The Winds of Change: A Guided Journey with Healing Music through Grief, Loss & Transformation

As a very good friend of mine made his transition when I was about one-third of the way into this book, I read the remainder of it before his funeral so that I could pass it on to my friend's widow. I knew she would be grieving and that this book would be of great help to her. The book is about dealing with grief, loss, and transformation. "Each one of us can travel the road of transformation with awareness and choice," the author, a grief counselor, states in the Introduction. "So many of us make an unconscious choice to be a victim to its ups and downs." The author's objective is to show a way to respond "empowered" to all life's changes and challenges, not just death. "It is how we look at these losses and changes that can make a difference between becoming a victim of change and grief energy, or learning to channel this energy to higher purpose," she continues, going on to offer a six-step program or "journey" by which to face the challenge. Woven through the six steps, are 13 affirmations designed to punctuate the journey and serve as day-to-day reminders. There are also a number of "reflections," pertinent verbiage extracted from the text to highlight the messages, while also serving as day-to-day lessons for those who find themselves struggling and in need of reinforcement. A very big bonus to the written word is a CD offering music which touches the heart and soul. I found the music very comforting as I drove the 600 miles to my friend's funeral. The author explains how she has met some of her own challenges as well as describing how others have dealt with the adversity accompanying change and loss. The book is about transformation. It is about healing the soul and allowing it to become whole again. It would be a great gift to give someone who is experiencing a difficult change or loss.

I loved this book! At first I thought it was only going to be about grief, but it is really about change. We all have change happening to us. The book helps you to look at whether or not you want to handle the changes kicking and screaming, or whether you would feel better if you could embrace the change and all of the good things it can bring to your life. At first I didn't understand the power of the musical CD, but by the end of the book, I was singing lyrics throughout the day, affirming wonderful things to myself. This book is easy to read, and the author's wit clearly shines through.

Marcia's book eloquently offers a step by step guide to lead you to your own personal healing journey and new found fulfillment.