Raw, honest and personal thoughts to comfort you on the journey through grief. Grief can often feel like a gnawing homesickness for a place where you used to live, but can never return to. Richard Littledale has written a series of short, candid thoughts and reflections from his own experience of widowhood that will resonate and bring comfort and understanding to anyone experiencing bereavement. These thoughts are written as postcards from the land of grief, as they are used to convey a message from this foreign country of bereavement. Postcards are, by definition, a small snapshot of a feeling at anyone time, not long and drawn out essays, and these thoughts provide an accessible way to identify feelings and draw hope from a fellow traveller. Richard also includes practical resources and advice on the grieving process, and reflects on how his faith in God has sustained him. The book is deliberately designed to be able to dip in and out of as required at the point of need. It is also useful for those who want to give a helpful book to comfort a friend, or for anyone wanting to help understand how their bereaved loved one might beling.

The 40 short reflections in this book address the ways in which we face the prospect of death and loss. The first 20 reflections are designed to be read by (or to) anyone living with a life-threatening illness; the other 20 are reflections on living with grief, especially bereavement. Each reflection is based on a single story drawn from one of three sources: Dr. Kellehear's professional experience with individuals living with dying or loss; his own experiences and stories from childhood; and the retelling of some of the great myths and legends about life, love, and death, selected from around the world-from Ireland to Japan, from Melanesia to China. The book is written to be accessible to a wide general audience.It can be read from beginning to end like a conventional book; each self-contained piece is also suitable for reading on a bus, train, or plane journey, or before bed at night. Each piece can be selected as a stand-alone meditation for use as a discussion topic in pastoral care, counseling, or sermons. These reflections are stories about how we can make the most of life in the shadow of death and loss. They are designed to instill hope and meaning in the difficult times that can accompany human mortality.

In preparing this special issue of "Omega: The Journal of Death and Dying" - we choose to consider solidarity in a somewhat larger perspective than the other one usually adopted by a clear majority of social support studies. This perspective gives priority to microscopic, immediate, direct transactions between a focal individual - the one affected by the prospect of soon to come death and two classes of people: those included in the core of that person's personal network and the health care personnel treating and accompanying soon to die people, many of them already advanced into agony.

Wake Me from the Nightmare helps people awaken from the nightmare of suicide loss. Survivors of suicide loss are left to live in a chronic state of shock, horror, and devastation. Broken and raw, they forge on, while plagued with pain, disruptive thoughts, and unanswered questions. The terrain of traumatic grief is complicated at best and precarious at worst. R. Jade McAuliffe understands this balance. After losing her sister in 2015, what kept her alive was her refusal to stay quiet and her willingness to stay connected, and on the other side of her personal wreckage, she found brand-new life. McAuliffe shares her discoveries, including how acknowledging pain will help to heal it, why protecting energy is vital for maintaining health and sanity, why people don't have to "get over" their loss in order to heal it, and so much more. Wake Me from the Nightmare guides readers to a safe place where they can move through their own emotional wreckage-and save their own life.

Alyson Franz suffered a painful loss and didn't know how she could ever get past it. Being a therapist herself at the time, she tried many traditional approaches with no success. This led her to a journey of healing, transformation, and a complete change in her professional work. She has now rebuilt both her life and her professional practice based on what she has learned on this journey which includes extensive training in transformative healing and coaching modalities. She specializes in helping others heal from grief and loss. In The Grief Cure, she shares her revolutionary approach. Sufferers learn: Why the loss of a loved one can feel excruciatingly painful Ways to release their emotional pain and feel better immediately What they can do to end their suffering for good Why traditional talk therapies and medication rarely work to heal grief How to move from feeling overwhelmed with grief to a new purpose The Grief Cure combines personal experience and the newest modern discoveries to help those who are suffering from grief rebuild their life after the loss.

