Angel Catcher: A Grieving Journal: A Journal of Loss and Remembrance (Dan Eldon)

A dear friend gave me this book after the sudden death of my beloved husband. For a few weeks, I couldn't even open it. Once I did though I found an invaluable way to help me remember Mike and to put into words all of those little things that were so much a part of our relationship. I have recommended it to my grief support group and will cherish the memories it has helped me capture.

It's been almost six months since my dad died, and I feel like everyone has moved on except me. His death has really taken it's toll on me, I cry at the drop of a hat these days, I find myself struggling to make it through the day,and I feel a depression that I just can't shake. I feel alone in my grief, and that is compounded by the people around me telling me that I should "be over it" by now. I feel that I haven't even touched my pain yet. I saw this book at the bookstore and couldn't put it down. I read the introduction and started crying right there in the bookstore. The book explained in the Introduction what I was feeling but couldn't put into words. It is helping me cope with the death of the man I thought was immortal. I bought copies for everyone in my family.

My mother died from pancreatic cancer a year ago. We knew that it was inevitable. I found this book while I was looking for literature on how to deal with a terminally ill loved one. When I opened it up and started to read it, I cried. I had not yet lost my mother but as I read I was able to face what was coming - knowing that I had been able to share in her life and that our relationship was special.I didn't buy the book that day. I came back to it many times, especially during the rough times. After a hard day I was able to go to the book store and flip through its pages and remember all the wonderful times. The day after my mother passed away I bought the book and have written in it everyday since. My memories are alive within it. It has helped me through the times when I couldn't tell anyone else how I felt.This book allows you to put your feelings into words. It prompts you to consider things about your loss that you may have never explored on your own. It is wonderful.

My mother was killed in an auto/pedestrian accident about four months ago. I stumbled onto this book about two weeks after her death. It truly is a gift. I carry it everywhere. What a wonderful journal -- I love how you can jump from section to section as your emotions change. The questions that the journal prompts you to answer are incredible--things you would never think of but WANT to remember about the person. It is very HARD to journal the feelings, but feels good after you do. This book is a priceless treasure -- I refer back to what I have written on previous dates. I cry. I laugh. I miss my Mom so much it hurts terribly -- but am glad that I will have a memorialization of her. There is a place for pictures and an envelope in the back for special mementos. I only wish I had this book five years ago when my father died.