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Seven Choices: Taking the Steps to New Life After Losing Someone You Love
Everyone experiences grief, but few books offer real help with the debilitating emotions of bereavement.
364 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1997
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June 11, 2019
Each morning, I got up and read this book, and talked to Grandpa. I have never been able to understand public grieving, but setting aside the time, the private space, the emotional strength for grief, was exactly what I needed this past month. Thanks to my aunt for sending this.
Neeld's story is different from mine. She lost her husband suddenly. I lost Grandpa slowly, and began grieving him months before he was gone. I could see him visibly shrinking each time I went over to his house. But there is something universal about loss. It is a uniting experience for everyone. We deal with it differently, for different lengths of time, and all lives are distinct. But the pain of losing our love, that is something we all feel somewhere in the core of our humanity. Neeld grasps that.
She balances different narratives and experiences well. She is a wonderful writer, and narrates her own journey through grief in a way that is honest and accessible. I think there will be practical hardships for some that she does not explore here. This isn't a guide for people who are left bankrupt, or homeless, or shocked by secrets. Her concerns are less the practical ones, and much more the ones of the heart.
While this seemed a little indulgent at moments, and was probably unnecessarily lengthy, I think most people would benefit from reading this. Pick up in the section that resonates with where you're at. I don't think this has to be read all at once, or in order. Grief doesn't work that way. I might go back to it just for the poems.
Neeld's story is different from mine. She lost her husband suddenly. I lost Grandpa slowly, and began grieving him months before he was gone. I could see him visibly shrinking each time I went over to his house. But there is something universal about loss. It is a uniting experience for everyone. We deal with it differently, for different lengths of time, and all lives are distinct. But the pain of losing our love, that is something we all feel somewhere in the core of our humanity. Neeld grasps that.
She balances different narratives and experiences well. She is a wonderful writer, and narrates her own journey through grief in a way that is honest and accessible. I think there will be practical hardships for some that she does not explore here. This isn't a guide for people who are left bankrupt, or homeless, or shocked by secrets. Her concerns are less the practical ones, and much more the ones of the heart.
While this seemed a little indulgent at moments, and was probably unnecessarily lengthy, I think most people would benefit from reading this. Pick up in the section that resonates with where you're at. I don't think this has to be read all at once, or in order. Grief doesn't work that way. I might go back to it just for the poems.
Displaying 1 of 1 review