Love, Life, and Lucille: Lessons Learned from a Centenarian

by Judy Gaman

Overview

Judy Gaman was so busy making a name for herself that she barely took the time to meet a stranger, enjoy life, or simply stop to breathe. Immersed in her job as the director of business development for a high-profile medical practice—a job that required her to write health and wellness books and host a nationally syndicated radio show—she spent every day going full speed ahead with no looking back. That is, until the day she met Lucille Fleming.

While writing a book on longevity, Judy interviewed Lucille, an elegant and spirited woman who had just recently turned 100. Lucille had the fashion and style of old Hollywood, but it was all hidden behind the doors of her assisted living center. What began as a quick meeting became a lasting friendship that transformed into an inseparable bond. Lucille brought incredible wisdom and great stories to the table, while Judy provided an avenue for excitement and new opportunities. Together, the two began living life to the fullest, and meeting the most interesting people along the way (including Suzanne Somers). But then Lucille’s life came to an end through unexpected and unfortunate circumstances—and the very first lesson she ever taught Judy proved to be the most important one of all.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781631528828
Publisher:	She Writes Press
Publication date:	04/14/2020
Pages:	379
Sales rank:	1,106,908
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Author, speaker, and CEO Judy Gaman is a force to be reckoned with. She spent almost a decade as a nationally syndicated radio show host of the Staying Young Show. She now hosts the Stay Young America! podcast. She is an award-winning author whose past works have won accolades from the Beverly Hills Book Award (finalist), National Indie Excellence Awards, Next Generation Indie Book Awards, and ForeWord Magazine’s Book of the Year Awards (bronze), as well as earned a Readers’ Favorite 5-star review. A mother of ten and grandmother of five, she lives in Texas with her husband.

Table of Contents

Foreword ix

1 The Day that Changed My Life 1

2 Morning Tea 7

3 The Treadmill 14

4 Serendipitous 25

5 The Tour 35

6 Gift of a Lifetime 42

7 Almost Famous 49

8 Miss America 61

9 Starry Night 72

10 Wiggin' 81

11 No Place Like Home 88

12 The Simplicity of Apple Pie 103

13 Vacations 113

14 Rising to the Occasion 119

15 Parting Skies (The God Story) 135

16 Not What It Seems 144

17 The Belgian Waffle 155

18 Best-Laid Plans 169

19 Memphis 184

20 The Sky's the Limit 195

21 Star-Struck 201

22 In Search of Home 211

23 Winds of Change 223

24 The Long Ride 233

25 Mission Accomplished 243

26 Play Ball! 248

27 The Prayer of Saint Lucille 254

28 The Bumpy Road 261

29 More Bumps in the Road 275

30 Out of Options 286

31 Revolving Doors 293

32 Roommates 305

33 The Big Mistake 318

34 Revival of the Ruby-Red Slippers 331

35 The Other Side of Peace 341

36 Doing Her Justice 348

37 Blueberry Cobbler 356

38 The Final Chapter 361

Epilogue 375

Acknowledgments 377

About the Author 379

Can't Get Enough of Lucille? 380

Want to Read More from Judy Gaman? 381

Editorial Reviews

2020 CIBA Hearten Book Awards Grand Prize Winner
2020 International Book Awards Finalist in Best New Non-Fiction
2020 Readers' Favorite Honorable Mention in Non-Fiction: Women's
2021 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards Silver Winner in Autobiography & Memoir
2021 NYC Big Book Awards Winner in Friendship

“Part memoir, part tribute . . . Alternately witty and touching.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“Lucille captured the lives of so many in the Dallas area and around the country. This is a behind the scenes look at how Lucille and Judy forged an inseparable bond. A story that had to be told!”
—Jane McGarry, host of Good Morning Texas

“Grab a tissue and strap in! This emotionally charged memoir will have you busting out laughing one minute and crying the next. Judy paints the picture masterfully and leaves the reader forever touched by Lucille’s wisdom. My listeners still talk about how charming Lucille was, even years after my interviewing her!”
—Marybeth Conley, anchor for WREG-TV Channel 3’s Live at 9 and host of KWAM990’s The Marybeth Conley Show

“I’ve traveled the globe studying people who live past their one hundredth birthday. What an amazing and emotional story about how friendship really knows no age. We can all learn something from this book. Prepare to laugh, cry, and laugh again—sometimes all in the same chapter!”
—Nick Buettner, Program Director, Blue Zones Project

From the Publisher