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Working with Bereaved Parents is a thoughtful guide for frontline practitioners in mental health and medicine who face the daunting task of helping parents after the death of a child.Within a culturally inclusive and respectful framework, chapters consider several psychosocial factors that complicate parental bereavement as well as helpful factors that facilitate adaptation. The author shows how contemporary theory and findings from evidence-based research can be artfully applied to clinical practice with bereaved parents. The book also shares a range of strategies for promoting parents'resilience and personal growth in the wake of devastating loss.

While death, dying and bereavement are universal life events, the social conditions under which death takes place are fundamental in shaping how it is experienced by the individual. Bringing together contributors from around the world, this collection of chapters provides sociological insights into death, dying and bereavement.Drawing upon a range of sociological theorists, including Émile Durkheim, Zygmunt Bauman and C. Wright Mills, the book reviews the historical contribution of sociology to the field of thanatology. In doing so, the book challenges individualistic psychological approaches to death, dying and bereavement and demonstrates how sociological approaches can shape, constrain and empower experiences by imbuing them with both collective and individual meaning. Chapter-length case studies explore a wide range of issues, from digital aspects of remembrance and memorialisation and continued threats to liberties that permit life and death decisions to discussions of the impact and likely legacy of COVID-19 and climate change.This collection will be of interest to students and researchers in the social sciences with an interest in societal attitudes towards death and bereavement.

Anne Hébert, si tu veillais ma tristesse met en relation trois femmes : la mère littéraire, la mère biologique et l'autrice du livre. Celle qui découvrira le corps de sa maman, Nicole, allongé entre le salon et la cuisine, dans un état comateux duquel elle ne sortira pas. Pas d'adieu, pas d'accompagnement dans la maladie, le départ fulgurant qui blesse, choque et déclenche la colère. Comment réagir? Comment s'en sortir? Anne Hébert prend l'autrice par la main, c'est un contact physique et incarné ; Hébert devient corps littéraire. La mère biologique et la mère littéraire se lient d'amitié, portent la même frange, écrivent dans leur agenda, déposent des baisers, et deviennent ainsi des entités réconciliatrices et apaisantes. Le passé et le présent se mélangent, ainsi que la réalité et la fiction, la France et le Québec, la prose et la poésie. Nicole et Anne tiendront la main de l'autrice pour l'aider à traverser la mort. Un deuil personnel, et universel.

Addressing a gap in social science research to explore the meanings, understandings, and experiences of time at life's most critical point, Time of Death takes a thoughtful sociological approach to questions about how humans use and experience time in relation to when someone dies. Considering temporal theories and drawing on a range of disciplines, Glenys Caswell discusses efforts to measure and record times of death, as well as the ways in which people who undergo bereavement experience time during that process. Looking at the impact of digital technologies, the differences in interpretation of what counts as death in varied social contexts, assisted dying and temporal dissonance, and global cases of people dying alone, the author poses critical questions. To what extent is this measurement the province of the medical and legal professions, and official state statistics? How accurate is this data and is there need for its collection? How does time in relation to death become fluid in a previously non-experienced way? Investigating this conceptual focus and questioning what it can add to our knowledge of the human relationship with time, Caswell brings together studies on death and temporality to create a valuable resource for scholars across disciplines.

What if the great love of your life is friendship?In their twenties, Lissa Soep and her boyfriend forged deep friendships with two other couples—Mercy and Christine; and Emily and Jonnie—until, decades later, Jonnie died suddenly, in an accident, and Christine passed away after a mysterious illness. Christine had been a writer, Jonnie a storyteller. Lissa couldn't imagine a world without their letters, postcards, texts—a world without their voices. Then she found comfort in a surprising place. As a graduate student, she had studied the philosophy of the Russian critic Mikhail Bakhtin, who wrote about the many voices that can echo through a single person's speech. Suddenly, Bakhtin's theory that our language is “filled to overflowing with other people's words” came to life. Lissa began hearing Jonnie and Christine when least expected. In a conversation with Emily, a familiar phrase was spoken, and suddenly, there was Jonnie, with his riotous laugh, vibrant in her mind. Mercy recited an Adrienne Rich poem in just the way Christine used to and, for a moment, Christine was with them in the room.Other People's Words shows us how we carry within us the language of loved ones who are gone, and how their words can be portals to other times and places. Language—as with love—is boundless, and Other People's Words is an intimate, original, and profoundly generous look at its power to nurture life amid the wreckage of grief. Dialogues do not end when a friendship or person is gone; instead, they accrue new layers of meaning, showing how the conversations we share with those we love continue after them, and will continue after us.

“What is comfort but a filament between past and present with some sort of future implied? In other words, safety. In other words, care. I know it is possible to find these things without her—I know they are there. But it can be so hard to ask. So much is unknown.” Rebecca Spiegel is working as a teacher in New Orleans when she learns of her sister's suicide. Only after the funeral does shock give way to grief—and to many questions. How could Emily do this to herself? How could she have abandoned all those who loved her? And what could have been done differently to prevent this devastating loss? In the days and weeks that follow, Spiegel embarks on a search for answers. She unpacks family history, documents the last traces of her sister's life, and questions what more she could have done to prevent her death. Unsparingly honest and resistant to simple solutions, “This clear-eyed reckoning offers a path toward understanding what always exists on the other side of grief: the joyful fact of a deep and abiding love” (Camille T. Dungy).

Modern society has a warped sense of the partner-caregiver role, especially for men. Too often, men are ill equipped to handle switching from provider to caregiver, and the “just suck it up” advice so many offer up falls as flat as the Kansas prairie in the face of the reality of life and death.Ride or Die takes its audience through the intimate conversations and thoughts of a Gen-X latchkey-generation husband—a man who has always had to fend for himself and believed that it's up to him to solve his own problems—as and after his wife, Jane, succumbs to a terminal disease.Jarie Bolander wrote this raw, heartfelt tribute to Jane and her handling of her illness to help men and the people who love them through the experience of loss and grief. A frank chronicle of how an intimate relationship can change and grow—even when the people involved feel there is nothing left to give—Ride or Die offers a detailed exploration of the male experience of grief, in the hopes that others suffering through it will not feel so alone.

