Three Score Ten

M. R. Mercer invites us to reflect upon life, death and Christian faith in the latter portion of our lives. In a world that seems intent on ignoring mortality, he encourages us to engage the reality of our human limits reflectively, and with deep faith and hope. To live well, he argues, we must include in our thinking the truth that we won’t live forever.

By the summer of 1944, as the Allies moved into Belgium and Holland and it began to look like they had a chance to win the war, Sheila was at last posted to the European side of the English Channel, and was excited to think she would finally see some real action and have some adventures on the Continent. She didn’t expect it to change her life forever. While sorting through her mother Sheila’s letters, pictures, and poems after her death, Simonne Ferguson discovered a woman that she had only seen glimpses of as she was growing up. Three Score and Ten is a personal memoir of her mother’s life, from her childhood in England—the daughter of a patriotic Irish Catholic father and a middle-class English Protestant mother—to joining the British Army on the second day of WW2—a decision she never regretted—then leaving everything behind to come to Canada as a war bride, and adapting to life as a rural Ontario housewife, married to William ‘Brownie’ Eccles, and mother of four. A touching tribute to her mother, Three Score and Ten gives readers a glimpse into the life of a woman who was not afraid to stand up against injustice and for what she believed in, and who always tried to achieve her dreams, but was often frustrated and disappointed by the restrictions placed on women in the twentieth century.

Reprint of the original. The publishing house Anatiposi publishes historical books as reprints. Due to their age, these books may have missing pages or inferior quality. Our aim is to preserve these books and make them available to the public so that they do not get lost.

Ageism is too often an accepted form of bias, even though the facts support the value of aging. Airline pilots forced to retire at the arbitrary age of 65 are usually at the top of their game. Forced retirement in most organizations remove highly skilled performers as well as role models and trainers for newer generations. Instead of revelling in who we are, we begin to try to look younger as soon as possible, with 16-year-old women receiving nose and breast surgery as birthday presents. People have become inured to "losing" abilities as they age instead of appreciating new abilities that only age can bestow. Everyone extols the need for gender equality, lest we lose the talents of half of our population. Yet, people over 65 are currently 15 percent of the US population (46.2 million) and is projected to rise to 34 percent. Due to the IRA legislation of the Reagan era — and the lack of need to purchase homes, college educations, cars, or health care—the discretionary assets are also substantial. It's time these people took control of their lives and influence on everything from business to politics.

Published in 1895, this memoir gives an insight into the intellectual and social world of a prominent Victorian reformer.