A Home Built from Love and Loss
A Home Built from Love and Loss

Author: Sabrina McDonald

Publisher: Focus on the Family

Published: 2024-02-01

Total Pages: 297

ISBN-13: 1646071026

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Grieving is part of every blended family. Sabrina and her new husband were both widowed when their families blended, so grieving was expected. They recognized the losses suffered in their families would take time to heal. What they have since learned is that every blended family experiences grieving--whether you are widowed or divorced. And the process usually takes longer than expected. Sabrina vulnerably shares her personal experiences and struggles, revealing her mistakes and fears that she had early on in her new marriage and with her new family. In A Home Built from Love and Loss, you'll learn towork through different parenting styles as a stepmother or stepfather;parent kids in different ages and stages of development (hormones, personalities, and power dynamics);compassionately address chaos and hurt feelings together and independently;deal with feelings of gui“/li>handle initial rejection from stepchildren;glean biblical wisdom on how to do life together with grace;connect better on an emotional level with your newly-formed family while keeping traditions that have grounded your family; andhonor the bereaved or divorced spouse.For anyone facing the challenges of blended families, A Home Built from Love and Loss offers practical advice and spiritual guidance to find hope in the midst of grief.

Second Firsts
Second Firsts

Author: Christina Rasmussen

Publisher:

Published: 2013

Total Pages: 217

ISBN-13: 1401940838

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Presents a guide for dealing with grief and loss, detailing five steps of healing that can lead to a lifestyle alignment with personal values and new possibilities for a re-engaged life. --Publisher's description.

In Bohemia
In Bohemia

Author: Katie Swenson

Publisher: Schiffer Publishing

Published: 2020-09-28

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 9780764359972

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The day her fiancé died suddenly of a heart attack, Katie Swenson retreated to "Bohemia," the third-floor loft that the couple had renovated in their home in Wellesley, Massachusetts, and began to write. A visceral account of grief and the profound kindness that resonates around it, this is also the story of her hundred-year-old house, named the "Scarab" after the Egyptian symbol for rebirth, and the two courageous women who built it a century earlier--Wellesley College professors Katharine Coman and her partner Katharine Lee Bates, author of "America the Beautiful." Parallel lives unfold in the magical third-floor loft, where Coman died, where Bates mourned, and where Swenson wrote and wrote through that first searing year, held up by their spirits. Told with rare emotional power, In Bohemia is a meditation on love, family, and community and inspires us to be our best selves.

The Blessings of Loneliness
The Blessings of Loneliness

Author: Sabrina McDonald

Publisher: CreateSpace

Published: 2014-09-16

Total Pages: 156

ISBN-13: 9781501023347

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Sabrina McDonald's book The Blessings of Loneliness suggests that those who experience loneliness don't need to pursue marriage as the ultimate answer to their hurt, but they need to embrace the blessings that come through the pain. Having dealt with loneliness as a single woman and again as a widow for more than three years, McDonald proposes that loneliness itself is not a blessing, but the fruit that comes through it is. So many Christians forget that God calls His people to the low places. He calls us to be humble and meek. He even calls us to give up everything to follow Christ. None of these come easily, and they often require pain. But we've been promised recognition, grace, inheritance, and everlasting life in return. The same is true for the pain that comes through loneliness. Feelings of rejection and relational hurt force a person to die to his own desires, reach out to others, and find intimacy in Christ, but in return, God has promised a life filled with blessings if we reach within the pain and put our trust in Him. In The Blessings of Loneliness, McDonald encourages singles to see marriage as a calling, not a cure. She also encourages them to see singleness as a calling, and to take advantage of their time in order to reach others with the love of Christ. Throughout the book, McDonald uses her own experience and testimonies of others to prove that loneliness can bring about the abundant life. She uses scripture to back up her words of inspiration and wisdom, and each chapter contains practical steps that lead the lonely single down the path of a deeper relationship with Christ. Many men and women struggling with loneliness have found hope through this message. Here are a few personal testimonies: "You don't know what a blessing this has been. It has been such a message of confirmation and of comfort! Earlier this year, my Dad told me to continue being busy for God. Don't worry about timetables and how things look with regards to not being sent a mate.... Isn't it awesome to realize that God is more than enough for you? I just loved your words and I could write on and on...just wanted you to know that your testimony has blessed me and so many others!" "Thank you for this testimony. I am single now after separation from my husband. Reading your story is very comforting to me." "Thank you for that encouraging word. I'm a turning-27-single myself and I could identify with all the struggles you went through. Most of my friends can also relate to your valley experiences as a single. Praise God for the love and assurance of His presence every day. Although loneliness is a physical reality, when a woman chooses to run to the even more real presence of God by faith, she'll learn to embrace the joys and challenges of single-blessedness. I realize I am only beginning this journey of discovering these, and I thank God that he's my guide and fellow sojourner. I hope you'll continue to minister to singles and point them to Jesus!" "I just read The Blessings of Loneliness, and I appreciate your sharing such profound words of wisdom. I have been in the season of singleness for what seems like an eternity. While seeking God to satisfy the desire for a mate, I too discovered His love for me, and now I can't stop talking about Him. God bless you in your endeavors." The Blessings of Loneliness is a message of hope and healing for singles in any stage of life. The book is an easy short read with many stories that will draw the interest of a variety of readership. It's guaranteed to inspire anyone who struggles with feeling alone.

