Losing My Reflection
Losing My Reflection

Author: Nicholas Smosna

Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform

Published: 2017-05-07

Total Pages: 126

ISBN-13: 9781544205922

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Deep in the night of June 4th, 2007, on the desert sands of California, Nick Smosna's identical twin brother, Jason, took his own life. Looking back first on the unique experience of finding themselves growing up both as individuals but simultaneously as two halves of a whole, Nick weaves a picture of the complicated but powerful connection of identical twins. The subtle decisions and twists of fate that lead to Jason's death have life altering consequences for his entire family. Taking you through the utter devastation following the suicide, Nick eloquently and profoundly details both his grief as well as his eventual redemption. The night of June 4th marked the beginning of Nick's journey through the deepest valleys of depression to eventually the most transforming moments of love. A perfect book for those affected by suicide, loss of a loved one, or struggling with grief/depression, Nick gives a poignant case for the beauty of life that can follow even the most traumatic loss.

The Running Dream
The Running Dream

Author: Wendelin Van Draanen

Publisher: Ember

Published: 2012-01-10

Total Pages: 354

ISBN-13: 0375866280

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When Jessica is told she’ll never run again, she puts herself back together—and learns to dream bigger than ever before. The acclaimed author of Flipped delivers a powerful and healing story. Jessica thinks her life is over when she loses a leg in a car accident. She’s not comforted by the news that she’ll be able to walk with the help of a prosthetic leg. Who cares about walking when you live to run? As she struggles to cope, Jessica feels that she’s both in the spotlight and invisible. People who don’t know what to say act like she’s not there. Jessica’s embarrassed to realize that she’s done the same to a girl with CP named Rosa. A girl who is going to tutor her through all the math she’s missed. A girl who sees right into the heart of her. With the support of family, friends, a coach, and her track teammates, Jessica may actually be able to run again. But that’s not enough for her now. She doesn’t just want to cross finish lines herself—she wants to take Rosa with her. “Inspirational. The pace of Van Draanen’s prose matches Jessica’s at her swiftest. Readers will zoom through the book just as Jessica blazes around the track. A lively and lovely story.” —Kirkus Reviews

Healing After Loss
Healing After Loss

Author: Martha W. Hickman

Publisher: Harper Collins

Published: 2009-06-09

Total Pages: 381

ISBN-13: 0061925772

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The classic guide for dealing with grief and loss. Daily reflections to find solace in our own lives, and comfort in the connection of sharing these meditations with countless others. After the focus on planning and outpouring of love from family and friends in the immediate aftermath following the loss of a loved one, we are left to enter a new version of our lives where someone important is missing. For days, months, years, the pain of the loss can crash in all at once. It is tempting to push that wave of grief back and soldier on with our new lives, but the loss will never lose its controlling power if we don’t find the courage and love to face it. Meditating on the loss, along with the rush of love that comes with it, gives us a chance to rejoice in the life that was shared, and to look forward in which memories of our loved ones continue to bless us. The short, poignant meditations given here follow the course of the year, but it is not a necessity to follow them chronologically. They will strengthen, inspire, and give comfort for as long as they are needed.

The Smell of Rain on Dust
The Smell of Rain on Dust

Author: Martín Prechtel

Publisher: North Atlantic Books

Published: 2015-04-14

Total Pages: 185

ISBN-13: 1583949402

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"Beautifully written and wise … [Martin Prechtel] offers stories that are precious and life-sustaining. Read carefully, and listen deeply."—Mary Oliver, National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize winner Inspiring hope, solace, and courage in living through our losses, author Martín Prechtel, trained in the Tzutujil Maya shamanic tradition, shares profound insights on the relationship between grief and praise in our culture--how the inability that many of us have to grieve and weep properly for the dead is deeply linked with the inability to give praise for living. In modern society, grief is something that we usually experience in private, alone, and without the support of a community. Yet, as Prechtel says, "Grief expressed out loud for someone we have lost, or a country or home we have lost, is in itself the greatest praise we could ever give them. Grief is praise, because it is the natural way love honors what it misses." Prechtel explains that the unexpressed grief prevalent in our society today is the reason for many of the social, cultural, and individual maladies that we are currently experiencing. According to Prechtel, "When you have two centuries of people who have not properly grieved the things that they have lost, the grief shows up as ghosts that inhabit their grandchildren." These "ghosts," he says, can also manifest as disease in the form of tumors, which the Maya refer to as "solidified tears," or in the form of behavioral issues and depression. He goes on to show how this collective, unexpressed energy is the long-held grief of our ancestors manifesting itself, and the work that can be done to liberate this energy so we can heal from the trauma of loss, war, and suffering. At base, this "little book," as the author calls it, can be seen as a companion of encouragement, a little extra light for those deep and noble parts in all of us.

