Canadian author Robert Munsch is experiencing a trying time since his stroke of fourth months ago, but he says that it is teaching him "to be very patient." It's not all lost time for Mr. Munsch while he waits to recover his writing skills because he is spending his time editing some 51 book drafts that he worked up before his stroke.
Per the Canadian Press:
Robert Munsch, the children's author whose fertile imagination has produced beloved books including "Love You Forever" and "The Paper Bag Princess," says he's been unable to create new stories since suffering a stroke four months ago....
"I try to do poetry and make up stories and it doesn't work, and (the doctors) told me that I should probably wait for a year for that to come back," he said in a recent interview from his home in Guelph, Ont.
Munsch was able to recover enough to go through with a brief Ontario book tour in the fall. And, he's scheduled to do a reading as part of the 11th annual Family Literacy Day on Jan. 27.As scary as this had to be for Munsch, I'm betting that he will make a full recovery and that he has many new stories yet to tell. He has a great attitude about everything and realizes just how lucky he was. Good luck to him.
Once he's fulfilled that obligation, however, he plans to retreat from the spotlight.
"I just scrubbed everything," said Munsch, who has been involved in Family Literacy Day, organized by ABC Canada Literacy Foundation, for six years.
While on hiatus, he plans to edit the whopping 51 book drafts he had on the go before his stroke.
"I'm just reworking the stuff that I have. I'm not doing new stuff," said Munsch, who has already written more than 50 books, the first of which was "Mud Puddle."
I didn't realize he'd had a sroke. I love The Paper Bag Princess, in particular.
ReplyDeleteStroke. Argh. Cannot type, anymore!
ReplyDeleteSam, just the other day I was profoundly reminded of a famous Munsch book, and so when I saw this blog-posting [just now] I had to smile.
ReplyDeleteSmile, although this is anything but an amusing Christmas season for me, as my mother is deathly ill in the hospital. The greater part of my every day is spent there, with her. And so, about two days ago I was there with her, all alone. When she awoke she asked for some of the things she had not finished eating, on her dinner tray. So I fed her first some peach portions, some applesauce, and then some orange jello... just little bits at a time.
I had never FED my mother before.
I said to her, "Mom, do you remember when you would feed me like this?" and she nodded yes.
As you may well imagine, in that moment I was reminded of Munsch's book "Love You Forever".
I didn't know he'd had a stroke. How sad. I hope he does make a full recovery.
ReplyDeleteBookfool, it does sound like he will make a full recovery, only a matter of time. He's really lucky to have so much work to keep him busy - that will probably speed his recovery, in fact.
ReplyDeleteCip, that's a beautiful thought, and a very true one that I can easily relate to. My dad is fast approaching 87 years of age and watching him slide down that slippery slope has not been easy for those who love him. He lives a couple of miles from me and I often feel guilty about how little time I can spend with him from week-to-week since I'm the closest one to him (I have a brother who lives about 160 miles away from Houston).
ReplyDeleteThe life cycle is inevitable, with its changing roles and attitudes between children and their parents. I know this is nothing new but experiencing it for myself, it has taught me valuable lessons about myself and my relationship with my own children. Life is beautiful - and life is harsh - we need to enjoy it while we can, that's for sure.
Amy, he looks to be one of the lucky ones when it comes to strokes. Here's hoping that he's back in business this time next year.
ReplyDelete