Eric, as a young child, found himself in friendships with people in their golden years. In mid-life, he realized that his own perspective on life, death and relationships had been powerfully shaped by these unique friendships. Poignant, funny, yet gently instructional, Treasury is a collection of engaging stories about Eric Bergeson's lifetime spent amongst a small town's aging population.
This book comes straight from the heart, and Eric's genuine and lifelong love of the elderly is evident in each story and on every page. If every old person had the same kind of relationship Eric had with Aunt Olive, we would wipe out the crisis of eldercare in one loving heartbeat. The reader will enjoy absorbing this compassionate volume, and hopefully readers will emulate Eric's approach and love for the old souls in our midst. The reader will also fall in love with this extraordinary author who happens to be my favorite and beloved cousin. Fondly, The Reverend Dr. Kristina Bergeson Campbell
It made me laugh and cry but most of all, I was brought into an intimate look at Eric's relationships with the elderly. The book is full of small stories highlighting those unique, small town relationships. He is a gifted writer. I haven't enjoyed a book this much in a very long time! - Brian Goldernman
I just finished this book. I have such a smile on my face and a feeling of such goodness in my heart. I LOVE Eric Bergeson . . . and the fact of the matter is, I've never talked to him LIVE . . . but I've read many of his words and have to say that I've enjoyed darn near all of them. "A Treasury of Old Souls" is feel good book filled with stories of elderly people in Eric's small town, Fertile, Minnesota. Daily life, characteristic quirks, funny and sad. He's SUCH a great storyteller, spinning in and out of memories, tales and important lessons of life . . . and death. -Mackenzie
Fertile Minnesota must be just down the road from Lake Wobegon. The old folks are kissin’ cousins to the “Lakers” we’ve come to love.
Eric Bergeson has caught their essence first from his childhood experiences with them and then as an adult finding deeper understanding of the value of relationships with aging adults.
The stories will take you from a smile to a chuckle with an occasional tear along the way. This is a great summer read or as a present to someone who grew up in the Midwest but left for the sunshine belt and may still miss the gentleness and neighborliness. It’s also a great book for those intending to be old; to ponder and develop their own value. -Molly Nelson
Orpha, at the nursery Christmas party Monday night.
Now in her mid-eighties, Orpha has worked for the nursery since the year I was born, 1964.
Orpha knows hard work…
Pie in the St. Pauli church basement, rural Thief River Falls. I spoke upstairs first, then went downstairs to choose from about a dozen kinds of pie, includingblackberry, which was one of an undetermined number of slices I ate.
