Title Thumbnail

A Finished Life

9781969183188
240 pages
Little Creek Press
Overview

I might as well plant white coral bells and wait for the fairies to sing.

Adi closed her notebook.

But creating a wildflower garden in the woods on this side of her farmhouse was a good idea, and she wouldn't be deterred by age or disability.

Adelaide 'Adi' Simms, in her 70s and retired from a successful business career, embarks on a new 'life plan' to become a wildflower gardener, stay young, and minimize the effects of multiple sclerosis. She finds garden clubs willing to help, and forms relationships with Jack Nolte, author and environmentalist, and Barbara, his half-sister.

It's a good start, but relationships are complicated. As Adi and Jack fall in love, she learns his marital status is problematic, a conflict of trust for Adi. Meanwhile, Adi encounters her own family complications, including her sister's disapproval of her relationship with Jack. To make matters worse, Adi falls and suffers a disheartening injury indicative of MS health problems to come.

Struggling to make sense of life after more than 70 years, Adi confronts her problems and recognizes she has no time for mistakes, that today's decisions will likely become her legacy. Falling back on well-honed business skills rather than continuing to focus on MS weakness, Adi chooses possibility over limitation. And with a little help from Jack …

Author Bio
Susan Ring is the author of A Finished Life, her debut novel inspired by more than forty years of living with multiple sclerosis. Following a career in business communications and executive leadership, she devoted her later years to education and creative writing, exploring themes of resilience, relationships, and finding meaning in every season of life. Susan is a member of the Mississippi Valley Writers Guild and the Wisconsin Writers Association. She and her husband live in Wisconsin's Mississippi River Valley, where she enjoys reading, music, yoga, travel, and tending native wildflower gardens.