The Widow's Journey: Grief and Recovery

THE WIDOW'S JOURNEY IS THE MOST HEART WRENCHING BOOK I HAVE EVER READ. MY HUSBAND PASSED AWAY SIX MONTHS AGO, SO I BOUGHT THE BOOK AND I CRIED FOR MY HUSBAND AND EVERY STORY THAT WAS PUT IN IT. UNLESS YOU HAVE BEEN THROUGH HOSPICE YOU COULD NEVER KNOW WHAT WE HAVE BEEN THROUGH. I WOULD ADVISE EVERYONE TO BUY THIS BOOK WHETHER YOU HAVE BEEN OR MAY HAVE SOMEONE DEAR TO YOU THAT MAY HAVE TO GO THROUGH HOSPICE. MY HEART HURTS DAILY FOR MY LOSS AND THOSE WHO HAVE LOST SOMEONE OR THOSE WHO ARE HELPING A FAMILY THAT HAS TO JUST STAND AND WATCH UNTIL THEY TAKE THEIR LAST BREATHE. I HAVE HAD TO DO IT WITH MY HUSBAND AND FATHER BOTH,, AND YES I CRY DAILY AND ASK GOD WHY? I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR HOW OTHER PEOPLE CAN CARRY ON I HAVE A VERY DIFFICULT TIME OF IT. BUT I HIGHLY RECOMMEND PEOPLE YOUNG AND OLD TO BUY THIS BOOK AND KNOW AHEAD OF TIME WHAT SO MANY OF US HAVE GONE THROUGH AND HAVE NO EARTHLY IDEA HOW TO GO FORWARD BUT TO PRAY AND SOMETIMES WE WONDER IF GOD HEARS US. AFTER BEING MARRIED FOR 49 YEARS YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. I SET IN 24/7 EXCEPT CHURCH NIGHTS AND IT GETS VERY LONELY . THIS IS ONE BOOK YOU WILL REMEMBER THE REST OF YOUR LIFE BECAUSE SOMETIME DOWN THE ROAD YOU WILL BE TOUCHED BY THIS. [email protected]

In reading The Widow's Journey every widow will find something worthwhile. I associated with some of the author's experiences, but not all of them. This in itself was helpful. The book encouraged me to reflect on my own grief and to explore it. By doing this I came to fully understand there is no formula for grieving --no right or wrong -- no time frame for grief. With this realization I could begin to slowly, in my own way, start to move toward my new normal.

This is an excellent book for the newly widowed. As a Grief Facilitator I have had access to many books on the grieving process and have heard many stories from the participants in bereavement groups. This little book is right on the mark. Jan speaks from the heart about her own experiences and this personal touch sets it apart from most books on the subject. I will recommend it to my future groups as well as friends or family experiencing the loss of a spouse.

I read The Widow's Journey to see if it could benefit any of my patients -- I'm a psychiatrist in a medical school setting who gets asked about self-help books and other referral resources frequently. I was very pleased by what I found. The book is brief and yet comprehensive. I would agree with an earlier reviewer who said it could be as helpful to widowers as to widows -- the issues are similar whether one has lost a husband or a wife. The book is very straight forward and offers a lot of insight into what one might expect on the journey from being "a couple" to being a "single" again. I highly recommend it.

After reading THE WIDOW'S JOURNEY, I shared it with two friends who were widowed last year. It appears this book is meaningful to men as well as women. One friend, an elderly man who lost his soulmate of more than 60 years, told me he read the book over and over. I suspect it gave this World War II veteran affirmations of where he is in the grief process. He is a stoic man who is not able to share his loss with others. Another friend, a young woman who lost her husband to cancer, also found the book helpful. The direct language and personal experiences of the writer give hope to those who are traveling the road from marriage to a single life. I recommend THE WIDOW'S JOURNEY to anyone who has lost a spouse and finds himself in the early months of the grief process.