'I wish I had not had to write this book because then my lovely son Reuben would still be alive,'says David Cohen.'He was adorable, formidably intelligent, a loving son, a loving brother. He died far too young. He had the bad luck to have two grandparents who had addictive personalities. His efforts to resist the lure of drugs failed. And so did I.'The Book of My Son Reuben is a personal account of how psychologist David Cohen coped – and did not cope – with the death of his son, Reuben. Offering a unique perspective on the experience of parental loss, it offers a personal and analytical exploration of sorrow and guilt, and of what research tells us about trauma and grief. Illustrated throughout with David Cohen's personal insight into how he continues to navigate his loss, this honest book provides a deeper understanding of loss for parents who have experienced it, as well as those who support them. The book remembers the many parents who have lost children throughout history and chapters weave personal perspectives with the latest research. It examines the experience of sudden deaths, the failures of society in preventing children from dying, the role of social media, how the loss of a child impacts fathers, siblings and relationships, and the usefulness – or otherwise – of bereavement therapies. A tribute to Reuben's life, this sensitive volume is for those who have experienced loss and want to gain better understanding of their experience, as well as psychologists, psychotherapists and counsellors working with families.

A searching, heartfelt exploration about what it means to process grief, by a bestselling author and journalist whose experience with two devastating losses inspired her to bring comfort and understanding to others. Since losing her mother to cancer in 2018 and her sister to alcoholism less than three years later, author and journalist Dina Gachman has dedicated herself to understanding what it means to grieve, healing after loss, and the ways we stay connected to those we miss. Through a mix of personal storytelling, reporting, and insight from experts and even moments of humor, Gachman gives readers a fresh take on grief and bereavement—whether the loss is a family member, beloved pet, or a romantic relationship. No one wants to join the grief club, since membership comes with zero perks, but So Sorry for Your Loss will make that initiation just a little less painful.In the spirit of Elizabeth Kubler Ross books like On Grief and Grieving, or C.S. Lewis's A Grief Observed, So Sorry for Your Loss is the perfect gift for someone who is grieving. With her blend of personal experiences, expert advice, and just a little bit of humor, Gachman has provided a compassionate and compelling resource for anyone looking for grief books.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE HILARY WESTON WRITERS'TRUST PRIZE FOR NONFICTIONTHE GLOBE AND MAIL: BOOKS TO READ IN FALL 2023THE GLOBE AND MAIL BEST 100 BOOKS OF 2023CBC BOOKS BEST CANADIAN NONFICTION OF 2023Martha Baillie's richly layered response to her mother's passing, her father's life, and her sister's suicide is an exploration of how the body, the rooms we inhabit, and our languages offer the psyche a home, if only for a time. Three essays, three deaths. The first is the death of the author's mother, a protracted disappearance, leaving space for thoughtfulness and ritual: the washing of her body, the making of a death mask. The second considers the author's father, his remoteness, his charm, a lacuna at the centre of the family even before his death, earlier than her mother's. And then, the shocking death of the author's sister, a visual artist and writer living with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, who writes three reasons to die on her bedroom wall and then takes her life.In this close observation of a family, few absolutes hold, as experiences of reality diverge. A memoir of cascading grief and survival from the author of The Incident Report.'Martha Baillie's novels are thrillingly, joyously singular, that rare combination of sui generis and just plain generous. That There Is No Blue, her memoir, is all of those things too, is no surprise; still, she has gone somewhere extraordinary. This triptych of essays, which exquisitely unfolds the “disobedient tale” of the lives and deaths of her mother, her father, and her sister, is a meditation on the mystery and wonder of grief and art making and home and memory itself. It made me think of kintsugi, the Japanese art of repair, in which the mending is not hidden but featured and beautifully illuminated. Baillie's variety of attention, carved out of language, is tenderness, is love.'– Maud Casey, author of City of Incurable Women'This is a stunning memoir, intense and meticulous in its observations of family life. Baillie subtly interrogates and conveys the devastating mistranslations that take place in childhood, the antagonism and porousness of siblings, and the tragedy of schizophrenia as it unfolds. I couldn't put it down.'– Dr. Lisa Appignanesi, author of Mad, Bad and Sad and Everyday Madness''Exquisite.'– Souvankham Thammavongsa, author of How to Pronounce Knife'I am grateful for this profound meditation on family and loss.” – Charlie Kaufman, filmmaker'This strange, unsettling memoir of outer life and inner life and their bizarre twining captures the author's identity by way of her mother's death, her sister's failing battle with mental illness, and the mysterious figure of her father. It combines anguished guilt, deep tenderness, and bemused affection in highly evocative, often disturbing prose. Its brave honesty is amplified by a persistent lyricism; its undercurrent of fear is uplifted by a surprising, resilient hopefulness. It is both a plea for exoneration and an act of exoneration, an authentic meditation on the terrible difficulty of being human.'– Andrew Solomon, author of The Noonday Demon

A profound examination of grief and a great celebration of love by internationally bestselling author James Runcie.In early 2020, as the world sunk into the pandemic, James Runcie and his wife Marilyn Imrie were going through a different, far more personal tragedy. After 35 years of miraculously happy marriage, they learned that the painful, frustrating symptoms Marilyn had been experiencing for two years were a sign of Lou Gehrig's Disease. With this diagnosis, during the isolation and strangeness of the pandemic, James and Marilyn's lives were transformed.Now, in his startling and intimate memoir, James tells the story of Marilyn's illness and death–-in all its moments of tragedy, rage, and strangeness-–while painting a vivid portrait of her life, in all its color, humor, and brightness. Tender, funny, and deeply true, Tell Me Good Things is an unforgettable story of life before death and love after grief.

An essential grief guide and recovery workbook for those who have said,'I thought I'd feel better by now.'Grief does not follow a timeline or a set path. It is nonlinear and messy, doubling back on itself just when you thought you were out of the woods. Those who have experienced the loss of a loved one know this unequivocally, but Western society still seems to think that grief should only last six months to a year—tops—when in fact, grief can last throughout a person's entire life and manifest as serious mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, anger, and despair.The Long Grief Journey, co-written by a psychotherapist and a clinical psychologist who have both worked with grieving individuals for decades, is for the people who are past the acute pain and effects of a sudden loss and are now learning to live beyond that. It is for those who by all appearances seem to have'moved on.'They're working, carrying out their responsibilities, showing up for important life events, yet they quietly bear the weight of their sadness and longing for their loved one. There's a name for this type of long-term, unresolved grief. In fact, there are several: complicated grief, traumatic grief, complex bereavement, prolonged grief, extended grief, abnormal grief, exaggerated grief, and pervasive grief disorder. If you feel'stuck'after experiencing the death of a loved one, even if much time has passed, this book is for you.With exercises, journal prompts, and rituals that will further help readers along their grief path, The Long Grief Journey, co-written by one of the authors of the classic grief book, I Wasn't Ready to Say Goodbye, is designed to educate, support, and coach you to rekindle a desire to live life fully, all while still cherishing and embracing the memories of your loved one.Named one of Choosing Therapy's'14 Best Books on Losing a Parent for 2022.'

