The classic guide for dealing with grief and loss. Daily reflections to find solace in our own lives, and comfort in the connection of sharing these meditations with countless others.
After the focus on planning and outpouring of love from family and friends in the immediate aftermath following the loss of a loved one, we are left to enter a new version of our lives where someone important is missing.
For days, months, years, the pain of the loss can crash in all at once. It is tempting to push that wave of grief back and soldier on with our new lives, but the loss will never lose its controlling power if we don’t find the courage and love to face it. Meditating on the loss, along with the rush of love that comes with it, gives us a chance to rejoice in the life that was shared, and to look forward in which memories of our loved ones continue to bless us.
The short, poignant meditations given here follow the course of the year, but it is not a necessity to follow them chronologically. They will strengthen, inspire, and give comfort for as long as they are needed.
M A R T H A W . H I C K M A N was the author of more than twenty books, including The Growing Season, Fullness of Time, I Will Not Leave You Desolate, and Such Good People, and the children’s books When Andy’s Father Went to Prison, And God Created Squash, and Eeps Creeps, It’s My Room.
A native of Massachusetts and a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Mount Holyoke, she lived in the South for many years. To her writing she brought the additional perspective of being a wife, mother, grandmother, and sometime editor and teacher. Her work continues to serve as an invaluable source of inspiration well after her passing.