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Scent of Water: words of comfort in times of grief
A book to help those who grieve and who are mourning the loss of a loved one.
A verse, a brief thought, beautiful photos, poems and reflections.
A gift book to give in time of need.
A verse, a brief thought, beautiful photos, poems and reflections.
A gift book to give in time of need.
Hardcover
Published July 7, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 19, 2021
Scent of Water: Words of comfort in times of grief - by Penelope Swithinbank
#Scentofwater is a must have book for numerous reasons too many to mention here. It is a handy gift to give one in bereavement when they are inconsolable, beyond our reach and there is no place for our words. The title, which from Job 14: 7-9 hints a lifeline .The writer describes her feelings of losing her mother comparable to the feelings in Psalm 94, where the psalmists asks WHY and WHERE is God? The illustrations make for a light refreshing and calm read for the eyes and mind. The contents highlight topics which allow for a quick browse and help the reader to choose a relatable topic or verse on the spur of the moment as they go through fear, depression, self-doubt, tiredness, feelings of being lifeless, being in denial and other extra ordinary emotions caused by grief. The book provides a daily connection to engage with departed loved ones and can be used as a weekly comfort to keep one’s memory from falling out of God’s love because there are appropriate examples of scripture which give hope and encouragement like: Do not be afraid for I am with you in Isaiah 43:5.
Numerous apt quotes from the bible in connection to grief and loss are mentioned but I particularly liked the writer’s mention from John 11:35 - ‘Jesus burst into tears’ publicly and in anger, because of His grief for a loved one. This had enabled the writer to understand her grief without guilt. It had encouraged her gratitude to the Lord for His understanding of her anger, pain, hurt and loneliness. Penelope Swithinbank had invited Lord Jesus to weep with her!! The writer explains that feelings of depression shouldn’t make one think they are weak, less spiritual, or doubt one’s self in grief because one is being human. The writer mentions that God understood her grief even when others didn’t and that comforted her when she kept away from community, family and other commitments. For her, it is God’s way of giving one time to recover, rest, refresh and recoup. The writer thanked God for the relief the rest had brought to her. For other kinds of losses such as work, home, defilation, the writer reminds readers of El Roi –‘ the God who sees me’ through the incidence of Hagar who achieved deliverance from death when she cried to God as El Roi!
How does the writer explain those times one calls out to God and He seems far away and doesn’t hear? There are many scriptures given but readers will find this great quote given in Psalms 22:1 - ‘My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?’ This reminded me of Lord Jesus on the cross saying those same words and achieving victory in the end!! He came out of death alive, powerful and restored. The writer throughout this book gives us hope that this day of victory and strength will come to us after grief. There are loads of the writer’s thoughts shared on the destination of our loved ones which you will find comforting. The writer gives revelations about the love and mercy of God that comfort our troubled thoughts for loved ones who did not acknowledge Lord Jesus before they died. I leave you readers to discover the numerous advantages and benefits too many to mention here. One gold nugget I will finally share from the book is Psalm 23, which the writer recommends as a gentle pastoral aid for grief. Verse by verse, the writer shows how assurance, protection, care and love are bestowed on the bereaved.
This book of 192 pages is highly recommended and worth 5 stars!!
#Scentofwater is a must have book for numerous reasons too many to mention here. It is a handy gift to give one in bereavement when they are inconsolable, beyond our reach and there is no place for our words. The title, which from Job 14: 7-9 hints a lifeline .The writer describes her feelings of losing her mother comparable to the feelings in Psalm 94, where the psalmists asks WHY and WHERE is God? The illustrations make for a light refreshing and calm read for the eyes and mind. The contents highlight topics which allow for a quick browse and help the reader to choose a relatable topic or verse on the spur of the moment as they go through fear, depression, self-doubt, tiredness, feelings of being lifeless, being in denial and other extra ordinary emotions caused by grief. The book provides a daily connection to engage with departed loved ones and can be used as a weekly comfort to keep one’s memory from falling out of God’s love because there are appropriate examples of scripture which give hope and encouragement like: Do not be afraid for I am with you in Isaiah 43:5.
Numerous apt quotes from the bible in connection to grief and loss are mentioned but I particularly liked the writer’s mention from John 11:35 - ‘Jesus burst into tears’ publicly and in anger, because of His grief for a loved one. This had enabled the writer to understand her grief without guilt. It had encouraged her gratitude to the Lord for His understanding of her anger, pain, hurt and loneliness. Penelope Swithinbank had invited Lord Jesus to weep with her!! The writer explains that feelings of depression shouldn’t make one think they are weak, less spiritual, or doubt one’s self in grief because one is being human. The writer mentions that God understood her grief even when others didn’t and that comforted her when she kept away from community, family and other commitments. For her, it is God’s way of giving one time to recover, rest, refresh and recoup. The writer thanked God for the relief the rest had brought to her. For other kinds of losses such as work, home, defilation, the writer reminds readers of El Roi –‘ the God who sees me’ through the incidence of Hagar who achieved deliverance from death when she cried to God as El Roi!
How does the writer explain those times one calls out to God and He seems far away and doesn’t hear? There are many scriptures given but readers will find this great quote given in Psalms 22:1 - ‘My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?’ This reminded me of Lord Jesus on the cross saying those same words and achieving victory in the end!! He came out of death alive, powerful and restored. The writer throughout this book gives us hope that this day of victory and strength will come to us after grief. There are loads of the writer’s thoughts shared on the destination of our loved ones which you will find comforting. The writer gives revelations about the love and mercy of God that comfort our troubled thoughts for loved ones who did not acknowledge Lord Jesus before they died. I leave you readers to discover the numerous advantages and benefits too many to mention here. One gold nugget I will finally share from the book is Psalm 23, which the writer recommends as a gentle pastoral aid for grief. Verse by verse, the writer shows how assurance, protection, care and love are bestowed on the bereaved.
