Solitary Hearts

About the Book

Solitary Hearts is the story of one woman’s struggle to stand up in her own life and accept herself.

Elizabeth Clay has lived for seventy-two years as a rather typical Southern lady, trying to please and take care of those she knows and loves. As a widow, she has raised a son and maintained a home. She is a good woman, kind and generous to a fault, but she feels inadequate, not quite good enough. She tries too hard in everything she does, which includes her inability to allow her adult son to run his own life without her constant worrying and meddling.

Due to an error on a statement from her telephone company, Elizabeth meets several people who live in a nearby town. She becomes involved in the struggles that these families are experiencing and soon finds her life entwined with theirs. She readily takes on their heartaches and sorrows as she tries to help. With these new friends, Elizabeth shares the burdens of insecurity, chronic pain, loneliness, terminal illness, loss and grief.

Now her circle of people to love and serve extends even further, beyond the friends and family she has tended for years.

In the midst of this new busy life, tragedy strikes and Elizabeth is suddenly unable to take care of herself. All her life she has been the caregiver, now she must come to terms with the fact that she is dependent on others for her most basic needs.

Worst of all, Elizabeth no longer feels worthy; she cannot feel good about herself unless she is giving and serving others. She must come to terms with the loss of her role as a caregiver, and she must find a reason to love the only person she has ever failed to love and appreciate, herself.

This is a story about the loneliness that is often created by illness, chronic pain, grief, loss, and life changes. It is a story about solitary hearts that must find their own unique and spiritual path, regardless of the love and support of other people.

About the Author

Susan Wright Bryant, a lifelong resident of North Carolina, is married with one daughter, three sons and one stepson. She is a registered nurse and writer. She has attended writing classes at both Guilford College and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her journey includes over a decade at the Greensboro News & Record as a copywriter and a hospice home health nurse.