I'm Writing Another Book!

I’m writing my second book! It's more of a “how to guide”. It's about how to support someone through grief and loss.

In times of our greatest need for understanding and support, we often receive well-meaning but hurtful comments. I want to clear the air on this topic and open the conversation on grief to make it more comfortable and less awkward.

There’s lots of information out there on the world-wide-web, but I thought it would be helpful to compile all I’ve learned personally with all that I’ve learned through others and through research to have in one handy guidebook.

I invite YOU, my readers and friends, to share your stories with me. If I use your story/words, I can credit you or not (totally up to you!)

It's not just about losing a person - this includes the loss of a job, marriage, career, ability to care for oneself, etc.

I'm interested in hearing the most helpful, harmful, funny or bizarre things that were said to you to express sympathy for your loss.

If you’d like to add your story to the guide, just email me or leave a comment.

The book will be small and simple and priced affordably. I really hope to make a difference with this one.

Here’s my first draft of the introduction:

Introduction

Grief and loss can be uncomfortable topics to discuss. Nobody taught us what to say when someone is grieving. It's a touchy subject that doesn't have to be. Grief is a natural part of life that happens when we lose someone or something that was important to us. It happens not only in death, but at the loss of a pet, a job, a marriage, our health, or a relationship.

We often rely on cliches like, “He’s in a better place now”, “Let me know what I can do for you”, “You’re still young, you’ll find another spouse in time”, “that job wasn’t right for you, you’ll get a better one.” Cliches rarely provide comfort.

Some of us believe that if we bring up the loss, we will risk upsetting the griever further by reminding them of it. Your lack of mentioning a death or loss can make you come across as uncaring.

I write from experience and from years of communicating with people experiencing losses. (needs something more here)

With the help of this guide, you will know how to express your sympathy in the most supportive way possible.