When her own mother died, Margaret Rice realised how completely unprepared she and her family had been for the experience of companioning a loved one who is dying. So she decided to go in search of the information she couldn't find when she most needed it and write the book herself - a novice's guide to death. We live in a period of intense death denial. But what if we were to smash that taboo and ask questions we want answered, like how do we know when someone is close to dying, and how do we best care for them? What actually happens to our body when we die? How do we work with medical experts? How do we deal with the non-medical issues that will come up, such as wills, finances and even social media passwords? Is morphine used to nudge death along or is this just a myth? Where do questions about euthanasia fit in with personal, lived experience? Margaret Rice lifts the lid on the taboos that surround death, sharing practical information and compassionate advice from multiple sources to break down boundaries and offer better choices of care to suit individual needs. This is a book to help the dying and their carers feel less isolated, and help us all face death better.

In "Pet Death", Dr. Straub addresses issues and feelings commonly encountered after the death of a pet. Practical guidelines are provided for coping with feelings of loss and sorrow. Many questions arise from the difficult topic of euthanasia, and in this book, the medical aspect of this procedure is explained in plain language. "Are your other pets grieving?" and "Should I get another pet right away?" are other questions addressed. Dr. Straub and others openly share their personal accounts of pet loss.

During the last year of her short life, Maria Housden's three-year-old daughter Hannah was fearless in the way she faced death – and irrepressibly joyful in the way she approached living. The little girl who wore her favourite red shoes into the operating theatre changed the life of everyone who came in contact with her. Now, in a book that preserves Hannah's indomitable spirit, Maria Housden offers the gift of her daughter's last year to all of us.

In a lyrically told narrative, both moving and unforgettable, Housden recounts Hannah's battle with cancer in simple, straightforward language that transcends grief and fear to become a celebration. From Hannah's story emerge five profound lessons – of truth, joy, faith, compassion and wonder – that have the power to change our lives. A remarkable story, remarkably told, it will bring comfort to anyone touched by loss, and renewed faith in the power of love

’A heartbreaking and heartwarming tale of fearless little girl.’
'People Magazine'

Jennifer Worth's bestselling memoirs of her time as a midwife have inspired and moved readers of all ages. Now, in In the Midst of Life she documents her experiences as a nurse and ward sister, treating patients who were nearing the end of their lives. Interspersed with these stories from Jennifer's post-midwife career are the histories of her patients, from the family divided by a decision nobody could bear to make, to the mother who comes to her son's adopted country and joins his family without being able to speak a word of English. In the Midst of Life also gives moving insights not just into Jennifer's life and career, but also of a period of time which seems very different to today's, fast-paced world.

How does life go on after losing a child? Life from the Ashes shares the dark and raw story of Shari O'Loughlin's loss of her 14-year-old son, Connor, who was shockingly killed in an airplane crash on his way home from a four-day vacation. Like all parents, Shari was struck with the most unimaginable nightmare when her family received the soul-numbing news. Parents trying to navigate the perilous journey of traumatic loss know the path is agonizing. Happiness, faith, and wholeness seem reserved for everyone else but them. Shari shares her story to help bring the same unexpected hope and healing she experienced to parents alike. She helps answer questions on how parents can trust again, feel happiness, and have faith after God let their child die. She addresses how to live with this new life, take steps toward healing, and live a more purposeful life after loss. In honor of Connor and her family, Shari shares her path from darkness to light so other parents may better find their way. Although Shari's story shares the journey after the loss of a child, it contains tools that can help anyone who has suffered a loss of any type move forward in life.

"a must for any specialist and advanced practitioner's bookshelf." Journal of Interpersonal CareThis book focuses on what happens after a death has taken place. Drawing on social theory and anthropology, contributors examine responses to death as they occur within the unique set of cultural, social and historical circumstances which characterizes post-war society. The book does not just document and make sense of contemporary practices but also critically reviews the ways grief, mourning and death ritual have been approached by academics and practitioners in the field. It does this by combining substantial reviews with shorter illustrative examples of grief, mourning and death ritual as they are manifest in specific settings and with defined groups. These illustrative examples include personal and institutional responses to death at different points in the life cycle, and responses to different sorts of death - the death of children and death in disasters for example. The examples include commentaries on bereavement work and on changes in both the funeral industry and memorialization practices.Grief, Mourning and Death Ritual is aimed at advanced students in sociology, anthropology and psychology with an interest in death, dying and mortality. It is also directly relevant to those concerned with loss and how to respond to it. The book is therefore suitable for use on courses in nursing, palliative care, social work and counselling.