Beeswing
Beeswing

Author: Richard Thompson

Publisher: Algonquin Books

Published: 2021-04-06

Total Pages: 304

ISBN-13: 1643751700

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A Rolling Stone Best Music Book of 2021 “Thompson is a master showman . . . [Beeswing is] everything you’d hope a Richard Thompson autobiography would be . . . It’s both major and minor, dirge and ditty, light on its feet but packing a punch.” —The Wall Street Journal Now Featuring an Interview with Elvis Costello In this moving, immersive, and long-awaited memoir, beloved international music legend Richard Thompson recreates the spirit of his early years, where he found, and then lost, and then found his way again. Considered one of the top twenty guitarists of all time, Thompson also belongs in the songwriting pantheon alongside Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, and Randy Newman. Here the British folk musician takes us back to the late 1960s, a period of great change and creativity for both him and the world at large. During the pivotal years of 1967 to 1975, just as he was discovering his passion for music, he formed the band Fairport Convention with some schoolmates and helped establish the genre of British folk rock. It was a thrilling period of massive tours, where Thompson was on the road in both the UK and the US, crossing paths with the likes of Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and Jimi Hendrix, as well as a time of heady and explosive creativity for Thompson, who wrote some of his most famous songs during this time. But as Thompson reveals, those eight years were also marked by upheaval and tragedy. Honest, moving, and compelling, Beeswing vividly captures the life of a remarkable man and musician during a period of artistic intensity, in a world on the cusp of change. “An absorbing, witty, often deliciously biting read, as all rock memoirs should be.” —Los Angeles Review of Books

Reflections of a Grieving Spouse
Reflections of a Grieving Spouse

Author: H. Norman Wright

Publisher: Harvest House Publishers

Published: 2009-07-01

Total Pages: 209

ISBN-13: 0736933999

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When author and counselor H. Norman Wright’s beloved wife, Joyce, passed away, he grieved the loss of his partner and the life they shared. Even in his state of sorrow, he knew he had to find a way to live without Joyce, to forge a hopeful path, and to move forward in God’s grace and strength. With vulnerability and emotional insight, Norm shares from his deeply personal journey and illuminates the way back to living when someone you love is gone. Readers who have lost their spouse will discover support and guidance as they work through anger, including anger at God, to ease toward God’s peace move away from denial and “what ifs” to move forward allow memories to provide comfort without getting stuck in the past create a healthy new, daily routine to care for themselves turn their new identity and life over to God’s leading and mercy This tender and inspirational book will help any reader who is grieving or who is walking alongside a grieving friend.

Reflection
Reflection

Author: Diane Chamberlain

Publisher: Diane Chamberlain

Published: 2010-11-01

Total Pages: 467

ISBN-13: 0988205726

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Rachel Huber returns to her hometown of Reflection to care for her ailing grandmother. Twenty years ago, a tragedy occurred in Reflection and people hold Rachel responsible. Now she finds herself the object of anger and hostility. She's not without her allies, however. Lily Jackson, a young woman who was personally touched by the tragedy, perplexes everyone by treating Rachel with compassion. And Michael Stoltz, the minister of the Mennonite church, is elated by Rachel's return. He and Rachel were close friends as children, and that childhood bond quickly evolves into a loving relationship that must be hidden from the town. It is Rachel's grandmother, Helen, however, who becomes her strongest advocate, surprising Rachel with her wise counsel and rare strength--and with a wealth of secrets she has long been concealing. "Diane Chamberlain's finest work to date. . . The reader is swept into the town's emotion and suspense." --Richmond Times Dispatch.

