Between Living and Dying

Busy and deeply absorbed in all the complexity of life, Ruth Scott's packed diary suddenly had to be cleared when she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. She said, 'Discovering that life might be shorter than expected or hoped for concentrates the mind wonderfully. Whatever life is left to me, I do not want to waste it.' In the final months of her life, in the shadows between living and dying, she learned to live with the extremes of treatments that were as aggressive as the disease - and with daily ups and downs that created constant uncertainty. Throughout it all, Ruth creatively explored - through insight, literature, poetry and song - what life is about and how it should be lived. This book is the result. Here, she cuts through all the things in life that we waste our energies on. She explores the depth of life in ways that allow for doubt, absence and uncertainty while also making room for mystery and understanding beyond rational limitations. As she reflects on how we relate (or not) to each other, to the environment and to the 'more-than-me-ness' of life, she offers real inspiration for us all.

Ruth Scott was a writer, mediator and facilitator, working mainly in the field of conflict transformation.  She was one of the first women to be ordained as priests in the Church of England, and has also been a member of the Quakers since 2014. Her previous books include Slipstreams for Healing Souls (SPCK, 2006), Give a Boy a Gun (Darton, Longman & Todd, 2009) and The Power of Imperfection (SPCK, 2014). She passed away in February 2019.