Page 8 August 29, 2019 EL SEGUNDO HERALD
Once More We Saw Stars: A Memoir by Jayson Greene
By Roz Templin, Library Assistant,
El Segundo Public Library
There is a terrible beauty in the grief-stricken
words of Jayson Greene as he describes the
accident that killed his daughter. In this
searing story, the author rewinds time and
Entertainment
describes in affecting prose what happened
to two- year-old Greta during a visit to her
grandmother one afternoon in New York
City. He and his wife Stacy rush to the
hospital and discover that Greta’s injury is so
severe that she will never wake up. Jayson
revisits the unimaginable and recounts their
last hours with their tiny daughter, shared
with both the loving assistance and also,
seemingly heartless treatment they receive
from medical staff.
This is not just a tale of misery and woe,
however. There are touching memories of
Greta in anecdotes of her short time on this
Earth: Jayson singing “Between the Bars,” a
song by Elliott Smith, to Greta every night.
The way Greta would pat his shoulder &
say” It’s OK, Daddy” when he felt frustrated
or tired. Greta’s “milk drunk” expression.
As a reader (or listener, as I experienced
the library’s book on CD format), it is easy
to smile but also easy to flinch from these
memories.
Jayson and Stacy’s travels through circuitous
pathways of anguish lead them to several
methods of dealing with their loss. They
attend a retreat seminar led by an author, a
yoga teacher and a medium named Maureen.
It is the portion devoted to Maureen that
Check It Out
captivates me: Maureen “works” the room
with a microphone, somewhat like a standup
comedian, pacing the room and spouting
rapid-fire stories. She explains that she is
coaxing her audience to laugh, cry, “…those
activities help bring our energies up, and that
helps me tune in to you.” No matter how
you might feel about “ghost whisperers”, it’s
difficult not to buy in a bit here. There is
much more impact when you listen to the
book on CD to Jayson’s description of fellow
attendee Peter and Maureen’s disclosures
about his recently deceased brother. Cold
reading? Perhaps. There might be a shiver
when Jayson and Stacy get their own “message”
from Greta.
The reader is carried along as Jayson and
Stacy navigate grief groups and their families,
friends and strangers as they seek to
find balance and healing. And there is the
Golden Willow Retreat: a place built by a
grief-stricken man who lost his entire family
in a succession of sad twists of fate. It is
a “resting place for those in deep grief.” It
is here that our valiant couple participate in
healing ceremonies administered by “Jim,” a
counselor schooled in indigenous shamanic
rituals. Finding themselves pregnant again,
Jayson and Stacy find a bridge to Greta and
the new life they carry, Harrison.
This is a book that will stay with you for
some time after you read/listen to it. You
will share in its humanity, cry in its sorrow,
and feel righteous anger for a mother and
father forced to continue on when their family’s
light has been extinguished. And you
will share their hope for a future that honors
the past without dwelling in it.
Ask our library staff for suggestions of
items like this and other available new books,
films and music. •
Once More We Saw Stars: A Memoir by Jayson Greene Roz Templin
Homelessness from front page
of Mental Health to assist in helping those who
are homeless and/or suffering a mental crisis.
Regionally, El Segundo is part of Service
Planning Area (SPA) 8 –a coordinated entry
system (CES) for youth, individuals and families
experiencing homelessness. The CES brings
together existing regional programs under one
umbrella to access the best resources that can
meet their needs. The network includes street
outreach, crisis housing and individual support.
Those needing assistance can get connected by
calling the information and referral line “211.”
Among those who would use 211 are adults
with legal custody of a minor-aged child (or
children), mother-to-be in her third trimester,
mother-to-be with a high-risk pregnancy, and
parents under 18 with legal custody of a minor
child. The 211 line additionally caters to those
literally homeless, including living out of a
vehicle, as well as others in a serious hous-
ing crisis – and also those with incomes at or
below 50 percent of the annual area mean.
El Segundo Police Chief Bill Whalen pointed
out that it is unrealistic to believe that homelessness
itself can be eliminated. The way his
department measures success in addressing the
problem is “by minimizing the impacts that
homeless has on our community.” While the
homeless count rose from 15 to 19 from 2018
to 2019, Whalen noted that call complaints
about homelessness decreased over the last
year. “Homelessness itself is not a crime,” he
said, adding that he and the department “take
personal pride in helping to manage this issue”
with compassion.
Those who are homeless, on the verge of
becoming so or know someone else in a similar
predicament may contact Officer Marco Lemus
at mlemus@elsegundo.org for assistance. He
can also be reached at 310-524-2200. •
Calendar of Events from page 2
• El Segundo Kiwanis Club Meeting, 12:10
PM., The Lakes at El Segundo, Contact:
elsegundokiwanis.org.
WEDNESDAY, SEPT 4
• Bowling, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM, 50 Plus,
Senior Club of El Segundo, Gable House
Bowl, 22501 Hawthorne Blvd., Torrance,
Cost: $8.50 for 3 games, Call Joyce at:
310-322-7621.
THURSDAY, SEPT 5
• El Segundo Certified Farmer’s Market, 3:00
PM. – 7:00 PM., located on Main Street,
Downtown El Segundo.
• El Segundo Historical Committee Meeting,
7:00 PM. – 8:00 PM., El Segundo Public
Library, 111 W. Mariposa Ave., Call Sari:
310-364-0117
FRIDAY, SEPT 6
• Bingo, 1:00 PM. - 3:00 PM., 50 Plus, $3.00
minimum, Senior Club of El Segundo, 339
Sheldon Street
• Yoga in Library Park, 8:30 AM. – 9:30
AM., All levels of experience welcome,
Meet at the Gazebo in Library Park.
SATURDAY, SEPT 7
• Saturday Night Dance, 7:00 PM. – 9:45 PM.,
Cost: $5.00 Per Person, Adults of all Ages
Welcome, Senior Club of El Segundo, 339
Sheldon St., Call: 310-524-2705.
• Heritage Room Open to the Public, 1:00
PM. – 3:00 PM., El Segundo Public Library,
111 W. Mariposa Ave., Call Sari:
310-364-0117.
SUNDAY, SEPT 8
• Bridge & Pinochle Groups, 11:30 AM. –
3:45 PM, Senior Club of El Segundo, 339
Sheldon St., Call Pam at: 310-318-2856.
MONDAY, SEPT 9
• Maker Monday: Story Scroll Wreaths,
12:00 PM. – 1:00 PM., El Segundo Public
Library, 111 W. Mariposa Ave., Call:
310-524-2728.
• High School Teens: Travel Tic-Tac-Toe,
3:00 PM., El Segundo Public Library, 111
W. Mariposa Ave., Call: 310-524-2728.
• Canasta Group, 11:30 AM. – 3:00 PM., 50
Plus, Free, Senior Club of El Segundo, 339
Sheldon St., Call Pam at: 310-318-2856.
TUESDAY, SEPT 10
• Board of Education Meeting, 7:00 PM.,
District Administrative Offices – Board
Room 641 Sheldon St. •
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