Gifts From The Broken Jar: Rediscovering Hope, Beauty, And Joy

by P.J. Long

Everyone, at some time, learns how life can change in a with the crossing of the center line on a highway or the reading of a blood test; a telephone's knell in the still of night or a spouse's hesitation before the unspeakable is spoken. Occasionally, out of the turmoil emerges a work of exceptional wisdom and beauty. Gifts from the Broken Jar is one such work. Psychotherapist PJ Long's life-altering moment came when the bolt of a terrified horse left her brain-injured. She became a stranger to herself, unable to drive a car, prepare a meal, or carry on a conversation. But when PJ began to write, pen and ink acted as needle and thread, mending her torn mind and stitching together a new life. Lessons she had gleaned over years of helping others returned to guide her. And as PJ wrote, she gained profound insight into the resilience of the spirit and the unexpected joys of everyday life. Warm, engaging, and exquisitely crafted, Gifts from the Broken Jar will take its place beside treasured works like May Sarton's journals or Tuesdays with Morrie--books that tell the quieter tale, savoring the ordinary and discovering life's wonders.

254 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2004

Reviews

[Noelle Arneberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a woman who suffered a traumatic brain injury, and she writes about her life through journal entries and emails to a dear friend about the way she is discovering life differently since her injury and complete life change. Beautiful and sweet.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written memoir from a woman who also experienced a traumatic brain injury. How we react to our circumstances is how our woven threads create the tapestry for our life. The cracks of our brokenness reveals our divine lights’s glow from which it shines through..💫

[Barb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful, facinating, hopeful memoir! PJ records her recovery from a brain injury with such clarity and wisdom. The reader can track her gains of language processing by the insights as she recovers. Her recovery story mirrors some of my hope after heart surgery. I would highly recommend it for those rebuilding their lives after a life changing event. And for care givers to understand the internal thoughts during recovery.

[Colleen Schmitt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent memoir for those interested in brain injury.