Books
Finding Mom
Finding Mom in the Midst of Alzheimer’s is a powerful, moving memoir written by Dianne Osmun, who experienced emotional and verbal abuse at the hands of her mother throughout her life. When her mother developed Alzheimer’s, Dianne was faced with the challenge of caring for her mother (a victim of abuse herself), negotiating not only her own traumas but her mother’s abuse as well.
Dianne uses her mental health background, experience advocating for victims of abuse, and her dementia training to guide her on the journey of ministering to her mother’s daily needs. Along the way, she gains insight into the circumstances that molded her mother’s psyche. It is truly a story of healing, reconciliation, and acceptance. Dianne learns to overcome her own feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt, while also learning to forgive her mother and accept her as she is now.
Through Dianne’s narrative, readers will experience the pain, confusion, frustration, levity, and joy infused in the stories of dealing with dementia on a daily basis. They will gain insight into caring for a loved one suffering from dementia.
It is a roller-coaster ride trying to achieve a balance between the duty and loyalty of caring for a parent, reconciling the past, establishing a new paradigm of familial relationships, and creating self-worth within healthy boundaries. Although difficult, Dianne’s transparent story makes it easier for all of us.
Creston
Creston is part of Arcadia Publishing’s Images of America, which is a collection of chronicles that capture the essence of what gives each American small town, neighborhood, and downtown its unique flavor. Creston features historic photographs, along with personal stories, local memories, and unique perspectives to bring to life the people and events that have shaped the community of Creston, Iowa.
The town of Creston sprang to life on the summit of the high prairie, where railroad officials pitched their camp one night in 1868. Creston was chosen as the division point between the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. The railroad brought its machine shops; roundhouse, and a rip-roaring, brawling construction camp to the new town. By 1869, the area was platted, and construction began. Creston became an overnight industrial and transportation center, earning the nickname of “Little Chicago.” In 1879, Robert Louis Stevenson implied that the Wild West began in Creston. He reported his first encounter with the open display of handguns in Creston when a passenger, without a ticket, was thrown from a moving train. He later wrote, “They were speaking English all around me, but I knew I was in a foreign land. It was the first indication that I had come among revolvers, and I observed it with some emotion.”