Losing My Religion
Losing My Religion

Author: Ria Barna

Publisher: Xlibris Corporation

Published: 2008-03-31

Total Pages: 115

ISBN-13: 1465328351

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We all own a very special key. It is the key that unlocks all that we are and all that we could ever want and dream of wanting. Access to this key is so simple, yet we make it so hard. This key is always there, waiting for us to use it to unlock our treasure chest and to release the power within it. We all want so badly to be the winner of the big lottery, but little do we know we already are the winner. We think winning the lottery will give us the power to do what we want with our lives. If we only knew that all the power is already within us. They say that in the last days the hearts of many men will fail because of fear. Our hearts fail every time we make a decision based in fear, instead of believing to trust what is in our hearts. Our heart is each and everyones very own treasure chest that is open every time we choose to believe what is in it. Now if the key to all our happiness is in our treasure chest, which lies within our heart, wouldnt it make sense that our number one priority in life would be to discover our heart and what lies within it? Every time we make a decision aligned with our heart, we tap into our power and release a potent and invisible energy into the world. This energy in turn orchestrates the universe to reflect back into our lives that ultimately leads us to fulfill our purpose. We must believe that all of lifes experiences, situations, and relationships are there to take us on a great journey. A journey that creates opportunities for self-discovery and that promotes self-growth and awareness. One experience of life is death. However, it is not death in the physical sense, but in a spiritual sense. It is dying to who we thought we were and dying to what we thought we believed and to how we defined ourselves. A lot of what we thought really isnt even our own thoughts. They are actually thoughts we adopted from others. They are thoughts and beliefs imposed on us by others, beginning right down to when we were babies. In this process to self-discovery, we must cut off the junk we gathered in life that are not our own in order to become in alignment to who we are. God is the very essence of lifethe life within us and the life outside us. As we continue the path of self-discovery, happiness is sure to follow. The compass that should aid us in our journey is called bliss. Following our bliss is the key to what is in your heart and ultimately to be one with God. The key to our fulfillment in life is not to create separation between who God is and who we are. We are one with God. We are cocreators with God, and we have the power to create whatever we want.

Am I There Yet?
Am I There Yet?

Author: Mari Andrew

Publisher: Clarkson Potter

Published: 2018-03-27

Total Pages: 194

ISBN-13: 1524761435

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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • This on-point guide to growing up by Instagram sensation Mari Andrew features “achingly vulnerable and completely relatable watercolor illustrations about relationships, heartbreak and the struggles of urban life” (The Washington Post). In the journey toward adulthood, it is easy to find yourself treading the path of those who came before you; the path often appears straight and narrow, with a few bumps in the road and a little scenery to keep you inspired. But what if you don’t want to walk a worn path? What if you want to wander? What if there is no map to guide you through the detours life throws your way? From creating a home in a new city to understanding the link between a good hair dryer and good self-esteem to dealing with the depths of heartache and loss, these tales of the twentysomething document a road less traveled—a road that sometimes is just the way you’re meant to go. Praise for Am I There Yet? “Equal parts memoir and illustrated guidebook, it chronicles Andrew’s journey through adulthood as she navigates love and heartbreak, professional indecision and success, and personal struggles.”—Refinery29 “Using her artistic skills to illustrate thought-provoking essays, Andrew inspires readers to take the path less traveled in life.”—CNN “The illustrations . . . are often packed with truths about dating, self-care, careers, and all the secret thoughts you never say out loud.”—Elle “This uplifting book is filled with essays and illustrations that will fill you with so much hope as you move forward with any big life change.”—Bustle “Her illustrations will resonate with anyone who has ever had a crush, went on a date, or felt the sting of heartbreak.”—The Independent

Losing My Religion
Losing My Religion

Author: William Lobdell

Publisher: Harper Collins

Published: 2009-03-06

Total Pages: 313

ISBN-13: 0061877336

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William Lobdell's journey of faith—and doubt—may be the most compelling spiritual memoir of our time. Lobdell became a born-again Christian in his late 20s when personal problems—including a failed marriage—drove him to his knees in prayer. As a newly minted evangelical, Lobdell—a veteran journalist—noticed that religion wasn't covered well in the mainstream media, and he prayed for the Lord to put him on the religion beat at a major newspaper. In 1998, his prayers were answered when the Los Angeles Times asked him to write about faith. Yet what happened over the next eight years was a roller-coaster of inspiration, confusion, doubt, and soul-searching as his reporting and experiences slowly chipped away at his faith. While reporting on hundreds of stories, he witnessed a disturbing gap between the tenets of various religions and the behaviors of the faithful and their leaders. He investigated religious institutions that acted less ethically than corrupt Wall St. firms. He found few differences between the morals of Christians and atheists. As this evidence piled up, he started to fear that God didn't exist. He explored every doubt, every question—until, finally, his faith collapsed. After the paper agreed to reassign him, he wrote a personal essay in the summer of 2007 that became an international sensation for its honest exploration of doubt. Losing My Religion is a book about life's deepest questions that speaks to everyone: Lobdell understands the longings and satisfactions of the faithful, as well as the unrelenting power of doubt. How he faced that power, and wrestled with it, is must reading for people of faith and nonbelievers alike.