“No matter how much I enjoyed parenthood, I found myself having to accept its fundamental truth: that nothing ever turns out quite as you'd expect.”It was a journey that most parents would hope to avoid: a son born with a congenital heart defect, a fateful decision to take a family trip abroad, and an emergency hospitalization that left them stranded on the other side of the world with no obvious way home. Despite these difficult circumstances, More Than We Expected is not a tragedy. Instead, this memoir offers valuable lessons about the privilege of parenthood and the practice of medicine: the mysterious ways in which the body forms and grows, giving life; how we find the faith to live with our decisions, even if the consequences are beyond our control; and a family's extraordinary capacity—when something goes wrong—to compensate and heal. More Than We Expected is a story of finding strength in the most unexpected places. Our children have a special ability to reveal the goodness in the world—their eyes a window to a life full of wonder. Like them, this book is a vivid reminder of what it means to be human—a miraculous, inexplicable gift, however fleeting.

A practical and compassionate guide to physically, emotionally, and spiritually caring for the dying• 2024 Coalition of Visionary Resources Gold Award• Shares practices for emotional soothing, breathing techniques to reduce anxiety and pain, ways to reduce stress during the active dying process, and techniques to physically care for the dying, including methods to assist bedridden individuals • Explores ceremony and energetic boundary guidelines, Reiki and ancestral support techniques, and herbal care for nourishing and healing on a spirit level • Presents self-care methods for moving with grief, ideas for “things to do” when there is nothing to do, mindfulness practices for contemplating your own mortality, as well as guidance for talking with children about death and dying • Winner of a 2020 Independent Publisher “IPPY” award Just as we might prepare a nest for one about to give birth, so can we lovingly prepare a nest for one who is dying.In this practical and compassionate guide, death doula educator Anne-Marie Keppel incorporates ancient and modern techniques, mindfulness practices, and herbal support to show how anyone can care for the dying, whether at home, in hospice, or even in the ICU. She demystifies the dying process by explaining what the body goes through during end of life and presents practices for emotional soothing and other ways to reduce stress and anxiety during the active dying process. The author provides techniques to physically care for the dying, including methods to assist bedridden individuals. She shares ceremony and energetic boundary guidelines, Reiki and ancestral support techniques, and herbal care for nourishing and healing on a spirit level.Providing support for caregivers and loved ones as well, Anne-Marie explores self-care methods for moving with grief, ideas for “things to do” when there is nothing to do, and mindfulness practices for contemplating your own mortality. She also offers visualizations and techniques for talking with children about death and dying. Sharing glimpses into the world of spirit to reveal the poignancy of the dying process, the author shows that death is a sacred rite of passage we all experience.

Clearing the Path is a collection of clinical stories that illustrate practical, applicable communication tools for professionals in work with end-of-life patients and families. These vignettes from practice demonstrate how impending death, death itself, and the loss of a relationship affect the lives and grief of both patients and survivors. Written 13 years after its companion volume The Weeping Willow, the book brings even more complex encounters and nuanced emotions from additional years of experience in the field. The stories are woven in with the counseling process, thought process, and dilemmas of the counselor. Each story is then followed by'Notes to the Practitioner'with clear, practical and professional advice on navigating various communication issues and end with'Conclusions'which are short summaries of each vignette's teachings. At the end of each chapter the reader will find recent, annotated references for those who wish to read more about the topic. Chapters provide new, in-depth tools for dealing with death, grief, and loss from both the griever and the counselor or medical professional's perspective. What is unique to this book is the insight into the authentic human emotions experienced by both counselors and clients in these encounters with dying and grieving, making it useful for both the caregivers and the recipients of end-of-life care. Acknowledging that communication is individual and dependent on all the involved parties, these stories were selected to demonstrate many ways of communication through a range of situations, as well as the various attitudes, harmful and helpful, revealed in responses from people surrounding the patient or griever. Clearing the Path is not a conventional'how- to'book and it aims instead to teach by example from the hands-on counseling experiences of two experts who have worked in the field of field of death and dying, grieving and loss with responsibility and care. For professionals at all levels of experience those looking to navigate the difficulties of end-of-life care, this is the perfect guide.

The loss of a loved one can be overwhelming. How do we endure grief? Can we simply forget, or'get over it?'This book explains the science behind bereavement, from emotion to the persistence of memory, and shows readers how to understand and adapt to death as a part of life. Responses to loss are typically associated with negative emotions, traumatic memories, or separation distress, but we grieve because we care. This book demonstrates how negative emotional responses experienced in grief often follow experiences with positive emotional memories. Dr. Lamia emphasizes an understanding and acceptance of post-loss emotions.Grief Isn't Something to Get Over aims to expand our understanding of bereavement, placing it in alignment with how emotions work. Using numerous case examples and personal vignettes, this book helps readers recognize the ways in which emotions are connected to memories and influence our experiences of loss.

In Ordinary Deaths, Dr. Samuel LeBaron reminds us of our need for human connection when experiencing death and loss. Based on more than thirty years of working with children and adults dying from cancer, LeBaron's memoir contains stories of longing, confusion, love, and humility—often woven together. Sharing recollections from his childhood in rural Alberta and experiences from his career, LeBaron reveals a life of vital, intimate connection with others. His employment at a morgue during medical school, his early years as a clinical psychologist, and later careers in primary care and hospice in California, all translate into compassion and a deep understanding of death. Writing as he faces his own terminal illness—Stage IV lung cancer—LeBaron helps readers find acceptance and solace.

