The author has collected an assortment of poems and prose pieces drawn from several phases of his life. Some offer personal reflections on both childhood and recent family occurrences. Here bird songs and political events in Belfast rub shoulders, ducks on a pond and rainy days in the mountains. Embracing silence and playing with family pets. A second section contains a collection of incidental "there and then" and "here and now" poems, merging childhood reflections of scary places, visiting relatives, and receiving gifts with adult reconsiderations of those and other remembered times. The final section is an "in memorium" of sorts, containing a chronological journal of laments on the death of the author's wife and grandson, reflections on being a widower, and the joys of learning to dance again in the midst of grief.
The poetry is casual, unforced, sometime almost stream-of-consciousness. An element of curiosity and openness surfaces repeatedly, and also a sensitivity to those zones of life that are likely to remain mysterious. In one poem a casual description of car repairs leads to insights about how to realign aspects of the poet's own daily routines, including such advice as "put more miles in your life, not in your car." The entire collection, in fact, might be described as an effort to appreciate both life's straight and narrow roads and also the curves, intersections, other drivers.
A long, rhymed poem about the simple act of taking a walk is followed by a description of volunteer work at a local coop, with plenty of opportunities to reflect on the wonders of daily living, and then a third describing the challenges of responding to a grandson's struggles with addiction.
One reviewer notes that "these poems reflect on deep questions with a light touch." Another observes that "whether reflecting on childhood, community or grief, the author invites readers to walk alongside him through life's meanderings."
Ted Bowman grew up in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the middle son of his family. After college and seminary, he worked in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and both Winston-Salem and Charlotte, North Carolina before moving to Minnesota in 1977.
He has been a grief and family educator for over 50 years as a frequent trainer, consultant, and speaker with many groups throughout Minnesota, the United States, and other countries. Ted was an adjunct professor at the University of Minnesota (Family Education) 1981-2012; at the University of Saint Thomas (Social Work) 2006-2019; and at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities 1989-1996.
Ted is the author of more than 125 articles and chapters appearing in books, journals, newspapers, and magazines. His booklets, Loss of Dreams: A Special Kind of Grief, and Finding Hope When Dreams Have Shattered are widely used in grief care. Crossroads: Stories at the Intersections was published in 2008. He and Elizabeth Johnson co-edited The Wind Blows, the Ice Breaks (2010), a volume of poems by Minnesota poets addressing themes of loss and renewal. He and Betsy Brown co-edited It Starts with Hope (2016), a book of writing and images of hope to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Center for Victims of Torture. Ambiguous Parables: Poems and Prose of Loss and Renewal was published in November of 2021.
Ted is the father and stepfather of four children and a grandfather of five "grand" children, four alive and one dead but alive in memory and love. His wife, Marge, died in July 2020.
"This book brings the reader on a journey of reflection and wisdom gained across a lifetime of living through life's ups and downs. Love, laughter, and loss are treated in equal measure with honesty and realism." — Brid Carrol, Bereavement Psychotherapist and Educator, Ireland
"This is a powerful and tender collection, vibrant with imagery, story and heart song of the continuing bonds of a deep and enduring love. A poetic companion for the fellow traveler on the path of reminiscence, it is also a primer for re-establishing connection to one's changing self." — Nancy Scherlong, clinical social worker, poetry and journal therapist, certified grief educator
"Layered with both the serious and the whimsical, these poems touch on the duality of being and living within the both/and. Ted takes us along his personal journey of grief, and articulates well the visceral truth and ambiguity of loss. This book makes the heart swell." — Jim Heymans, MSW, LICSW, bereavement and grief counselor
"Ted's book is shaped by decades of experience as a teacher, grief counselor, and observer of the human journey. Whether reflecting on childhood, community, or grief, Ted invites readers to walk alongside him through life's meanderings." — Melissa Lundquist, BSW program director and associate professor School of Social Work, University of St. Thomas
"From the vantage point of age, the author shares episodes from a life lived with curiosity and love. Grief in bereavement can be lonely, painful, or tangled in social forms, but surprisingly, it may also sometimes be welcomed. Reading this collection, you feel you are travelling with an experienced and reassuring companion, receiving abundant gifts along the way." — Fiona Hamilton, head of programme, Creative Writing for Therapeutic Purposes, Metanoia Institute, London
