A renowned psychotherapist offers parents who have suffered the death of a child a new context for understanding and coping with their loss. Miller draws on years of research to present a wide-ranging look at the rituals parents practice around the world to understand both why their child has died and to find a comforting explanation for what happens to children after death.
It’s Not Goodbye is a compilation of personal interviews of parents and siblings who have experienced the loss of a child. This book provides insight into how parents and siblings survived the loss and managed to continue living their life with meaning and hope.
A validating new approach to the long-term grieving process that explains why we feel "stuck," why that's normal, and how shifting our perception of grief can help us grow--from the New York Times bestselling author of Motherless Daughters "This is perhaps one of the most important books about grief ever written. It finally dispels the myth that we are all supposed to get over the death of a loved one."--Claire Bidwell Smith, author of Anxiety: The Missing Stage of Grief Aren't you over it yet? Anyone who has experienced a major loss in their past knows this question. We've spent years fielding versions of it, both explicit and implied, from family, colleagues, acquaintances, and friends. We recognize the subtle cues--the slight eyebrow lift, the soft, startled "Oh! That long ago?"--from those who wonder how an event so far in the past can still occupy so much precious mental and emotional real estate. Because of the common but false assumption that grief should be time-limited, too many of us believe we're grieving "wrong" when sadness suddenly resurges sometimes months or even years after a loss. The AfterGrief explains that the death of a loved one isn't something most of us get over, get past, put down, or move beyond. Grief is not an emotion to pass through on the way to "feeling better." Instead, grief is in constant motion; it is tidal, easily and often reactivated by memories and sensory events, and is re-triggered as we experience life transitions, anniversaries, and other losses. Whether we want it to or not, grief gets folded into our developing identities, where it informs our thoughts, hopes, expectations, behaviors, and fears, and we inevitably carry it forward into everything that follows. Drawing on her own encounters with the ripple effects of early loss, as well as on interviews with dozens of researchers, therapists, and regular people who've been bereaved, New York Times bestselling author Hope Edelman offers profound advice for reassessing loss and adjusting the stories we tell ourselves about its impact on our identities. With guidance for reframing a story of loss, finding equilibrium within it, and even experiencing renewed growth and purpose in its wake, she demonstrates that though grief is a lifelong process, it doesn't have to be a lifelong struggle.
When a young boy learns the news of his Father's sudden death, pain and sorrow become abruptly real. His carefree childhood is instantly altered as his once 'normal' world is turned upside down. His grief carries him through a wide range of emotions until one day he finally finds healing within and a way to hold onto his memories. A highly relatable and ultimately triumphant book that helps children reflect on the loss of a parent and find a healthy way to accept and move forward.
All families eventually face the loss of a loved one. When it happens, it can place great strain on a marriage, as well as on other relationships. That's partly because we don't know what to do with our feelings and partly because every family member grieves in his or her own way. In this book, Nancy and David Guthrie explore the family dynamics involved when a loved one dies—and debunk some myths about family grief. Through their own experiences of losing two young children and interviews with those who've faced losing spouses and parents, they show how grief can actually pull a family closer together rather than tearing it apart.
Whether a death is sudden or anticipated, losing a loved one shakes us to our very core, destroying our belief in a just, safe, and predictable world. Grief often changes us quickly both physically and mentally. It is like being kidnapped and suddenly transported to a foreign land without luggage, a passport, or the language to make sense of what's happening. Even if you have a road map for getting through the pain and anguish, you still have to take the trip. The purpose of this book is to help you find threads of hope that will assist your recovery and help you carry on. By sharing inspirational stories, personal experiences, and professional advice from contributors to theOpen to Hope website, we trust that you will be comforted and inspired by learning how others dealt with their losses, what they saw as roadblocks, and how they handled them as well as what it has taken for them to not only survive, but thrive. We want to help you resume leading the life that you were meant to live--a life of satisfaction and one driven by a belief in your own personal power for change.
Preston and Glenda Parrish experienced the sudden death of their 25-year-old son, Nathan, in the same week that Preston’s father died. In Finding Hope in Times of Grief, the Parrishes candidly share their story and the struggles they faced, as well as how they found hope in Christ and in the pages of the Bible. Writing not from theory but from experience, the Parrishes come alongside others who grieve, pointing them to God’s all-sufficient grace, grace that is great enough to infuse even their worst moments with His comfort. This book will help those who grieve to know God’s presence and peace in the midst of their suffering realize that hope still exists and can be known understand that their suffering can assume a place of purpose in their life and in the lives of others Finding Hope in Times of Grief points readers to the surpassing hope we have in Christ and the comfort that comes ultimately from God Himself. This book will also help family members and friends better understand how to support those who grieve.
Imagine the loss of a loved one you hold dear to you. Now imagine the loss was your child. Many parents are suffering in silence. Letisha's life came crashing down around her in 2001. Her son Jordan died and her life spun out of control. It was doubtful that she would ever be able to move past the excruciating devastation that left a hole in her heart that belonged to her son. Letters to Jordan: Finding Hope After the Loss of A Child is a detailed account of the grief she experienced and how she was able to rise out of it. After many years of darkness and chaos she was able to find a measure of peace. She found hope and restoration through GOD.
When a Child Dies gives help and encouragement based on the reality of God's love and covenant with God's children. Written from the heart by parents who know firsthand the pain that follows the loss of a child, these intensely personal stories will help grieving parents deal with life after the child they loved so deeply suffers an untimely death. Zig Ziglar, Author and Motivational Speaker . The work of bereavement is to tell and retell the stories until we get them right. The parents in this book have gotten their stories right. Diane Komp, Author of Children Are . . . Images of Grace: A Pediatrician's Trilogy of Faith, Hope and Love
The day your child died was like a Landslide-an avalanche of emotions-that moment, frozen in time. Completely buried. Will you ever resurface again? Your child was irreplaceable and scars may remain, but with God's help you will find healing. Grieving Moms, Finding Hope is a community of women-moms who understand what you are going through and will stand with you in the grieving process. Wherever you are in the process of resurfacing, the step-by-step sessions will meet you wherever you find yourself-with the Moving Forward Journal, Discussions, and Quick Share features designed to promote the hope and healing you deserve. You are not alone!Testimonials"...Every morning I wake up and I must figure out how to live without my youngest child. The love and support I get from other Grieving Moms is an integral part of my continuous healing and being able to give back to the group keeps me moving forward, not letting grief consume me." - Carrie