A poignant meditation on mortality from a beloved Canadian poet A writer friend once pointed out that whenever Stuart Ross got close to something heavy and “real” in a poem, a hamburger would inevitably appear for comic relief. In this hybrid essay/memoir/poetic meditation, Ross shoves aside the heaping plate of burgers to wrestle with what it means to grieve the people one loves and what it means to go on living in the face of an enormous accumulation of loss. Written during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, shortly after the sudden death of his brother left him the last living member of his family and as a catastrophic diagnosis meant anticipating the death of his closest friend, this meditation on mortality — a kind of literary shiva — is Ross's most personal book to date. More than a catalogue of losses, The Book of Grief and Hamburgers is a moving act of resistance against self-annihilation and a desperate attempt to embrace all that was good in his relationships with those most dear to him.

When Laura Whitfield was fourteen, her extraordinary brother, Lawrence, was killed in a mountain climbing accident. That night she had an epiphany: Life is short. Dream big, even if it means taking risks. So, after graduating from high school, she set out on her own, prepared to do just that.Laura spent her first summer after high school on North Carolina's Outer Banks, a magical few months filled with friendships, boys, and beer. There she met a handsome DJ who everyone called “Steve the Dream,” and risked her heart. When September came, Steve moved to New York City to become a model —prompting Laura to start thinking about modeling, too. After just one semester of college, still seeking to fill the void left by her brother's death, she dropped out and moved to New York to become a cover girl. But while juggling the demands of life in the big city—waiting tables, failed relationships, and the cutthroat world of modeling—she lost her way. A stirring memoir about a young woman's quest to find hope and stability after devastating loss, Untethered is Laura's story of overcoming shame, embracing faith, and learning that taking risks—and failing—can lead to a bigger life than you've ever dared to imagine.

A caring and compassionate grief book for bereaved parents who have lost a child.'This book is a lovely blend of the author's personal journey with the death of her son and supportive information that can help parents see light amidst the dark.'—Alan Wolfelt, Ph.D, CT, author, educator, and grief counselorDiscover a beacon of hope and strength in the face of unimaginable loss. This compassionate and transformative guide offers solace to grieving parents and caregivers as they navigate the harrowing journey of healing after losing a child.Inside these pages, readers will find:Compassionate Guidance: Find solace in advice from a professional grief counselor, offering genuine empathy and understanding to help you navigate the complexities of grief.Transformative Healing: Discover proven strategies and coping techniques to support your emotional resilience and begin your journey toward healing.Empowerment and Support: Gain strength from empowering insights and heartfelt support to help you face each day with renewed hope and courage.Inspiring Stories: Draw hope from the powerful real-life stories of parents, offering inspiration for your own healing process.Parental Self-Care: Learn the importance of self-care in the grieving process and how to practice it effectively during these challenging times.Compassionate Community: Find a sense of belonging in this guide's empathetic approach, realizing you're not alone in your grief.When a Child Dies is more than just a book; it is a compassionate community, a refuge for grieving hearts, and a testament to the power of hope and healing. Embrace this hopeful guide and embark on a transformative journey toward a new chapter of life, honoring the precious memory of your beloved son or daughter while nurturing your own well-being.'It will not always hurt as much as it does right now. Go slowly, be gentle and forgiving, and choose your path forward with loving intention.'—Claire Aagaard

An intimate and original memoir of love, grief and male friendship by one of Scotland's brightest young talents.'As perfect a portrait of friendship as I've ever read.'STEPHEN FRY'Lucid, lyrical, loaded... A love letter to friendship.'JACKIE KAY'A lovely book: bright and heartfelt, funny and refreshing.'ANDREW O'HAGAN'A beautiful, moving, life-affirming book.'IAN RANKIN Friendships might just be the greatest love affairs of our lives... In 2018 poet and author Michael Pedersen lost a cherished friend, Scott Hutchison, soon after their collective voyage into the landscape of the Scottish Highlands. Just weeks later, Michael began to write to him. As he confronts the bewildering process of grief, what starts as a love letter to one magical, coruscating human soon becomes a paean to all the gorgeous male friendships that have transformed his life.'Boy Friends sees Pedersen illuminate these companions with a poet's eye, a comedian's timing - and a lover's care.'OBSERVER'Written with enough electricity that it seems to jolt off the page... Boy Friends opens up conversations about... the brunt of suicide, the circumstances of certain types of Scottish masculinity and where friendships fit into that.'SUNDAY TIMES

A Publishers Weekly Notable Book49th Shelf Recommended Read A modern gay memoir exploring love, death, pain, and community that will resonate long after the last page. “This is an embodied story of love, loss, and recovery — raw, candid, and filled with a sense of awe at human resilience.” — Shelf Awareness “A timely story so human, so beautiful, so bravely told with heart and humour.” — Rosie O'Donnell A lifetime of finding punchlines in his heartache comes to a shuddering stop when comedian and writer Shawn Hitchins loses two great loves, five months apart, to sudden death. In this deeply poignant memoir that combines sober self-portrait with tender elegy, Hitchins explores the messiness of being alive: the longing and desire, scorching-earth anger, raw grief — and the pathway of healing he discovers when he lets his heart remain open. Never without an edge of self-awareness, The Light Streamed Beneath It invites the reader into Hitchins's world as he reckons with his past and stays painfully in the present. As he builds an embodied future, he confronts the stories that have shaped him, sets aside his ambition, and seeks connection in what he used to deflect with laughter — therapy, community and chosen family, movement, spirituality, and an awareness of death's ever-presence. A heartrending and hope-filled story of resilience in the wake of death, The Light Streamed Beneath It joyfully affirms that life is essentially good, as Hitchins weaves his tale full of tenacious spirit, humor, kindness, and grit through life's most unforgiving challenges.

Odyssey of Ashes: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Letting Go begins with the sudden death of Cheryl Krauter's spouse. Five months later, in a stroke of irony and magic, her husband wins a long-desired guided fly fishing trip in a raffle—and Cheryl decides to go in his place, fulfilling a promise to scatter his ashes by a trout stream. Part I of this memoir is an account of the first year after Cheryl's husband's death, where she becomes an explorer in the infinite stream of grief and loss, a time traveler between the darkness of sorrow and the light of daily life. Part II concludes with stories of the poignant and humorous adventures she had during the ensuing year. Tying it all together and woven throughout is Cheryl's account of the creation of an altar assembled during the three-day ritual of Los Días de los Muertos. Poetic and mythological, Odyssey of Ashes is a raw story of loss and the deep transformation that traveling through darkness and returning to light can bring.

