Playing Life by Ear: Notes from Eighty-Nine Years of Living, Learning, Laughing, Loving, and Believing

"From her life stories, Doris Markland has chosen the best and shares them easily with
humor and depth. Read about

• Her grandparents’ 1828-mile auto trip to California in 1926 (on dirt roads!)

• How she won big prizes with 25 words or less

• How she quit smoking and taught hundreds to quit

• Her surprising connection to Hawaii

• Our cultural journey from handshakes to hugs

• The magic of family experience

• The importance of spiritual heirlooms

• The wisdom of children

• The lighter side of aging

Her serious poetry is thoughtful, her light verse delightful. This is a side table book
for easy reading moments, and a perfect gift for the one who says “PLEASE, no more
gifts unless it is small, can be used right now, or is something to eat.” You’ll find plenty
of food for thought in this book as Doris Markland looks back over eighty-nine
years of living, learning, laughing, loving and believing. As she says on her blog, her
writing is for sharp older people and their middle-aged kids. It appeals to those who
are religious, those who consider themselves spiritual and those who profess neither
but have an interest in pursuing the meaning of life. A potpouri of gifts, this is a
remarkable and soul-filled collection of writing.

In Playing Life By Ear, Doris Markland takes the reader through tender poignant moments
in one chapter, heartwarming chuckles in another. Writing from the fullness of her heart, she
draws her readers into a beautiful new friendship and inspires them to meet life’s challenges
with understanding and enthusiasm.

– Addie Scheve, author, motivational speaker, former Nebraska Mother of the Year."