Awakening from Grief: Finding the Way Back to Joy

My father passed away in August. I was devastated. September and October were such dark months for me. Then I read these customer reviews and purchased this book. I got the book and by the time I read the first 3 pages my perspective on my Dad's death had totally changed. I realized his death wasn't pointless. It actually made me realize that his death was his last "gift" to me. It was a total paradigm shift. It made me realize that life is all about joy and sadness. It's all part of the deal. Death is natural and sometimes even beautiful. The book made me realize that his death could actually enhance the way I live my life. I highly recommend it for those who are hurting. I bought a copy for each member of my family. I also buy it for everyone I know who is taking care of someone who is very sick and for those who have lost someone already.

Awakening From Grief is wonderfully different from other books on this subject. It allows you to rediscover and embrace the memory of someone who has died rather than forcing you to "get over" the loss. As it turns out, the cure is not trying to forget, but encouraging you to remember, to allow yourself to feel the joy the person who has died brought you and still brings you.John Welshons manages to pull this off not by resorting to Hallmark platitudes, religious quick fixes, or amateur psychology...but by simply telling his own story in a very compelling way. I've now given this book several times to friends who have lost someone. The last person I gave it to (who lost a teenage son) told me it was the most wonderful gift she's ever received.

In my house I have a box in which I reverentially keep those few precious writings and items that most help me heal from the death of my daughter last year. "Awakening From Grief" is in that box. Believe me, I've read a whole lot of grief books and this is one of the best. John Welshons has a genius for blending life experience and philosophy into a provocative healing balm for the soul. You can feel him reach out from the pages. "Awakening from Grief" helped me unite my emotions and thoughts so that they worked together to form a new outlook on the situation. The book works as memoir as well as grief companion. Welshons shares touching stories from his own life that let readers know he has lived on the emotional landscapes about which he writes.His writing voice is assuring, conversational, honest and caring.This book will make you weep but when you finish it I believe you will find, as I did, that you walk more peacefully and happily in the world. You will feel, and be aware of, how your grief has deepened you.If this book were a gem, it'd be a diamond.

Yesterday, I snuggled up in a blanket on my couch and read AWAKENING FROM GRIEF. I can't begin to tell you how the words moved me. Until now, I have felt like most of the material I have read about grieving has been a band-aid; a small protective device to keep out harmful germs. After reading AWAKENING FROM GRIEF I feel as though my heart has been covered in a sterile bandage...coated with healing balm to speed the healing process...and healed within a matter of days. My heart has been hurting for years, so I knew it wasn't healed before. Now it is feeling young, and loved, and happy again. I feel truly alive for the first time in a long time! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Dealing with the loss of a loved one is one of life's most difficult challenges, but the opportunity to turn the experience into something that informs us about ourselves and our relationships is what the Welshons book is all about. I think what separates this book from others is that the author fills the book with personal stories of genuine growth that give us a realistic roadmap to effectively dealing with death and making the experience as enriching and forward looking as possible. All in all, it is quite a useful book and is an meanigful touchstone for all kinds of painful and difficult experiences.