When the worst that can happen, happens, the only useful lesson is the knowledge that it can. That's the take-away: a world can actually end, time can actually run out, sadness can prevail. But I didn't know that then... From one of Canada's most celebrated writers and the author of the classic memoir The Danger Tree comes an occasionally hilarious, sometimes heart-breaking meditation on love, memory, and the fathomless depths of grief. Likeness is a multi-generational story told through the vehicle of a painting, a portrait of Macfarlane by the well-known Canadian artist, John Hartman. The painting has ended up unexpectedly, temporarily, and enormously in Macfarlane's living room. He looks at it—a lot. It's hard to avoid. To Macfarlane's surprise, the painting becomes a portal—not only into his own past, but into his father's, too. Through these two histories is woven the present—one dominated by illness. Macfarlane's son undergoes treatment for leukemia during the time the painting hangs in the family living room. Blake is a young man rich in creative possibility. There is music to be composed. There are films to be made. But Blake's future is as circumscribed by fate as his father's was wide open. A tragic difference, eloquently noted. Likeness can be very funny. But it is also inescapably, achingly sad. A book of transcendent beauty, Likeness demonstrates the power of memory to transform the tragic into the precious and profound.

A funeral celebrant from the Shetland Islands reveals how celebrating mortality—and creating a personalized space for grief—enriches lives and gives meaning to death. Part self-help, part memoir, this is a funny and thoughtful journey into the world of undertakers and death cafes, of pilgrimages and taboos... After a close encounter with death, Tom Morton realized he needed a change of pace and perspective. He decided to become the only independent funeral celebrant on the remote Shetland Islands, an unusual new profession that would lead him on an extraordinary journey into the world of the dead. In a vivid narrative that reveals the fascinating realm of the unspoken—from extraordinary undertakers and death cafés, to pilgrimages and taboos—Tom quickly learns that death and speaking for the dead requires you to think on your feet and often take a magpie approach to faith and philosophy. From Humanism to hymns, Theravada Buddhism to Star Wars theology, he discovers the importance of ritual, humor, and the empowering act of trying to find words for something beyond language itself. This is an accessible and thought-provoking guide to celebrating mortality. When grief must be an inevitable part of life, Tom shows how we can mourn together in a way that feels appropriate to the life of the one who has passed on, and ultimately cultivate a healthy attitude to our own eventual demise.

Living Through Loss provides a foundational identification of the many ways in which people experience loss over the life course, from childhood to old age. It examines the interventions most effective at each phase of life, combining theory, sound clinical practice, and empirical research with insights emerging from powerful accounts of personal experience.The authors emphasize that loss and grief are universal yet highly individualized. Loss comes in many forms and can include not only a loved one's death but also divorce, adoption, living with chronic illness, caregiving, retirement and relocation, or being abused, assaulted, or otherwise traumatized. They approach the topic from the perspective of the resilience model, which acknowledges people's capacity to find meaning in their losses and integrate grief into their lives. The book explores the varying roles of age, race, culture, sexual orientation, gender, and spirituality in responses to loss. Presenting a variety of models, approaches, and resources, Living Through Loss offers invaluable lessons that can be applied in any practice setting by a wide range of human service and health care professionals.This second edition features new and expanded content on diversity and trauma, including discussions of gun violence, police brutality, suicide, and an added focus on systemic racism.

This book explores the many forms of loss that can happen in times of crisis. These losses can range from loss of business, financial security, routine, or structure, to the deeper losses of meaning, purpose or identity. The author draws on her background in transpersonal psychology, integrating spiritual insights and mindfulness practices to take the reader on a journey in which to help them navigate the stages of uncertainty that follow loss. The book provides several practical activities, guided visualization and meditations to cultivate greater resilience, courage and strength and also explores the potential to find greater meaning and purpose through times of crisis. The'Resilience Series'is the result of an intensive, collaborative effort of our authors in response to the 2020 coronavirus epidemic. Each volume offers expert advice for developing the practical, emotional and spiritual skills that you can master to become more resilient in a time of crisis.

'Quan la mort toca de prop, la frivolitat es fa miques. Sentim com s'esquinça l'ànima i necessitem consol. Ho confessem o no, experimentem la necessitat de conhort. Qui, però, ens pot consolar? On s'ensenya l'art de consolar? No és fàcil trobar respostes.'Francesc Torralba planteja com transitar per l'experiència de la pèrdua de manera consoladora i humana. Des de la filosofia, i també des de l'espiritualitat, l'autor ens proposa fer del dol una oportunitat per connectar amb els nostres sentiments més profunds i recordar amb serenitat els nostres éssers estimats.

Things I've Learned About Loss offers a comforting shoulder to anyone looking for advice on how to process loss and grief.Author Dana Shields, who lost her brother in a plane crash, shares her insight and offers comfort and companionship to readers in mourning. This heartfelt book of wisdom is a beacon of hope to help readers aching to find a new normal.• Loosely guided by the stages of grief• Helps those experiencing grief feel less alone• A beautiful, simple, and sincere book on bereavementWhen people experience a loss, it's hard to know what to do or say. Things I've Learned About Loss helps reinforce the message that those grieving are not alone or wrong in their grief, even if it sometimes feels that way. • Features earnest content and reassurance that grief is normal• A good pick for those grieving and struggling to cope with the loss of a loved one, or for anyone who is looking for something to help and soothe their grief• You'll love this book if you love books like It's OK That You're Not OK: Meeting Grief and Loss in a Culture That Doesn't Understand by Megan Devine; There Is No Good Card for This: What to Say and Do When Life Is Scary, Awful, and Unfair to People You Love by Dr. Kelsey Crowe and Emily McDowell; and The Hot Young Widows Club: Lessons on Survival from the Front Lines of Grief by Nora McInerny.

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 GriefAren'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.

Becoming a widow is one of the most traumatic life events that a woman can experience. Yet, as this remarkable new collection reveals, each woman responds to that trauma differently. Here, forty-three widows tell their stories, in their own words. Some were widowed young, while others were married for decades. Some cared for their late partners through long terminal illnesses, while others lost their partners suddenly. Some had male partners, while others had female partners. Yet each of these women faced the same basic dilemma: how to go on living when a part of you is gone. Widows'Words is arranged chronologically, starting with stories of women preparing for their partners'deaths, followed by the experiences of recent widows still reeling from their fresh loss, and culminating in the accounts of women who lost their partners many years ago but still experience waves of grief. Their accounts deal honestly with feelings of pain, sorrow, and despair, and yet there are also powerful expressions of strength, hope, and even joy. Whether you are a widow yourself or have simply experienced loss, you will be sure to find something moving and profound in these diverse tales of mourning, remembrance, and resilience.

A widow and therapist explores grief, loss, and our innate resilience in this updated guide, drawing on neuroscience and personal experience to lead the bereaved through the five stages of healing After studying to become a therapist and crisis intervention counselor—even doing her master's thesis on the stages of bereavement—Christina Rasmussen thought she understood grief. But it wasn't until losing her husband to cancer in her early 30s that she truly grasped the depths of sorrow and pain that accompany loss. Using the knowledge she gained while wading through her own grief and reading hundreds of neuroscience books, Rasmussen began to look at experiences in a new way. She realized that grief plunges you into a gap between worlds—the world before loss and the world after loss. She also realized how easy it is to become lost in this gap. In Second Firsts, Rasmussen walks you through her Life Reentry process to help you break grief's spiral of pain, so you can stop simply surviving and begin to live again. She shows you that loss can actually be a powerful catalyst to creating a life that is in alignment with your true passions and values. The resilience, strength, and determination that have gotten you through this difficult time are the same characteristics that will help you craft your wonderful new life. Her method, which she has used successfully with thousands of clients, is based on the science of neuroplasticity and focuses on consciously releasing pain in ways that both honor suffering and rewire the brain to change your perception of the world and yourself. Using practical exercises and stories drawn from her own life and those of her clients, Rasmussen guides you through five stages of healing that help you open up to new possibilities. From acknowledging your fear, to recognizing where you stand now, to taking active steps toward a new life, Rasmussen helps you move past the pain and shows that it's never too late to step out of the gap and experience life again—as if for the first time.

Al is die dood'n feit soos'n koei, vermy die meeste van ons dit om daaroor te dink of te praat. Hierdie boek probeer om dié stilte te verbreek. In Wreed én mooi is die dood deel bekende Afrikaanse skrywers hulle verhale oor verlies en heling. Dit bied insig in hoe om die trauma van'n geliefde se dood te hanteer en jou eie sterflikheid te konfronteer. Só skryf Marita van der Vyver roerend oor haar babaseun se dood, terwyl Valda Jansen beskryf hoe sy aanvanklik lamgelê is deur die nuus dat sy kanker het en Kerneels Breytenbach vertel hoe sy vrou se sterwe hom tot selfkennis gelei het.'n Jong paramedikus berig oor sy gereelde ontmoetings met die dood en'n sterwensbegeleier vertel hoe dit moontlik is om hierdie wêreld blymoedig te verlaat. Daar is selfs'n bietjie humor... soos die storie oor die jong dominee wat in'n leë graf beland het en Annelie Botes se lang lys voorskrifte vir haar begrafnis. Die dood is wreed ja, maar dit kan – verrassend genoeg ̶ ook mooi wees.

A trusted companion and go-to resource for everyone supporting someone at the end of life--from the moment we first learn that someone is dying through the time of death and beyond.Present through the End offers the guidance and essential wisdom we need when we are struggling to support someone who is nearing death. This book helps us meet the many challenges ahead and navigate through difficult times with clarity and kindness--both for the person who is dying and also for ourselves. Inspired by decades of experience caring for the dying and years teaching contemplative care around the world, Kirsten DeLeo shares down-to-earth advice and offers short, simple'on the spot'tools to help us handle our emotions, deal with difficult relationships, talk about spiritual matters, practice self-care, listen fully, and more. This book offers insight and encouragement when we are unsure what to do or say and shows us how to be present even though we may feel utterly helpless, love when loss is just around the corner, and be fully alive to each moment as time runs out.

This book offers an ethnographic exploration of three sites of infamous atrocity and their differing memorialization. ‘Dark tourism'research has studied the consumerization of spaces associated with death and barbarity, whilst ‘difficult heritage'has looked at politicized, national debates that surround the preservation of death. This book contributes to these debates by applying spatial theory on a scalar level, particularly through the work of Henri Lefebvre. It uses escalating case studies to situate memorialization, and the multifarious demands of politics, consumption and community, within a framework that rearticulates ‘lived', ‘perceived'and ‘conceived'aspects of deviant spaces ranging from the small (a bench) to the very large (a city). The first case study, the Tyburn gallows site in York, uses Lefebvre's notion of ‘theatrical space'to contextualize the role of performativity in memorialization. The second, Number 25 Cromwell Street in Gloucester, builds on this by exploring the absence of memorialization through Lefebvre's concept of ‘contradictory space'and the impact this has on consumption. The third expands to consider the city as a problematic memorial, here focusing on the political subjectivities of Dresden – rebuilt following the devastation of the Second World War – and its contemporary associations with neo-Nazi and anti-fascist protests. Ultimately, by examining the issue of scale in heritage, the book seeks to develop a new way of unpacking and understanding the heteroglossic nature of deviant space and memorialization.

A mother's advice to her daughter--a guide to daily living, both practical and sublime--with full-color illustrations throughout.One sleepless night while she was in her early twenties, illustrator/writer Hallie Bateman had a painful realization: her mom would die, and after she died she would be gone. The prospect was devastating, and also scary--how would she navigate the world without the person who gave her life? She thought about all the motherly advice she would miss--advice that could help her through the challenges to come, including the ordeal of losing a parent. The next day, Hallie asked her mother, writer Suzy Hopkins, to record step-by-step instructions for her to follow in the event of her mom's death. The list began:'Pour yourself a stiff glass of whiskey and make some fajitas'and continued from there, walking Hallie through the days, months, and years of life after loss, with motherly guidance and support, addressing issues great and small--from choosing a life partner to baking a quiche. The project became a way for mother and daughter to connect with humor, openness, and gratitude. It led to this book. Combining Suzy's wit and heartfelt advice with Hallie's quirky and colorful style, What to Do When I'm Gone is the illustrated instruction manual for getting through life without one's mom. It's also a poignant look at loss, love, and taking things one moment at a time. By turns whimsical, funny, touching, and above all pragmatic, it will leave readers laughing and teary-eyed. And it will spur conversations that enrich family members'understanding of one another.