This book of 192 pages is highly recommended and worth 5 stars!!
June 25, 2022
A beautiful book in every way.
Written from her own experience of tragedy and bereavement, Penelope guides us through twenty-five weeks of spiritual grieving without hurry, without judgement and without cliché. Beautifully presented as a gift book, complete with coloured photographs this would indeed make an appropriate present for someone navigating this dark valley of sorrow.
My personal favourites were an invitational prayer which processes anger, numbness and confusion in the light of the strength, compassion, comfort, patience and wisdom of the Trinity; and a short reading entitled 'The Fellowship of the Mat'. This reference to the four men who lowered their friend down through a roof to the feet of Jesus sums up the importance of friends who would do the same for one crippled by grief.
Penelope shows us a well-worn path trodden by not only her feet, but by those of many before us. It provides comfort, solace and reassurance, drawing the reader through the many shades of grief at their own pace. There is no trite conclusion but a sense of peace throughout. Her loss is our gain.
Written from her own experience of tragedy and bereavement, Penelope guides us through twenty-five weeks of spiritual grieving without hurry, without judgement and without cliché. Beautifully presented as a gift book, complete with coloured photographs this would indeed make an appropriate present for someone navigating this dark valley of sorrow.
My personal favourites were an invitational prayer which processes anger, numbness and confusion in the light of the strength, compassion, comfort, patience and wisdom of the Trinity; and a short reading entitled 'The Fellowship of the Mat'. This reference to the four men who lowered their friend down through a roof to the feet of Jesus sums up the importance of friends who would do the same for one crippled by grief.
Penelope shows us a well-worn path trodden by not only her feet, but by those of many before us. It provides comfort, solace and reassurance, drawing the reader through the many shades of grief at their own pace. There is no trite conclusion but a sense of peace throughout. Her loss is our gain.
July 20, 2021
This is a beautifully presented gift book - a joy and a comfort to receive at a time of mourning a loved one. You can dip in and out of the sections; reflect with the lovely photos; read the poems and meditations. I particularly appreciated the section for special days - the day of the funeral, the first Christmas, the first birthday, and so on. I also really liked the stunning photos of water.
I hadn't known the quote the title comes from but now that I do I am finding that a good thing to hang on to in my grief.
I hadn't known the quote the title comes from but now that I do I am finding that a good thing to hang on to in my grief.
August 6, 2021
This book is a must read for anyone suffering the grief of bereavement. Penelope is no stranger to loss as she so cruelly witnessed her mother’s life being snatched away from her by an out of control car. Every word is this book is born out of own deeply honest journey of trying to find a path with God through such devastation. It’s a beautifully presented devotional which I know will bring comfort and hope to those who mourn.
July 18, 2021
I hope you won't need to read this book - it's primarily for those who have just suffered a bereavement. But if you do, then it will be a lifeline in the early days of grief. The author's aching immediacy in her prayers to God in the devotionals will be hugely helpful to those walking through the daze of loss.
August 2, 2021
Scent of Water (Words of Comfort in Times of Grief) is a beautiful, moving, and honestly real devotional for those experiencing loss. The author has bravely written out of her own traumatic experience of witnessing her elderly mother’s life taken suddenly, and out of the subsequent deep grief response that left her numb and flailing. It is a book for those who grieve, and grief comes in many forms and for many reasons. It’s format of simple, non- demanding devotionals, a short line from scripture and a heartfelt prayer, is perfect for those times.
Penelope Swithinbank is a woman of deep faith, with a lifetime of following and serving Jesus. But that did not make her immune to pain, doubt and despair. She wrote Scent of Water out of her own need to just hold on through the storm. And her words in it are real, the emotions expressed raw and totally relatable, and yet hope also sings from every page. Like the Psalmists of old she has not hidden how grief has made her feel: the frustration, anger, disbelief, hollowness, confusion, and sheer exhaustion, but alongside her heart cries are the gentle words of God, the reassurances, the moments of strength for the weary soul, the thankfulness. Scent of Water is such a sensitively thought out little book and so beautifully put together; a perfect gift to give to those who need it’s comfort.
Penelope Swithinbank is a woman of deep faith, with a lifetime of following and serving Jesus. But that did not make her immune to pain, doubt and despair. She wrote Scent of Water out of her own need to just hold on through the storm. And her words in it are real, the emotions expressed raw and totally relatable, and yet hope also sings from every page. Like the Psalmists of old she has not hidden how grief has made her feel: the frustration, anger, disbelief, hollowness, confusion, and sheer exhaustion, but alongside her heart cries are the gentle words of God, the reassurances, the moments of strength for the weary soul, the thankfulness. Scent of Water is such a sensitively thought out little book and so beautifully put together; a perfect gift to give to those who need it’s comfort.
October 28, 2021
Born out of personal tragedy, and a desire to help others going through painful loss, Scent of Water brims with empathy and love. When you don’t really know what to say to a bereaved loved one let the wisdom contained within its pages say it for you. Though it is directed mainly at the recently bereaved, and, thankfully, there is a little distance between me and my last great loss, I still found much which touched my heart. It’s a “must have” for your library: to read, or lend, as life marches on…
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews