By Pauline Boss, PhD, 176 pages. When a loved one dies we mourn our loss. We take comfort in the rituals that mark the passing, and we turn to those around us for support. But what happens when there is no closure, when a family member or a friend who may be still alive is lost to us nonetheless? Visit Website
By Claire Bidwell Smith. Explores the critical connections between anxiety and grief. This book breaks down the physiology of anxiety to help the reader understand the anxiety caused by loss, and offers practical strategies for healing. Visit Website
By Sarah Beckman. Practical strategies, checklists, encouragement, wisdom from seasoned travelers, and rock-solid biblical truth to enable readers to walk through the depths of hardship with insight, dignity, and certainty. Visit Website
By Richard P. McQuellon and Michael A. Cowan, Oxford University Press, 2010. Every day, thousands of people receive a diagnosis of serious, life-threatening illness, and their families and friends suddenly become caregivers. Despite the best of intentions it is not always easy to communicate well under these circumstances, or find deep empathy for something one has never before experienced. When is it best to speak, and when to be silent? Visit Website
By Pauline Boss, PhD, 292 pages. This book outlines seven guidelines for staying resilient while caring for someone who has dementia, discusses the meaning of relationships with individuals who are cognitively impaired and no longer as they used to be and offers approaches to understand and cope with the emotional strain of caregiving. Visit Website
By Russ Harris, MD, 240 pages. The “reality slap” takes many different forms. Sometimes it is so violent it’s more like a punch: the death of a loved one, a serious illness, a major injury, a freak accident, a shocking crime, a disabled child, the loss of a job; bankruptcy, betrayal, fire, flood, divorce or disaster. Sometimes it’s a little gentler: envy, loneliness, resentment, failure, disappointment or rejection. But whatever form it takes, one thing’s for sure: it hurts! Visit Website
by Donna VanLiere, The Christmas Light Read More
by Ralph Waldo Emerson Read More
Journeying through Grief is a set of four short books to send to people at four crucial times during the first year after the loss of a loved one. Pastor Walter Still, Interim Pastor at Our Savior's Lutheran Church utilized these at Peace Fort Myers. "Someone needs to be responsible for managing that from the Care Team. We also included a brief note from the Pastor as another connection point. The materials were greatly appreciated." Thank you, Lynn Rossiter, for this addition to our resources to help others Visit Website
Peggy Rhodes shared this article on grief. From my own experience, this description is accurate. Grief is raw. An excerpt from the article "When you lose a loved one, a natural first impulse is to focus on managing the situation to contain the harm so that it doesn’t spill over into adjacent areas of life: work, casual friendships or the checkout line of the grocery store. Like cleaning up broken glass, you move cautiously, doing your best not to get cut by the jagged edges of your grief. You may start by focusing on ‘cleaning up’ the largest, most obvious pieces, the ones most easily handled and dealt with. Yet, at the same time, you understand all too well that the smaller, unobservable pieces are the real danger, and no matter how carefully and thoroughly you sweep the floor and wipe down the countertop, you will not find every last bit of glass. It’s only a matter of time before those scalpel-sharp remains gradually find their way into the open, undetected, and pierce you when you’re vulnerable and unsuspecting. Grief is shattered glass." Read More
Blue? Yes. As in "I am feeling blue." Not everyone is up and cheery for the Christmas holidays. Dealing with the death of a loved one, facing life after divorce or separation, coping with the loss of a job, living with cancer or some other dis-ease that puts a question mark over the future, and a number of other human situations make parties and joviality painful for many people in our congregations and communities. There is a growing attentiveness to the needs of people who are blue at Christmas. Increasing numbers of churches are creating sacred space for people living through dark times. Such services are reflective, accepting where we really are, and holding out healing and hope. Visit Website
A Blue Christmas Service is offered especially for those hurting during the holidays. It’s often offered December 21, the longest night of the year. Some come because they are mourning the death of a loved one. Some are far from home. Some suffer from illness, addiction, or estrangement. Some are lonely, struggling financially, or in conflict with another. Some hurt because of the great pain, need, and violence in our nation and world. The reasons for coming are many. We gather in the midst of suffering to remember God is good. God is strong. God is near. We are not alone and we have every reason to hold on to hope. Visit Website