After struggling with infertility, Laura and Franco Fanucci miscarried their third child in the first trimester. Later, their twin daughters were born prematurely and lived only a few days. Laura and Franco are here to tell you that, while your miscarriage is a deeply personal loss, you are not alone. Grieving Together is written by a couple specifically for couples, understanding that both spouses have experienced a loss and grieve differently.
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted, saves those whose spirit is crushed.” (Ps 34:19) You might feel, in the days and weeks after a miscarriage, like the Lord is anything but close. Laura and Franco Fanucci understand. After struggling with infertility, they miscarried their third child in the first trimester. Later, their twin daughters were born prematurely and lived only a few days. Laura and Franco are here to tell you that, while your miscarriage is a deeply personal loss, you are not alone. Grieving Together is written by a couple specifically for couples, understanding that both spouses have experienced a loss and grieve differently. Drawing from Catholic tradition and teaching, Laura and Franco gently guide you through: The physical and emotional experiences of miscarriage — including help in making the hardest decisions How couples respond to grief — and how to support each other Turning to family, friends, and the Church — finding help and support from loved ones and your Church community The future after miscarriage — where to go from here as a couple Grieving Together is the book the Fanuccis had wished for after their miscarriage. Practical resources include Scripture, prayers, and official Catholic rites. It also speaks to the unique concerns of fathers, and includes many real-life stories from couples in many different circumstances. “We are fellow travelers on the road: parents who have suffered significant losses yet have grown in our marriage because of the gifts of our children’s lives.” — Laura and Franco Fanucci Click here to register for the related webcast
“Little did I know at the time that I’d one day look back and remember it as the beginning of what I call our ‘weeping years.’” — Ashleigh Slater We all have “weeping years,” seasons where the trials seem to come one after another. For Ashleigh and her husband, their weeping years included miscarriage, multiple job losses, feelings of betrayal, panic attacks, anti-depressants, cross-country moves, and even suicidal thoughts. Loss is a constant of life, but the intensity of those years changed Ashleigh, altering how she understood and responded to grief. This book tells her story. Braving Sorrow Together: The Transformative Power of Faith and Community When Life is Hard explores loss and trial in a conversational, storytelling manner. It gently encourages those experiencing grief of any kind to seek comfort in God and in the “me too” of community. Ashleigh gives an honest and vulnerable account of her personal stories of loss, as well as those of her friends, with reflections from literature and Scripture sprinkled throughout. She examines the nature of grief and loss in several universal arenas, such as relationships, health, career, and the home. Anyone who ever struggles (and that’s all of us) will be able to move through trial with more wisdom, releasing anxiety and receiving the help and comfort God so bountifully provides. Readers of Braving Sorrow Together will be encouraged that they are not alone, inspired to reach out to close friends, and reminded that God—the Author of all of our stories— can be trusted through the tears. Includes an appendix with further reflections on leaning into community in difficult seasons.
A couple who has faced the bitter task of burying two of their three children explores the family dynamics involved when a loved one dies, showing how grief can pull a family closer together rather than tearing it apart. Original.
