This earthly plane offers much for us to learn: happiness, wisdom, loss, heartbreak, and enlightenment. It is a Pandora's box of emotions, situations, opportunities, and failures, all wrapped into a package we call life. Nobody is immune, but everyone has the opportunity to grow tall or wither like a flower in harsh light. It's completely up to us how we choose to respond. Finding Hope in the Darkness of Grief is a gleaning of insights from artist Diamante Lavender. For her, life has been a long, difficult road, but it has taught many poignant lessons. Her poetry collection is an exploration of the human soul, a traversing of situations that life throws at us. Diamante has always been intrigued by the ability to overcome and move on to bigger and better things. She writes to encourage hope and possibility in those who read her stories. If she can help others heal, as she has, then Diamante's work as an author and artist will have been well spent. She believes that everyone should try to leave a positive mark on the world, to make it a better place for all. Writing is the way that she is attempting to leave her markone story at a time.

Drawing on the successful national recovery program GriefShare, grief experts offer practical direction and hope in the face of loss.

After her husband died suddenly of a stroke, Karen Pilarowski found herself in a new world of trauma, loneliness and questions. She saw her life slowly reshaped by the hand of God as she sought Him for comfort and direction. Finding Hope in the Darkness is written from a shattered, vulnerable, but hopeful heart. While it does not hide the messy, sorrowful details of grief and the pain can seem overwhelming, God's love overwhelms the pain. In Finding Hope in the Darkness, God is honored in the midst of sorrow and heartache.

A true story of hope in the midst of great personal tragedy. Losing Cooper ? Finding Hope to Grieve Well, is the moving story of the Jasper family after the tragic death of their five-year-old son Cooper. The book chronicles their journey through darkness, but offers real hope to anyone experiencing trouble, trials or tragedy. It shows how a strong Christian family deals with shock, loss and grief from a Biblical perspective.

No matter what the circumstances, death shakes us to the core. It seems so wrong, and it is! We long for comfort, but we don't know where to look. Can God really help when we are overwhelmed with grief? With compassion and biblical wisdom, Paul David Tripp shows us how to think and what to do when death enters our door. He reminds us that ...

A renowned psychotherapist offers parents who have suffered the death of a child a new context for understanding and coping with their loss. Miller draws on years of research to present a wide-ranging look at the rituals parents practice around the world to understand both why their child has died and to find a comforting explanation for what happens to children after death.

For anyone who has experienced the suicide of a loved one, coworker, neighbor, or acquaintance and is seeking information about coping with such a profound loss, this compassionate guide explores the unique responses inherent to their grief. Using the metaphor of the wilderness, the book introduces 10 touchstones to assist the survivor in this naturally complicated and particularly painful journey. The touchstones include opening to the presence of loss, embracing the uniqueness of grief, understanding the six needs of mourning, reaching out for help, and seeking reconciliation over resolution. Learning to identify and rely on each of these touchstones will bring about hope and healing.

Where do you turn when your worst nightmare comes true? Imagine one moment you're heading on vacation and the next moment you're on the phone with a police detective from the Crime Scene Unit. Then, envision hanging on to the other end of that phone for 90 minutes waiting to find out if the person who was found dead in a hotel room is your child. This is what happened to Pat Elsberry and her family. "Beautifully Broken: Finding Hope During Loss" is vulnerable and heart wrenching, as it shares Pat Elsberry's walk through grief and tragedy. She delivers her story with grit and grace as she tells us how Substance Use Disorder came to be a part of her family's life. Pat's daughter, Melanie, died from an accidental drug overdose in February 2020. She was only 38 years old and left behind a lifetime of unfulfilled hopes and dreams. No goodbye. No last hug. Melanie was a beautiful, but broken girl who struggled with the disease of Substance Use Disorder. How did she get here? Isn't this something that happens to other people? Who do you turn to during this sad, lonely, and oftentimes anxiety-ridden journey called grief? Pat's reliance on her faith touches us is in a very real and palpable way as she gives her heart a voice. We see that she didn't just pull her faith out of the air when tragedy hit. She helps us see that death is hard and the grief journey is one of the toughest roads we travel in life. Yet, living a life full of faithful trust is what brings us through the valley of the shadow of death.

The day your child died was like a Landslide-an avalanche of emotions-that moment, frozen in time. Completely buried. Will you ever resurface again? Your child was irreplaceable and scars may remain, but with God's help you will find healing. Grieving Moms, Finding Hope is a community of women-moms who understand what you are going through and will stand with you in the grieving process. Wherever you are in the process of resurfacing, the step-by-step sessions will meet you wherever you find yourself-with the Moving Forward Journal, Discussions, and Quick Share features designed to promote the hope and healing you deserve. You are not alone!Testimonials"...Every morning I wake up and I must figure out how to live without my youngest child. The love and support I get from other Grieving Moms is an integral part of my continuous healing and being able to give back to the group keeps me moving forward, not letting grief consume me." - Carrie

In a new and hopeful way, with humorous stories interspersed, this vulnerable account brings "grief to life." or may bring "life to your grief," depending on your perspective. Without question, it provides insight into proactively supporting those immersed in grief and mourning, or dealing with your own grief. It's a story of life, loss, humor, and relationships. He overcame emotional odds, including 40 impactful losses of family members, friends, and role models spread throughout his life. Auto accidents, a tornado, miscarriage, sudden and extended illness and more claimed the lives of significant people from age 9 days to 96 years with only one period of "intermission." Now, he acknowledges God's role in helping him become a positive influence despite the grief and mourning. With faith and encouragement, he emerged to find purpose in the darkness and relays his journey of completing college degrees, founding nonprofit organizations, organizing community projects with hundreds of volunteers. He also shares his achieved recognition as a service leader, and promoter of philanthropy, raising millions of dollars for organizations. It's genuine, engaging, and offers a glimpse of the evolution of grief and life in rural America.