Sit Stay Heal: How an Underachieving Labrador Won Our Hearts and Brought Us Peace
By: Mel C. Miskimen / Narrated By: Pam Ward
Length: 8 hrs and 16 mins
Life after Loss… and plenty o’ Laughs?!
Well, kinda yeh!
It’s a combo of the Writing, not to mention narrator Pam Ward hitting Sit Stay Heal straight outta the park with her performance of author Mel C. Miskimen’s chronicle of Life after the Loss of her mother.
Indeed, tho’ I’m doing this audiobook for Father’s Day as it pertains to developing a bond with Dad after their great loss, this goes so thoroughly into Miskimen’s mom’s life… and death… that this could eeeeasily land in Mom’s Day as well.
Early on in the audiobook, Miskimen valiantly attempts to show Seamus’s, her young black Lab’s, skills in a Retriever Show. He’s sooo poorly-trained, sooo easily distracted, that Chaos Ensues. Chaos AND Extreme Embarrassment when the pair o’ them are unceremoniously chucked outta the venue, very much disqualified and in great shame.
Life with Seamus is never boring, whether he’s following her everywhere (Think: But of COURSE into the shower, and as she’s on the commode!), or he’s swallowing stuff he most certainly should NOT. He’s easily bored, so rambunctious, what’s a middle-aged gal to do?
Well, after the loss of her mom, Miskimen starts spending greater and greater amounts of time with her silently, stoically grieving father. Dad was once a cop, hard-nosed and knowing EVERYone but keeping most at arm’s distance. Further, he knows people at the Kennel Club, so when Miskimen declares that Seamus will once AGAIN be entered into the Retriever Contest, he’s just hoping not to be embarrassed. Still, the man knows dogs, knows Retriever training methods, and he’s game to spend time with his daughter trying to do the impossible: Instill some manners in Seamus, and p’raps? Who knows? Maybe even give the dog a Job, a Purpose.
So that’s what the Publisher’s Summary posits the story will be about, but really? Think Erma Bombeck and her thoughts and words and essays on Family Life. This is a series of rather cleverly conceived events in the lives of Miskimen and her family.
There’s plenty of Grief to go around as the family deals with so many Firsts Without Mom throughout the year. There’s the First Christmas without her, but that is also an opportunity for Miskimen to out herself as being That Mom: The one who ardently declares not to get her ANYthing for Christmas but whose lower lip trembles as aaaallll the gifts are unwrapped, the pile has disappeared and whazzis? NONE were for her?!
This could seem annoying, but with Miskimen’s writing prowess, her ability to make things warmhearted and emotionally evocative on the one hand all whilst being Tongue-In-Cheek-ish on the other? And with the (NOT) liberal sprinkling of cleverly-situated swear word here and there to state a point quite clearly? Why, even tho’ I’d been getting misty-eyed about Mom’s illness, the fracas in putting up the Christmas Village for Dad wound up making me kinda sorta chuckle… most unexpectedly.
Indeed, I didn’t foresee chortling throughout this at all. But Miskimen sees the humor in everything, even whilst conveying great sadness and grief. No mean feat there, I assure you.
Throw in a Stand Up And Cheer Retriever Contest, wind all up with a solid ending, make all the members of her family feel like old friends, and this turned out to be a bit of a Yessss! for me.
Unexpected, greatly appreciated, deeply heartfelt, and Pam Ward delivered an awesome performance.
Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, Grief, and even In Your Face Humor? Now THAT’S an audiobook that hits on a LOT of cylinders!!!
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