Last Rights is a compassionate, comprehensive, up-to-the-minute examination of the right-to-die movement in America and the medical, legal, ethical, and social issues surrounding euthanasia. The stories behind the headlines are revealed - both (in)famous and lesser known - through stirring personal testimonies. Airing the views of activists and opponents, Sue Woodman considers the complex questions that will continue to engage us for as long as we live and die. In the end, we are left with this question: Could the right to die be humankind's ultimate civil rights struggle?

Dr Karen Wyatt has spent most of her career as a hospice medical doctor, homeless shelter physician and caregiver. In this inspirational book she shares the 7 lessons she has learned from the dying and gives a daily spiritual practice to help live them. "Dr. Karen Wyatt addresses a long-standing taboo in our youth-obsessed, feel-good society: death and the process of dying." Larry Dossey, MD, author of Healing Words "This is a highly recommended book for those in the land of the living from those who are no longer with us." Ken Wilber Karen Wyatt has been privileged to share the final months, weeks, days and moments with many of her patients. This unique experience has given her a profound insight into death and dying. In this book she shares her story and the stories of her patients, providing us with 7 key lessons that the dying can teach us. Lesson 1: Suffering: Embrace Your Difficulties Lesson 2: Love: Let Your Heart Be Broken Lesson 3: Forgiveness: Hold No Resentments Lesson 4: Paradise: Dwell in the Present Moment Lesson 5: Purpose: Manifest Your Highest Potential Lesson 6: Surrender: Let Go of Expectations Lesson 7: Impermanence: Face Your Fear Each lesson is a wake up call to each and every one of us to live our lives more fully, without regret and in a more connected way. With each lesson Karen provides a clear analysis of the importance of that lesson and then goes on to share daily practices on how we can live the lessons as a spiritual practice.

For all those people who say they aren't cat people, but deep down know they are. 'Possibly the next Marley & Me' Red 'A reminder of the gratitude humans owe to our companion animals' Daily Mail Helen Brown wasn't a cat person, but her nine-year-old son Sam was. So when Sam heard someone mention that her cat had just had a litter, he pleaded to go and see them. Helen was powerless to resist and the deal was done - to be delivered when the kitten was big enough to leave her mother. Tragically, just a week later, Sam was killed in a road accident. Not long after this, a little black kitten was delivered to the family's doorstep. Totally numbed by Sam's death, Helen had completely forgotten about the new arrival, which belonged in another universe when Sam was still alive. Helen was ready to send her back, but Sam's younger brother, Rob, identified with the kitten who'd also lost her brothers. Stroking her, it was the first time Helen had seen him smile since Sam's death. There was no choice, the kitten - dubbed Cleo - had to stay. Cleo's immense character slowly taught the family to laugh again, giving them hope of getting back to normal. Over the next 24 years she went on to become the high priestess of Helen's household - vetoing her new men, terrifying visiting dogs and playing an integral role in their lives to become both a guardian and beloved friend. Optioned for film.

Find your way out of the pain and darkness of grief. None of us escapes life without experiencing grief in one form or another. But the journey of grieving parents, specifically that of the grieving mother, is something no one can imagine ... unless they have lived it. Is there a way through? Is it possible to live vibrantly again, to find joy and purpose in life after your young adult child has passed on? YES! The journey to joy may surprise you. Grief Interrupted is a letter of love, hope, and healing from one mother in grief to another. Corey Stiles, who lost her 17-year-old daughter, has walked the path, and her words will inspire you to reclaim your joy. With Corey as your guide, start your journey to a new normal where you will create space for both sorrow and joy to reside within you without crippling you. On this courageous sojourn, you will rediscover the magic and wonder of life while still honoring your loved one who has transitioned to heaven. Grief Interrupted is like a personal healing retreat for grieving mothers-in book form. If you're ready to move out of the dark, painful sea of grief and into the warmth and light of joy, this is your starting point. While this is a journey only you can set out on, you are not alone. You have someone to guide you, to encourage you, and to walk alongside you. You can be happy again! Welcome to the journey!

