Start the Conversation: The Book about Death You Were Hoping to Find

A book that never ends, one just keeps returning for new insight!

This book addressed the concerns on death and dying.However, the only thing I disagree with the author on is that a grieving person can go to just "sadness" instead of "grief" by just reading her book and making a change just that quickly.In reality, I wanted to just be sad, but my body is still undergoing a lot of "grief" that my Dad died last year.The things she wants us to do are not easy at all to do. They look and feel easier on paper that is...The reality is, when our loved ones die, we really HURT. (Maybe for a long time too!)Nonetheless, it was a great book by a spirited author.I especially enjoyed her house diagrams and her organized themes that penetrated her work.

This book does NOT contain the typical advice on how to cope and what to do when a loved one dies, so it may not be for you if that's what you want. It is rather a spiritual approach to death that grew out of the author's relationship with a loved one who died prematurely. I found it a breath of fresh air because it turns upside down a lot of the traditional negative ways the Western world looks at death. The author says that if you are suffering too much, you probably have misconceptions about what death means. She came to new conclusions about death from personal experience and shares them in a very moving and generous way. Because of this, the book can perhaps help you cope in a much deeper and more satisfying way than the rest of the stuff you're likely to find out there.

As I journey throught the experience of watching my grandmother make her transition, Start the Conversation is helping me to think of death in a new way. The reminders that we are eternal and that by just being willing to show up for the experience we release our fears. The conversation is ultimately about my belief system, about me. The book gives one much food for thought.