Mourning and Dancing: A Memoir of Grief and Recovery

This book was given to me to read by a relative of the author. At first I wondered why. I was born and grew to adulthood in Indiana. A dear friend of mine lives in Elwood. My life holds many simularities to this author. Mourning and Dancing made me realize that when life hands us lemons it is our choice to either make lemonade or curl up and die inside. Ms Miller is most certainly a strong woman of great courage. I also loved her ability to share her faith all along her journey. What an inspiration to all of us. We need not give up but to keep on keeping on when life is difficult and circumstances seem impossible. A beautifully written story of courage.

This book opened old wounds that I didn't even know had not been healed. It was a profoundly difficult yet validating read. The tears came freely and were actually welcome. I immediately felt a kinship to the author, as if I could see into her heart as she surely could see into mine. After all, she was relaying my very feelings. I wish this book had been available to read years ago. The self help books that I read after my husband died only gave me a time frame to go through "the stages" of grief. Needless to say, I failed miserably to live up to the "normal" standards. I would like to thank Sally Downham-Miller for sharing her brave journey. She can only imagine how very much this book has touched me. I am truly indebted to her.

Many thanks to Dr. Downham for sharing so purely the experience and hope of her deep personal loss. How supportive to learn that someone else has felt and behaved similarly in response to grief. How refreshing not to spotlight the stages of grief and the self-imposed timeline this often begets, but rather to focus on the ongoing, self-renewing process of healing. How grateful I am for "rooms in the heart" - something I have felt but couldn't put into words. Thank you, Sally Downham Miller, for putting words to my feelings.

Too much in our culture promotes easy solutions to every problem. One of these shortcuts involves the unrealistic concept of "closure" in the grieveing process. But Dr. Miller explains, with great passion, the fact that grief and healing are not mutually exclusive, that they in fact go hand in hand. I highly recommend this book to anyone dealing with their own grief, or with others suffering through a difficult time.

Mourning and Dancing is a book for both men and women dealing with any type of loss. It is not a "self-help" book about getting over grief in 10 easy steps. In a straightforward, honest way Dr. Miller vividly describes the emotions she felt and actions she took as events in her life unfolded. It is a fact based account that describes the reality of dealing with grief and loss, in all its complexity, and incorporating it into one's life in order to move forward. It is a story of growth, understanding and remembrance not one of closure and resignation. All readers, male and female alike, will benefit from Dr. Miller's experiences and insights.