Option B
Option B

Author: Sheryl Sandberg

Publisher: Knopf

Published: 2017-04-24

Total Pages: 241

ISBN-13: 1524732699

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#1 NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • From authors of Lean In and Originals: a powerful, inspiring, and practical book about building resilience and moving forward after life’s inevitable setbacks After the sudden death of her husband, Sheryl Sandberg felt certain that she and her children would never feel pure joy again. “I was in ‘the void,’” she writes, “a vast emptiness that fills your heart and lungs and restricts your ability to think or even breathe.” Her friend Adam Grant, a psychologist at Wharton, told her there are concrete steps people can take to recover and rebound from life-shattering experiences. We are not born with a fixed amount of resilience. It is a muscle that everyone can build. Option B combines Sheryl’s personal insights with Adam’s eye-opening research on finding strength in the face of adversity. Beginning with the gut-wrenching moment when she finds her husband, Dave Goldberg, collapsed on a gym floor, Sheryl opens up her heart—and her journal—to describe the acute grief and isolation she felt in the wake of his death. But Option B goes beyond Sheryl’s loss to explore how a broad range of people have overcome hardships including illness, job loss, sexual assault, natural disasters, and the violence of war. Their stories reveal the capacity of the human spirit to persevere . . . and to rediscover joy. Resilience comes from deep within us and from support outside us. Even after the most devastating events, it is possible to grow by finding deeper meaning and gaining greater appreciation in our lives. Option B illuminates how to help others in crisis, develop compassion for ourselves, raise strong children, and create resilient families, communities, and workplaces. Many of these lessons can be applied to everyday struggles, allowing us to brave whatever lies ahead. Two weeks after losing her husband, Sheryl was preparing for a father-child activity. “I want Dave,” she cried. Her friend replied, “Option A is not available,” and then promised to help her make the most of Option B. We all live some form of Option B. This book will help us all make the most of it.

Continuing Bonds
Continuing Bonds

Author: Dennis Klass

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2014-05-12

Total Pages: 388

ISBN-13: 1317763602

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First published in 1996. This new book gives voice to an emerging consensus among bereavement scholars that our understanding of the grief process needs to be expanded. The dominant 20th century model holds that the function of grief and mourning is to cut bonds with the deceased, thereby freeing the survivor to reinvest in new relationships in the present. Pathological grief has been defined in terms of holding on to the deceased. Close examination reveals that this model is based more on the cultural values of modernity than on any substantial data of what people actually do. Presenting data from several populations, 22 authors - among the most respected in their fields - demonstrate that the health resolution of grief enables one to maintain a continuing bond with the deceased. Despite cultural disapproval and lack of validation by professionals, survivors find places for the dead in their on-going lives and even in their communities. Such bonds are not denial: the deceased can provide resources for enriched functioning in the present. Chapters examine widows and widowers, bereaved children, parents and siblings, and a population previously excluded from bereavement research: adoptees and their birth parents. Bereavement in Japanese culture is also discussed, as are meanings and implications of this new model of grief. Opening new areas of research and scholarly dialogue, this work provides the basis for significant developments in clinical practice in the field.

Open the Windows of Heaven
Open the Windows of Heaven

Author: Barbour Publishing Staff

Publisher: Barbour Publishing

Published: 2013-12

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781624166914

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Every woman can use some heaven-sent blessings in her day. Here, in a brand-new book, are simple, heartfelt devotions that will speak to women of all ages Overflowing with thoughtful devotions, prayers, memorable quotations, and Bible promises, you’ll find the blessings, encouragement, joy, and comfort your heart truly desires.

Too Much Loss: Coping with Grief Overload
Too Much Loss: Coping with Grief Overload

Author: Alan Wolfelt

Publisher: Companion Press

Published: 2020-09-01

Total Pages: 53

ISBN-13: 1617222887

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Grief overload is what you feel when you experience too many significant losses all at once, in a relatively short period of time, or cumulatively. In addition to the deaths of loved ones, such losses can also include divorce, estrangement, illness, relocation, job changes, and more. Our minds and hearts have enough trouble coping with a single loss, so when the losses pile up, the grief often seems especially chaotic and defeating. The good news is that through intentional, active mourning, you can and will find your way back to hope and healing. This compassionate guide will show you how.

Tiny Beautiful Things
Tiny Beautiful Things

Author: Cheryl Strayed

Publisher: Vintage

Published: 2012-07-10

Total Pages: 370

ISBN-13: 0307949338

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NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Soon to be a Hulu Original series • The internationally acclaimed author of Wild collects the best of The Rumpus's Dear Sugar advice columns plus never-before-published pieces. Rich with humor and insight—and absolute honesty—this "wise and compassionate" (New York Times Book Review) book is a balm for everything life throws our way. Life can be hard: your lover cheats on you; you lose a family member; you can’t pay the bills—and it can be great: you’ve had the hottest sex of your life; you get that plum job; you muster the courage to write your novel. Sugar—the once-anonymous online columnist at The Rumpus, now revealed as Cheryl Strayed, author of the bestselling memoir Wild—is the person thousands turn to for advice.