'America's preeminent fiction writer' New Yorker 'A raw, propulsive tale of love and grief' Mail on Sunday A novel of love and loss from the bestselling and prizewinning author of Blonde. Michaela and her husband have moved to the starkly beautiful but uncanny landscape of New Mexico, to take up an academic residency. But when Gerard is struck by a fatal illness, their life begins to resemble a nightmare. At thirty-seven, Michaela must first face the terrifying prospect of widowhood, then the chaos of the days when Gerard is gone. Haunting and utterly heart-wrenching, Breathe explores the intense madness of grief and what happens when a love cannot be surrendered. 'A fever dream of a novel' New York Times 'Simply the most consistently inventive, brilliant, curious and creative writer going, as far as I'm concerned' Gillian Flynn, author of Gone Girl

An intimate and original memoir of love, grief and male friendship by one of Scotland’s brightest young talents.

In 2018, Michael Pedersen lost a most cherished friend soon after their collective voyage into the landscape and luminosity of the Scottish Highlands. Sitting at a desk at The Curfew Tower, Northern Ireland, Michael begins to write to his departed friend – Scott Hutchison. What starts as a love letter to one magical, coruscating human soon becomes a paean to many friendships – perhaps all friendship.

In Boy Friends, Pedersen confronts the bewildering process of grief. As memories rise to the surface – both heart-wrenching and hilarious – he recalls his younger self: the overly sensitive boy growing up in working-class Edinburgh; his befuddling stint in an ancient collegiate university; a short-lived, combustible career as a lawyer; and, foremost, the gorgeous male friendships that have transformed his life.

Written to glitter, with intoxicating energy, Boy Friends is a powerful depiction of friendship and loss, a homage to the beauty of moments shared.

Practical, emotional, and spiritual guidance
The time may come when you or a loved one has to face a life-threatening illness; when you realize that you or your loved one may be dying. It's never easy to think about the last years of life, but being prepared can help you have your hopes and wishes realized. By taking the time now to plan for the future, you can maintain control of your life even at the very end.
Staying in Charge is a supportive guide to opening up the lines of communication and making life more fulfilling from the first day of diagnosis of a serious illness. This reassuring handbook helps you to focus on important matters such as:
* Handling a living will or a do-not-resuscitate order
* Deciding upon medical power of attorney
* Gathering support from friends and family
* And, most significantly, learning to live in the midst of dying

Based on the wisdom of many experts and caregivers in the field, Staying in Charge offers everything you need to know to make the last years of life more fruitful, less isolating, and more comfortable and peaceful-whenever and wherever the journey occurs.
""Few of us think of our own death with an open heart or a clear mind. Kaplan and Lukas courageously and compassionately demystify this unknown part of life with practical and spiritual guidance. With Staying in Charge, the secret is out: You can plan for death and, in so doing, learn how to live more fully.""
-Beth Witrogen McLeod, author of Caregiving: The Spiritual Journey of Love, Loss, and Renewal
""Staying in Charge: Practical Plans for the End of Your Life means what it says. When it comes time to manage a serious illness, we all want to be in control. There isn't a person alive who shouldn't read and absorb the counsel of this valorous-and unexpectedly cheering-work.""
-Stefan Kanfer, former editor, Time magazine author of Ball of Fire and A Summer World

Anxiety disorders are on the rise; many people are looking for resources to help them cope with anxiety, yet most people aren't aware that unresolved grief is a primary underpinning--or that the two are related at all. In her therapy practice and in her own life, Claire Bidwell Smith discovered the connections between anxiety and grief. Now, backed by research, case studies, and interviews, Bidwell Smith breaks down the physiology of anxiety, giving readers a concrete foundation of understanding in order to help them heal the anxiety caused by loss. Taking a big step beyond Elisabeth Kubler-Ross' widely accepted five stages, Anxiety: The Missing Stage of Grief explains the intimate connection between death and grief and how they specifically cause anxiety--unpacking everything from our age-old fears about mortality to the bare vulnerability a loss can make us feel. With concrete tools and coping strategies for panic attacks, getting a handle on anxious thoughts, and more, Bidwell Smith bridges these two emotions in a way that is deeply empathetic and eminently practical.