First published in 1997, this volume studied families bereaved by perinatal or infant death, including factors both preceding and following the experience and its effect on areas such as marriage, mental health and future conception, based on interviews with 194 women living in south-eastern Queensland, Australia. Tracing the natural history of the first thirty months of their loss, all mothers completed semi-structured interviews and standardized questionnaires at two, eight, fifteen and thirty months following the baby's death. The study aims to explain and explore these effects and to suggest some potential recommendations for the care and support of women who experience stillbirth, neonatal death or SIDS.

Telling you what you need to know about grief, this book is the perfect introduction for the lay reader who works with the bereaved. Giving the basics of modern grief theory, tips on what to say to someone in grieving and much more, it is a must read for anyone who works with the bereaved.

This practical guide provides a framework and useful techniques for helping bereaved youth in numerous settingsThis welcomed addition to the field of childhood bereavement is brimming with innovative yet practical interventions for human service professionals helping grieving youth in a variety of settings. Written by noted experts with over 40 years of combined experience, this comprehensive “how to” book provides both a framework for understanding how grief impacts the lives of children, and models, techniques and interventions for individual, family, and group counseling. The book is based on best practices and the authors experience working with grieving families. It includes hands-on tips for interacting with and helping grieving children. Specific guidelines are provided for individual and group support including practical methods for creating meaningful spaces for young people to find help, encouragement, and healing. The book's developmental, environmental, cultural, and social considerations equip professionals with the tools to better understand the mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual reactions of their young clients. Additionally, the book offers insightful information on professional accountability, ethical concerns, educational recommendations and training. Professionals who work with bereaved children daily and those who occasionally encounter them in their practice will find a wealth of resources in this book.Key Features:Brimming with innovative, practical interventions to support grieving children and teens Provides individual, family, and group counseling models, techniques, and interventionsEmbodies strategies for working with bereaved youth that can be used in a variety of settings, including mental health, health care, schools, and faith communitiesOffers a framework for understanding how grief impacts the lives of children

Ease the Pain of Losing a ChildSoftening the Grief is both a companion for grieving mothers so they know they are not alone and a resource for people who want to be caring but are afraid they will say the wrong thing. This book provides the right things to say and do.Learn what words will truly bring comfort rather than pain to a grieving mother.Understand the emotional challenges faced by a grieving mother, even months and years after the loss of her child.Appreciate the inability of a bereaved mother to forget her pain - ever.Learn how to support and comfort a bereaved mother with confidence.Know what to say and do without adding more pain. Four mothers who each lost a child want to educate friends and family of those who are grieving. In Softening the Grief they write about what to say and do to provide comfort and include a list of 25 things people often say that are intended to offer sympathy but more often are hurtful. The authors suggest better ways to communicate compassion and support. These women also write about the pain that never goes away and share their journeys through stories and poetry.A final word from the authors: If you felt it was a gift to know our child, then we ask you to continue to share that gift. Remember that we hurt every day. Your gifts of remembrance validate our feelings that our child was and continues to be loved, missed, and never forgotten. You can help to keep us strong so we are able to stand and reach out to the next unfortunate mother who experiences the pain of losing a child. It is never too late and the relationship was never too long ago to mention our child.

Douleur profonde et intime, le deuil est une réalité individuelle – perte d'un membre de la famille, d'un ami ou d'un collègue – qui a également un retentissement plus large de par les différents rituels pratiqués par la communauté autour du défunt. Il est déjà difficile d'affronter un deuil ; en contexte migratoire, vivre deuil et immigration, c'est vivre deux processus d'adaptation à des mondes inconnus. Un des buts de ce livre est de comprendre cette terra incognita par le témoignage des immigrants qui ont vécu un deuil, l'expérience des travailleurs sociaux et les études des chercheurs. Il fait oeuvre de pionnier en offrant un bilan des connaissances sur le sujet de la mort en contexte migratoire, au Québec, mais également ailleurs dans le monde. Grâce à un travail de terrain au plus près de migrants de diverses origines nationales, culturelles et religieuses vivant au Québec – musulmans, bouddhistes, chrétiens –, il rend compte de la multiplicité d'expériences empreintes tout autant de défis que de solutions créatives. Il propose également d'aider à comprendre le deuil des autres – ceux qui sont nés ailleurs ou dont les parents sont nés ailleurs – pour mieux les accompagner. Lilyane Rachédi est professeure-chercheure à l'école de travail social de l'Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM). Béatrice Halsouet est docteure en sciences des religions de l'UQAM.

Find out everything you need to know about dealing with bereavement in just 50 minutes with this straightforward guide.The loss of a loved one can leave us feeling devastated, isolated and adrift, and in this situation it is often hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. As bereavement affects everyone differently, this guide contains clear, practical advice to allow you to work through your grief at your own pace and adapt to the change in your life.In just 50 minutes you will be able to:•Understand the psychological mechanisms behind grief•Take practical steps to gradually lessen the pain of bereavement•Support a loved one who is dealing with bereavementABOUT 50MINUTES.COM | HEALTH AND WELLBEING The Health and Wellbeing series from the 50Minutes collection is perfect for anyone looking to be healthier and happier in their personal life. Our guides cover a range of topics, from social anxiety to getting ready for a new baby, and provide simple, practical advice and suggestions to allow you to reduce stress, strengthen your relationships and increase your wellbeing.

The creator of the viral hit'Empathy Cards'teams up with a compassion expert to produce a visually stunning and groundbreaking illustrated guide to help you increase your emotional intelligence and learn how to offer comfort and support when someone you know is in pain.When someone you know is hurting, you want to let her know that you care. But many people don't know what words to use—or are afraid of saying or doing the wrong thing. This thoughtful, instructive guide, from empathy expert Dr. Kelsey Crowe and greeting card maverick Emily McDowell, blends well-researched, actionable advice with the no-nonsense humor and the signature illustration style of McDowell's immensely popular Empathy Cards, to help you feel confident in connecting with anyone experiencing grief, loss, illness, or any other difficult situation.Written in a how-to, relatable, we've-all-been-that-deer-in-the-headlights kind of way, There Is No Good Card for This isn't a spiritual treatise on how to make you a better person or a scientific argument about why compassion matters. It is a helpful illustrated guide to effective compassion that takes you, step by step by step, past the paralysis of thinking about someone in a difficult time to actually doing something (or nothing) with good judgment instead of fear.There Is No Good Card for This features workbook exercises, sample dialogs, and real-life examples from Dr. Crowe's research, including her popular'Empathy Bootcamps'that give people tools for building relationships when it really counts. Whether it's a coworker whose mother has died, a neighbor whose husband has been in a car accident, or a friend who is seriously ill, There Is No Good Card for This teaches you how to be the best friend you can be to someone in need.

