five years to live. As a young husband and father, he suddenly had to learn the art of dying. Nine years later, he has succeeded, against the odds, in learning the art of living. Now, in this surprisingly joyous and spirit-renewing book, he chronicles his search for peace and his deepening relationship with the mystery of everyday life.
Set amid the rugged New Hampshire mountains he once climbed, 'Learning To Fall' illuminates the journey we all must take - "the work of learning to live richly in the face of loss". With humour, hard-earned wisdom and a keen eye for life's lessons, Simmons shares his discovery that even at times of great sorrow we may find profound freedom. And by sharing the wonder of his daily life, he offers us the gift of connecting more deeply and joyously with our own.
