Heartbroken: Healing from the Loss of a Spouse

by Gary Roe

He was your love. She was your partner. Now your heart is broken.

What do you do with all the pain, confusion, and anger? What will life be like? Who are you now?

Your heart needs answers. Heartbroken can help.

Bestselling author, hospice chaplain, and grief specialist Gary Roe is a well-respected and sought after voice in grief recovery who has been bringing hope and healing to grieving hearts for more than three decades. Gary has walked with hundreds of widows and widowers through this painful valley. From their stories he has composed this warm, practical work that will touch your heart and comfort your soul.

In this deeply personal, easy-to-read book, you will discover how to:
-Manage the up-and-down, roller-coaster emotions of grief (sadness, shock, anger, anxiety, fear, guilt, frustration, depression, etc.).
-Deal with feeling misunderstood, judged, and even rejected by those around you.
-Navigate all the relationship shifts and upheavals that occur with a close loss (relatives, friends, coworkers, neighbors, other widowed spouses, etc.).
-Find the support you need to grieve in healthy ways, heal, and grow.
-Live with purpose and meaning, even while hurting.
-Face the future with hope.

As you read, you will discover three key truths:
1. You're far from alone, though you might often feel lonely.
2. You're not crazy, but you are in a crazy situation compared to your old life.
3. You will make it through this, even though you might wonder how.

The loss of a husband or wife is traumatic. You will never be the same, but you can heal and grow. Let Heartbroken join you on your grief journey. You'll be glad you did.

Heartbroken is a USA Best Book Awards Finalist and a National Indie Excellence Book Awards Finalist.

Genres: Grief

158 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 2, 2020

About the author

Hi. My name is Gary.

My story began with a childhood of sexual abuse and numerous other losses. When my life began to unravel as a teen, another family took me in and changed the trajectory of my life. My healing journey began.

Eager to help others heal and grow, my heart turned outward. Over the next three decades, I served as a campus minister, a church-planting missionary in Japan, an entrepreneur in Hawaii, and a pastor. I'm currently work as a writer, speaker, and hospice chaplain.

After walking through deep valleys with thousands of people, I can say the following with confidence:

• We've all been wounded
• Healing isn't for sissies
• We’re all designed for impact
• The world needs us
• We must heal

I'm here to help. I'm no guru or master of anything. I'm a fellow struggler. I still bear the scars of my wounds. I grieve, get anxious, worry, and battle fear regularly. But I'm healing, and I'm growing.

Stop by my website. Drop me an email. I’d love to hear from you.

Reviews

[Sue Trotter]

Of all the books I turned to after my husband died, this is my favorite. It identified exactly the emotions I was experiencing and let me know what I was going through was a normal part of the grief process. I love the new updated version. The spaces for journaling with prompts are helpful for getting my thoughts down. This is the one book I would give to a friend who was grieving the loss of a spouse.

[Karen Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

An easy read and so very helpful if you've lost someone.

Losing a spouse changes EVERYTHING! This book helps the one left behind see that they are not alone in their feelings. Whether your loss is recent or it has been a while, you will find much value in this book.

[Ramona · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is really an invaluable tool to those of us who have lost a spouse. I was fortunate to share this with recent widows and we really had the opportunity to digest the affirmations, thoughtfully answer the question prompts, and appreciate the shared stories of those in the book who have experienced a traumatic loss like us.

It was comforting, healing, and reassuring to see our lives in these stories. The support team we need to surround ourselves with and the people who avoid us, go silent and turn their back on us, are all people we learn from in this journey. It helped to know we weren’t alone.

Reading and working through this daily, really helped us navigate this process and reminded us to be kind and patient with ourselves. There is no timeline or expiration date on grief and we all process it differently - there’s no wrong or right way - just the way that works best for us.

All in all, this was so well written. Quick easy chapters to read and refer back to, references we can apply - just an overall gem. Couldn’t really navigate this space without it.

[Kristie Moritz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just lost my husband 2 months ago

This book was recommended as well as another of Gary Roe's books. I believe it has helped me deal with my grief. Just knowing others walk in these shoes, even though all our experiences are unique, it helps. I hope to grieve well and heal eventually.

Do yourself a favor if you're grieving the lose of your significant other, read this.

[Regina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I appreciate Roe’s long term work on grief and this updated version is no disappointment. It’s easy to read, touching, practical, and a good resource for those grieving and those walking with those through grief. Losing a spouse is an unbelievably hard valley. This will help!

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's more of a long pamphlet than a book. It repeats itself a lot and has God and religion nearly everywhere.
I would not have purchased it had I known it was a religious approach to grief. Not helpful for me and the anecdotes are very short and didn't seem authentic to me.

[Nancy E. Bardeen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew some of what to expect after my husband died, but I didn't realize the depth of my grief. This book gave me permission to acknowledge that grief and to know I it's okay if I want to be alone some of the time.





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[Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a special book. I have read it many times since my husband died. This anniversary revision is great. I bought it too. The journaling pages are so great.