Price : $20.00
Description
Wen I was a young boy in Columbus, Ohio I would sometimes, in a leisurely moment, pull my jackknife from the holder on the side of my leather lace-up boots (which I wore with corduroy knickers during the winter months) and whittle away on a stick, shaping it to look like one thing or the other. That is basically what Joan and I are doing now all these many years later: taking our pens and trying to shape our experiences into a story, which, though loosely organized and at this point anyway, happily unfinished, we could share with our children and their children.
Every person is a walking biography with an unique tale to tell. So, too, does every parent have a special story to share. Will this little book, like its companion volume Whistling, make any difference to our children? Who knows? Perhaps, at the vert least, it will give them some sense of personal identity and connection, a humane check against the world’s unfriendly distractions, spurring them to continue the conversation, to add their own stories to the mix.
Although Whittling, like the previous book, is written principally for our scattered families, we are more than happy to share it with friends and any others who may find something within its pages to enjoy, laugh at, or mull over or even take exception to.
I add here a note to Joan from her niece, Terri Lee, which I found among Joan’s papers only recently: … I’m not sure I can express in mere words (a hug would be much better) how much I enjoyed reading it (Whittling) - But more than that, what it meant to me, finding bits and pieces of my dad’s life scattered thru it. I’ve learned more about daddy since his passing (thru his papers and now your book) than I ever knew during his life. Thank you for the book. I found myself completely lost in it. For me, the benchmark of a great read!! I’m sure you’ve both been told a million times how wonderfully you write - a gift. Any more books?
The capstone of (our visit) was your presentation of the delightful book (Whittling). You have never had such avid and enthusiastic readers; in fact I read every word at once and underlined much to be reread and shared with Joyce (wife).
I’m enjoying reading sections of the book…I loved (the poem) Father Love, I, II and III. They gave new insights into our Heavenly Father. Joan: I loved (the poem) My Mother. You captured the sacredness of being with someone when they pass away. I’m just getting started on the book and …looking forward to more and more.
I loved the book Whittling…the descriptions of the food-the camping trips-and especially your thoughts and views about life in general. I can relate to your running and working out. There were just so many things you wrote about that touched me. Many thanks for such a beautiful book!
….Your book (Whittling) captured me from the very first…the trials and tribulations, the heartbreaks, the pleasures and where you were going to end up, kept me glued to every page…I enjoyed the entire book…
Your books are so meaningful, well-written and full of interesting stories and nostalgic anecdotes and coincidences…descriptions of your travels bring back memories of our own…I’ve particularly enjoyed some of the poems. You and Joan both give the reader vivid word pictures. I will see that they (the books) are passed on to the First Community Church library collection…
Whittling is a charming book that nudges the reader to pause, think, and reflect. Bob’s astute observations and amusing wordplay in his poems create memorable images. Behind her gentle words, Joan’s powerful messages come through strongly. Though written for family members both living and not yet born, Whittling offers stories and insights that are relevant to any reader. I found the diverse entries in this book to be a truly inspiring reflection on lives well lived.
It was such a pleasurable surprise to encounter your book. The poems and stories have such a broad sense of the quotidian and (yet) surpassing, everlasting, philosophical..and so full of youth and delight…