An account of a Quaker grandmother who at 76 learns she has a year left to live. In the unlikely setting of a winterized summer cabin, coping with bodily weakness and pain, Faith weaves her year of grace into a rich tapestry of local activism and extended family togetherness as she minds the light and mends the world right up to the end.

Over the course of 15 months spanning 1968-69, Faith struggles to deal with her mortality and the pain of leaving her family. Her strong Quaker faith and a retreat to a mountain cabin sustain her. As she traces her family history through old papers and diaries, Faith connects with an earlier generation of Quaker activists, propelling her to speak out about social injustice and white privilege in her mountain community. Most important to Faith in her last year is leaving something meaningful behind for her grandchildren.

Beautifully written novel about the last fifteen months of life of a 76-year-old Quaker woman with cancer who is told she has a year left to live. Faith Smedley traveled to Europe to see some old friends there. Then she spent most of her last year in a cabin in the South Jersey Pine Barrens with a long-time friend as a companion. The time period is February 1968 through late May 1969. Events of 1968 are mentioned as they relate to Faith’s life and that of her family. Faith spends time reflecting on her own life including its joys and trials, accepts her family members with all of their differences, and remains an active member of her community. She reads letters and journals of some of her ancestors and learns more about them. She shares problems of her marriage with a daughter and later a granddaughter when they are experiencing their own problems.
Quaker values are shown in this novel written by Margaret Hope Bacon, a Quaker historian who had previously written many books about individual Friends and Quaker history. ( )

"...[A] Quaker grandmother who at 76 learns she has a year left to live. In ... a winterized summer cabin [in the Pine Barrens of South Jersey] ... Faith weaves her year of grace into a rich tapestry of local activism and extended family togetherness as she minds the light and mends the world right up to the end. Beautifully written ... (Elise Boulding). From the back cover. ( )