Fear—it’s something we all experience. Fears about the future, an illness, or what others might think about us can rule our hearts and steal our joy. Did you know, though, that the Bible commands Christians to fear? Believers are to fear the Lord. But what does that mean? In A Holy Fear, Christina Fox unpacks what the “fear of the Lord” means and what it looks like in our lives. By giving examples of such fear in the Bible, exploring the fruits of that fear in our lives, and uncovering God’s promises to those who fear Him, this book will help you disarm your lesser fears, applying what you learn to your heart and turning to a fear of the Lord. Table of Contents: 1. A Fear-Filled Life 2. Fear the Lord 3. Fear the Lord for Who He Is 4. Fear the Lord for What He Has Done 5. Growing in the Fear of the Lord 6. The Fruit of Holy Fear 7. From Fear to Fear 8. God’s Promises to the Fearful Conclusion: A Life of Holy Fear
In this groundbreaking new work, David Kessler—an expert on grief and the coauthor with Elisabeth Kübler-Ross of the iconic On Grief and Grieving—journeys beyond the classic five stages to discover a sixth stage: meaning. In 1969, Elisabeth Kübler Ross first identified the stages of dying in her transformative book On Death and Dying. Decades later, she and David Kessler wrote the classic On Grief and Grieving, introducing the stages of grief with the same transformative pragmatism and compassion. Now, based on hard-earned personal experiences, as well as knowledge and wisdom earned through decades of work with the grieving, Kessler introduces a critical sixth stage. Many people look for “closure” after a loss. Kessler argues that it’s finding meaning beyond the stages of grief most of us are familiar with—denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance—that can transform grief into a more peaceful and hopeful experience. In this book, Kessler gives readers a roadmap to remembering those who have died with more love than pain; he shows us how to move forward in a way that honors our loved ones. Kessler’s insight is both professional and intensely personal. His journey with grief began when, as a child, he witnessed a mass shooting at the same time his mother was dying. For most of his life, Kessler taught physicians, nurses, counselors, police, and first responders about end of life, trauma, and grief, as well as leading talks and retreats for those experiencing grief. Despite his knowledge, his life was upended by the sudden death of his twenty-one-year-old son. How does the grief expert handle such a tragic loss? He knew he had to find a way through this unexpected, devastating loss, a way that would honor his son. That, ultimately, was the sixth state of grief—meaning. In Finding Meaning, Kessler shares the insights, collective wisdom, and powerful tools that will help those experiencing loss. Finding Meaning is a necessary addition to grief literature and a vital guide to healing from tremendous loss. This is an inspiring, deeply intelligent must-read for anyone looking to journey away from suffering, through loss, and towards meaning.
Finalist for the 2020 National Book Critics’ Circle Award for Criticism By one of Mexico's greatest contemporary writers, this investigation into state violence and mourning gives voice to the political experience of collective pain. Grieving is a hybrid collection of short crónicas, journalism, and personal essays on systemic violence in contemporary Mexico and along the US-Mexico border. Drawing together literary theory and historical analysis, she outlines how neoliberalism, corruption, and drug trafficking—culminating in the misnamed “war on drugs”—has shaped her country. Working from and against this political context, Cristina Rivera Garza posits that collective grief is an act of resistance against state violence, and that writing is a powerful mode of seeking social justice and embodying resilience. She states: “As we write, as we work with language—the humblest and most powerful force available to us—we activate the potential of words, phrases, sentences. Writing as we grieve, grieving as we write: a practice able to create refuge from the open. Writing with others. Grieving like someone who takes refuge from the open. Grieving, which is always a radically different mode of writing.” “A lucid, poignant collection of essays and poetry. . . . deeply hopeful, ultimately love letters to writing itself, and to the power of language to overcome the silence that impunity imposes.” —New York Times Book Review "For all the losses tallied, the pieces are imbued with optimism and an activist’s passion for reshaping the world." —The New Yorker
The texts focus on preschool-aged children, children in kindergarten through grade two, children in grades three through six, and teenagers.Each curriculum contains ten ninety-minute sessions that should be implemented over a period of ten weeks. By employing age-appropriate themes to engage the child and provide continuity throughout the sessions, the division of material within the curricula assures that the activities reflect the developmental level of the grieving child or adolescent. Each person grieves differently, and Grief Support Group Curriculum addresses the issues related to mourning while recognizing the importance of individuality in grieving.
After the death of a parent, sibling, or caregiver, the life of a child or teen and their family is forever changed. Families face enormous challenges as they navigate life without that person. This book is based on the authors' knowledge gained from working with the courageous families that are a part of a non-profit organization called Kate's club. At this writing, since 2003 Kate's club has provided creative and innovative programs to support grieving families. The "Kates' Club Way" believes in empowering children and teens as they move through their grief process so they can become more resilient and ultimately find ways to thrive. This book provides suggestions and ideas so that adult caregivers have strategies and tools to best support their families. Plus, there are several chapters dedicated to helping adult caregivers cope with their own feelings about the death as they create a new life for themselves.
