death and grieving, grief, Interpersonal Relations, non-fiction 

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KIRKUS REVIEW
A uniquely unpretentious search for avenues of rehabilitation for the bereaved in which the reader is encouraged to participate as a partner rather than a hapless recipient of superior wisdom. Mrs. Campbell's loss was violent and tragic: her son Mac, handicapped since boyhood, committed suicide in his twenties. Mrs. Campbell reviews the terrible particulars of acute grief -- the physical artifacts, the memories which seem to attach to every conscious moment, the dreams, even the pain of previously joyful experiences: ""Beautiful music tears me to pieces."" She then examines her own agnosticism which, while depriving her of a certain belief in an afterlife, does offer a ""humility"" in the face of possibility and the knowledge that meaning and purpose cannot be ruled out. She finally adopts the position that there will never be a full recovery from grief, but that dramatic change in the life of one bereft can point the way to dealing constructively with a new kind of living. The author suggests specific and practical disciplines -- from reordering a daily routine to grasping and enlarging upon snatches of time which offer respite from mourning. But one must incorporate love -- both given and received -- the latter often more difficult. An honest attempt to share and help. 

Good condition.

242.4
Religion > Christian practice and observance > Devotional Literature > Devotions for Difficult Times

BV4905:
Philosophy. Psychology. Religion: Practical Theology: Works of consolation and cheer