RJ Thesman has done it again. I thoroughly enjoyed The Unraveling of Reverend G and Intermission for Reverend G is just as delightful.
Reverend G is my hero for growing older. With spunk and determination, she bravely faces the daily challenges and unknowns of Alzheimers.
Reverend G is my hero for growing older. With spunk and determination, she bravely faces the daily challenges and unknowns of Alzheimers.
This is one series I highly recommend.
About Intermission for Reverend G
Three months after a fire ripped through Cove Creek Assisted Living Facility, repairs are complete, but even as Reverend G and her cat, Gabriel move back into their apartment, the retired pastor realizes life just isn’t the same. She continues to minister to her fellow residents —the widower who reads the same book over and over and the woman who waits by the front door for the family who never arrives. Even Gabriel is back at work, making his rounds and forecasting death. But while Reverend G is able to find the words to conduct a funeral service, anticipates the birth of her first grandchild and plans her future with her beloved Chris, she battles her worsening Alzheimer’s symptoms — memory loss, paranoia, anger and fear. Now, her worst nightmare seems to be coming true. God hasn’t spoken to her in weeks.
Has Reverend G lost her
connection with God?
RJ Thesman writes as a daughter whose mother is disappearing into the shadows of Alzheimer’s Disease. Her hope is that caregivers and readers will find hope in the story of Reverend G.
RJ is a Certified Life Coach, a Biblical Counselor and a Stephen Minister. She works as Program Director for GateWay of Hope, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to help hurting women.
RJ lives in the heartland of Kansas with her son and an elderly cat.
An Interview with the author
For my readers who haven’t met Reverend G yet, tell us a bit about her.
Reverend G is a gutsy little lady who wasn’t afraid to buck the system. She became a woman minister, earned her MDiv and faithfully served her church for many years. Now, she has been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s and dementia. She tries to continue serving God as a resident of assisted living where her greatest fear is that she might forget God. In this second book of the series, she is struggling to make a decision about her love life while following her cat around Cove Creek Assisted Living.
What is your favorite part of her story?
I like the fact that she constantly surprises me – and my readers. She wears leather pants, hates that vanilla pudding stuff that they serve for snacks and plays Bingo with a vengeance. She likes cheesecake, especially with blueberries, which is also one of my favorite desserts. And no matter what is happening to Reverend G and how scary the Alzheimer’s diagnosis is, she continues to trust that God will somehow take care of her.
A protagonist with Alzheimer’s is an unusual choice. Why did you choose this topic?
When my father was living in dementia, I often wondered – what is he really thinking about? He can’t tell me, but what is he thinking? Now that my mother has Alzheimer’s, I’m wondering the same thing. Her words are sometimes confused and her memories based on her latest dream, but what is she really thinking inside and just can’t communicate anymore? I wanted to explore that inner world and because of my family’s experiences, I chose the conflict of Alzheimer’s.
What do you hope readers will take away from Reverend G?
One of the things I keep hearing is that my readers appreciate the prayer life of Reverend G – that she just belts out her innermost thoughts and believes God cares about all of them. I want my readers to know that prayer is just talking with God – another facet of the relationship we have with God – that we can share anything with him at any time. And I hope that caregivers will be encouraged by these books and realize that no matter how far into the journey of Alzheimer’s their loved one is, even if their loved ones can’t tell them anymore – they are still deeply loved.
You are involved in a ministry called Gateway to Hope. Tell us a bit about that. Who might benefit from connecting with this group?
GateWay of Hope is a nonprofit organization that serves only women. Our tagline is: the helping place for hurting women. We offer counseling, groups, coaching and prayer. As the Program Director and Life Coach, I organize all the groups, train the leaders, coach women in many areas, facilitate our SOS program (Starting Over Single) and pray for women who call or come by for services. We help women who have been abused, women who are divorced, women who are stressed and over-committed and women who have suffered a loss of any kind. Basically – all women fit the profile for services at GateWay. I can do coaching via Skype and we are always available by phone to meet the needs of women. Our website is: www.GWHope.organd the phone # is 913.393.4283.
Is there something I haven’t asked that you would really like my readers to know?
With my research and the experiences of my family, it’s important for all of us to know the life stories of our loved ones. My dad loved music, so within his dementia – I communicated by singing to him. That spark of interest always flickered in his eyes when I sang. My mother’s life story includes her career of nursing, so when we need to make a change in her routine – we remind her that the doctor ordered it. Because of her career, she listens to the doctor. It’s important that we share our life stories with our children and grandchildren so that we can pass on our lives of faith, but it’s also a practical use – for our own futures. Knowing the life story is something I’ve learned and put into practice – not only in my writing, but also in life.
Where can my readers connect with you?
Where can my readers purchase the Reverend G books?
Amazon:
The Unraveling of Reverend G and Intermission for Reverend G
Note: The Unraveling of Reverend G is free on Kindle this week!
The Unraveling of Reverend G and Intermission for Reverend G
Note: The Unraveling of Reverend G is free on Kindle this week!