#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.

“An honest, practical, as well as emotional guide to working through the processing of mourning” (Vogue), Grief Works is a lifeline for all of us dealing with loss and a handbook to help others—from the “expected” death of a parent to the sudden and unexpected death of a child or spouse.Death affects us all. Yet it is still the last taboo in our society, and grief is still profoundly misunderstood. Julia Samuel, a grief psychotherapist, has spent twenty-five years working with the bereaved and understanding the full repercussions of loss. In Grief Works, Samuel shares case studies from those who have experienced great love and great loss—and survived. People need to understand that grief is a process that has to be worked through, and Samuel shows if we do the work, we can begin to heal. “As a guide for the newly grieving, Grief Works succeeds on many levels, and the author's compassionate storytelling skills provide even broader appeal…and consistently hit an authentically inspiring note” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review). “Illuminating” (The New York Times), intimate, warm, and helpful, Samuel is a caring and deeply experienced guide through the shadowy and mutable land of grief, and her book is as invaluable to those who are grieving as it is to those around them. She adroitly unpacks the psychological tangles of grief in a voice that is compassionate, grounded, real, and observant of those in mourning. Divided into case histories grouped by who has died—a partner, a parent, a sibling, a child, as well section dealing with terminal illness and suicide—Grief Works shows us how to live and learn from great loss. This important book is “essential for anyone who has ever experienced grief or wanted to comfort a bereaved friend” (Helen Fielding, author of Bridget Jones's Diary).

Looking at how Geoff Mead learned to cope with the grief of his wife's passing, this book shows the importance that'artful practice', such as writing, can have in making sense of the experience. A moving first person account, it will be of interest to anyone wanting to learn about the different ways of mourning and commemorating a life.

Despite research which highlights parents'increased anxiety and risk of attachment issues with the pregnancy that follows a perinatal loss, there is often little understanding that bereaved families may need different care in their subsequent pregnancies. This book explores the lived experience of pregnancy and parenting after a perinatal loss. Meeting the Needs of Parents Pregnant and Parenting After Perinatal Loss develops a helpful framework, which integrates continuing bonds and attachment theories, to support prenatal parenting at each stage of pregnancy. Giving insight into how a parent's world view of a pregnancy may have changed following a loss, readers are provided with tools to assist parents on their journey. The book discusses each stage of a pregnancy, as well as labor and the postpartum period, before examining subjects such as multi-fetal pregnancies, reluctant terminations, use of support groups, and the experiences of fathers and other children in the family. The chapters include up-to-date research findings, vignettes from parents reflecting on their own experiences and recommendations for practice. Written for researchers, students and professionals from a range of health, social welfare and early years education backgrounds, this text outlines what we know about supporting bereaved families encountering the challenges of a subsequent pregnancy.

Passed and Present is a one-of-a-kind guide for discovering creative and meaningful ways to keep the memory of loved ones alive.Inspiring and imaginative, this bona fide'how-to” manual teaches us how to remember those we miss most, no matter how long they've been gone. Passed and Present is not about sadness and grieving. It is about happiness and remembering. It is possible to look forward, to live a rich and joyful life, while keeping the memory of loved ones alive. This much-needed, easy-to-use roadmap shares 85 imaginative ways to celebrate and honor family and friends we never want to forget.Chapter topics include: Repurpose With Purpose: Ideas for transforming objects and heirlooms. Discover ways to reimagine photographs, jewelry, clothing, letters, recipes, and virtually any inherited item or memento. Use Technology: Strategies for your daily, digital life. Opportunities for using computers, scanners, printers, apps, mobile devices, and websites. Not Just Holidays: Tips for remembrance any time of year, day or night, whenever you feel that pull, be it a loved one's birthday, an anniversary, or just a moment when a memory catches you by surprise. Monthly Guide: Christmas, Thanksgiving, Mother's Day, Father's Day, and other special times of year present unique challenges and opportunities. This chapter provides exciting ideas for making the most of them while keeping your loved one's memory alive. Places to Go: Destinations around the world where reflecting and honoring loved ones is a communal activity. This concept is called Commemorative Travel. Also included are suggestions for incorporating aspects of these foreign traditions into your practices at home. Being proactive about remembering loved ones has a powerful and unexpected benefit: it can make you happier. The more we incorporate memories into our year-round lives as opposed to sectioning them off to a particular time of year, the more we can embrace the people who have passed, and all that's good and fulfilling in our present. With beautiful illustrations throughout by artist Jennifer Orkin Lewis,Passed and Present also includes an introduction by Hope Edelman, bestselling author of Motherless Daughters.

Finding out your unborn child has been diagnosed with a poor or fatal prenatal diagnosis is devastating news sure to reverberate through your family's life forever. The emotional aspects of such a pregnancy and the practical implications of an adverse diagnosis are difficult to navigate. The Prenatal Bombshell is a warm and understanding companion guide through the journey from diagnosis and beyond once you've decided to either continue or end your precious pregnancy. Issues such as managing the pregnancy, delivery, termination, creating memories, future babies, and the long term impact of such a traumatic experience are all covered in detail. The lived experiences of other women who have gone through this journey are also included to provide hope, support, and guidance through difficult times. The Prenatal Bombshell does not attempt to convince women to make a particular choice about their pregnancy. It supports them from their choice onwards in a way that is honest, informative, and reliable. Filled with stories and testimonies, this is a helpful book to have during, and well beyond, a poor prenatal diagnosis.

Grief can drive you to your knees, overtake you suddenly, and challenge you over and over again to find ways to simultaneously live and mourn. Its ability to exhaust us and to shake our stability seems to be greatest on special occasions. It is these landmark days that most challenge our ability to be present and find ways to make it through the day. Mourning and Milestones: Honoring Anniversaries, Birthdays and Special Occasions After a Loved One Dies helps to ease the burden of invention for grievers who are searching for ways to both honor their loss and live in the present. Widow, and bereavement group facilitator Kathleen Fraser shares her struggle finding ways to meet the challenges of these difficult days after the death of her husband. Based upon her own experiences with diminished capacity, fear of getting lost in grief, and a general sense of unmooring, Kathleen offers functional strategies for planning ahead, seeking gratitude where it can be found and trusting others to help.