About
Dancing in My Nightgown
Married when
she was barely 19, Betty Auchard went straight from her parents’
home to her husband’s bed. When she loses Denny to cancer
after almost 49 years of marriage, widowhood forces Betty to find
out what she can do on her own. She has a lot to learn, having never
been single before. These short, upbeat, inspiring stories tell
us how this spunky septuagenarian survives—she decides to
dance instead of sitting on the sidelines. Betty laughs and cries
her way through grief and, ultimately, comes to see her situation
as normal. “None of us is going to get out of this alive,
and someone is always going to be left behind feeling sad.”
Betty shares her journey of widowhood with poignancy and humor.
She places “guy”
things around her bedroom so the plumber won’t realize that
she lives alone. She sweats at the gym, flirts with gray-haired
men, swims laps, and then tirelessly dances into the night. Betty’s
road to self-sufficiency is filled with laughter, creativity, connection,
and transformation—and
tears, self doubt, and lonely nights. Through it all, Betty lands
firmly on her feet, ready for whatever comes next. The story on
the last page, “Dear Online Matchmaking Service” doesn’t
feel like an ending at all because, really, it’s just the
beginning.
|
