The Route

by Gale Sears

Carol, a middle-aged wife and mother, is pondering the meaning of life. On a trip to the grocery store to find some energizing dark chocolate, she sees a sign asking for volunteers to deliver meals to... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1935217240
• ISBN13: 9781935217244
• Release Date: May 2009
• Publisher: Walnut Springs Press
• Length: 182 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.4" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

A fine look at the lives of those in the "quiet" houses...

I have been a full-time employee of my local "Meals on Wheels" organization for a bit less than nine months. My main job is to enroll those senior citizens new to the program, and to do once-a-year home visits and paperwork updates for those who have already been clients. I've been in the living spaces of about 250 people in my medium-sized city. I swear that all 12 clients Gale Sears profiles in her book must live in every city in the country. The book is a slightly fictionalized journal of her once-a-week meal route, and the changing circumstances and varied personalities and living conditions she encountered. We meet the tragically damaged, the chronically lonely, the dying, the cheerful in spite of everything, the blessed by helpers, and the cursed by adult kids who don't lift a finger. Some are well-off, most are not. Some are mentally sharp, more are in decline in that area. Almost all of them have distinctly courageous or graceful, giving moments easily seen when you share their lives for a few minutes a week. Wherever Mrs. Sears did her route, her people are those I recognize from my own recent experience. There are days of heartbreak, days of inspiration, and days of great frustration for those who feed, or medically care for, or just keep an eye on the oldest of our citizens. Some are stubborn and no longer make decisions which are even in their own best interests, but are allowed by law to say "nope" to offered improvements. Some wish for change, but have no resources to make it happen. Sometimes what is needed is not available to that particular client due to his or her income, or the state's budget, or to an agency's permitted mission. Mrs. Sears' short book will bring tears to the eye of any decent reader three or four times. I hope it will inspire some who read it to volunteer for their local provider of meals (driving food around is not the only "job" available---there are senior companion programs, grocery shopping, home handymen, telephone check-in gigs, etc.) The author shows quite clearly that whatever help her weekly volunteer hour or two gave to the elderly, she was repaid in wisdom and gratitude. This book is heart-warming, but realistic, and I recommend it to anyone doing "elder care" in any capacity at all, free or paid. You can get it finished in three hours or less, but it will surely change your attitude, if not your life itself.

Sweet Reading

I laughed, I cried, I came away satisfied and inspired. To me, those are key qualities in an exceptional book. This is a quick, comfortable read for a Sunday afternoon. I'm betting you won't regret your time on The Route with Gale Sears.

Gotta read this!

Get a box of tissues, ladies. This one plays your heartstrings like a master on a Stradivarius. The author takes us with her to deliver lunches to the elderly, the infirm, the isolated members of her community. The kaleidoscope of personalities dazzles and depresses, inspires and intimidates, comforts and chills us. Life and death and trauma stare us in the face and won't let go until we acknowledge our own mortality. The author starts out to give service and along the way finds solace for herself. Isn't it always that way? The more you give, the more you receive? Good stuff. Lest you get the wrong impression, this book doesn't read like a heavy-on-philosophy tome. It's more a conversation between friends with at times serious topics and light-hearted humor. The humor lifts the human spirit beyond the nuts and bolts of surviving day to day. Often I found myself laughing and crying at the same time (in a GOOD way). I heartily recommend you get this book for yourself or for someone who doesn't feel "needed". There are so many possibilities for service if we are open to them

Warm, Funny and Readable

Carol is in her fifties and pondering on the deeper things of life. While in the grocery store she sees a sign asking for volunteers to deliver meals to the elderly. During her service to these individuals she learns that each life is special and everyone has extraordinary stories to tell. She falls in love with these elderly people and made me love them as well. She discovers that sometimes the one who serves receives more than the one that is served. Ms. Sears has a true talent for characterization. Each one of the seniors to which she delivers meal has their own unique personality. She sees their distinctiveness and lets us learn to love each for what they have to share. She makes the reader feel as if they are delivering the meals along with her and handles the uncomfortable situations with graceful compassion and refreshing sense of humor. The Route is a lovely adventure into the realistic world of seniors that reminds us that the older generation has much and can enrich our lives.