Never Better

Never Better: All Things Considered

By Sally A. Connolly

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q. Please tell me about your new book, Never Better?

Never Better is a journal of sorts. Through a series of essays, I show how I brought joy and laughter back into my life after the loss of my husband of thirty-seven years.

Q. Did writing the book help you to cope with your loss?

After my husband’s death two years ago, I experienced a great void, and I longed to hear his voice once again. I found that voice in his writings. To create a permanent record for others to enjoy as well, I self-published A BOY FROM LAWRENCE: The Collected Writings of Eugene F. Connolly.

As the year progressed, however, I continued to search for meaning and a way to use my time productively. Quite unintentionally, I turned to writing. An amazing sequence of events involving my daughter, Kelly, and her father’s book prompted me to share her experience.

I encouraged Kelly to record her story, but that was asking a lot. She had just survived a high risk pregnancy, and along with her newborn she had two young daughters. If anyone was to tell the story, it would have to be me. In “A Teacher’s Gift” I related the remarkable set of coincidences. The story reached a national audience when it was put on the newswires. The article was also published in Catholic Digest.

Q. What happened after you wrote this first story?

 I continued to write articles in order to bring attention to my husband’s book. My subject matter was any news item that caught my interest. Quite often the topics called for some research, and I drew upon my background in sociology, social psychology, and counseling. My community newspaper published many of these articles.

Q. Were your articles published in other places?

Several e-zines, FaithWriters.com, and Catholic.org also carried my essays. A new literary anthology published my description of the pre-Thanksgiving explosion in my hometown of Danvers. And other articles were published in Living with Loss, Senior Connection, Mature Lifestyles, and Changing Times.

Q. Did your book develop from these writings?

Never Better ties together these writings and more. The book became a way for me to wrap up another year in my journey of healing. 

Q. Did you have any other reasons for writing Never Better?

I have become increasingly conscious of the precious gift of time, and I want to leave a lasting record for my grandchildren. At some point they will want to know more about their forebears. When they ask “What was Nanee like?” I want there to be more than faded photographs.

Q. Is there anything else you would like to say to your readers?

The loss of my partner was not part of my life plan, but loss and sadness are part of the human condition. In all aspects of life, we choose how to react and, better still, how to act. As the songs says, we can choose to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and start all over again. I hope that my journey will encourage others as they confront their own challenges.

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