Description: Raised in rural Saskatchewan in a traditional Mennonite home, Lloyd Ratzlaff and his soul-brother "Bindy" spent their early lives navigating the dogma of their religion and the contrition of the Mennonite language, always seeking relief from its dated mythology and attempting to bear the emotional freight of leaving it behind. Then, as Bindy's health began to wane like the moon he once cried for as a child, he reconnected with the religious tradition he had left behind while his cousin and best friend sought an escape.
In a series of reflections which combine elegy and joyful nostalgia, Ratzlaff undertakes a philosophical journey through careers as a minister, a counsellor, and a university instructor, while seeking his own personal deliverance. With humour and grace he recounts episodes from a life spent seeking an ideal spirituality, poignantly conveying the difficulty of such a quest.Brief description: Bindy's Moon is the third book in Lloyd Ratzlaff's series of literary essays. Ratzlaff is the editor of an anthology of seniors' writings published by READ Saskatoon and a monthly columnist for Prairie Messenger Catholic Journal. He has served on the boards of local, provincial, and national writing organizations and has taught writing classes for the University of Saskatchewan Certificate in Art & Design (USCAD) and the Western Development Museum. Ratzlaff lives in Saskatoon.
Review Quotes: "Lloyd Ratzlaff turns a retrospective eye over times and places in his life and of those people who have nourished him and who he too has nourished on the spiritual roller-coaster that has been his life. Ratzlaff writes highly engaging prose that can be at times both surprising and disturbing, both witty and wise, but which always resonates with honesty. Bindy's Moon is a wonderful, deeply moving read, cover to cover." - Glen Sorestad
"Bindy's Moon is a wise and honest attempt to address the larger metaphysical issues that challenge us all. A keenly detailed, often lyrical exploration of love, loss, and courage." - Tim Bowling "While a personal narrative, Bindy's Moon speaks to a larger element of myth, lore, and legend . . . Bindy's Moon invites the reader in to a simple life quest: to care for and remember those we love." - Lori A. May