Wild Things: Poems of Grief and Love, Loss and Gratitude - Softcover

Bondi, Roberta C.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0835813630 ISBN 13: 9780835813631

Publisher: Upper Room Books, 2014

Synopsis

"Grief is such a messy thing," Roberta Bondi writes in the introduction. "It fills us with many ideas and images, memories and fantasies, celebration and bitter regret all at once -- all superimposed upon one another. No wonder it wears us out."

In this book of poetry and reflections on her mother's death, Bondi acknowledges her grief in the presence of God over the span of a few months. She expresses many conflicting feelings: love, pain, anger, guilt, emptiness, confusion, exhaustion, relief that her mother was no longer suffering. As she celebrates her mother's life and wrestles with her own sense of loss and longing, she ponders the mystery of life, death, and God's presence every day all around us in nature as well as in relationships.

Even though we may feel isolated in our grief, we do not grieve alone, Bondi reminds us. In this firsthand account of her grief, she offers a gift to all who are grieving -- comfort and help with accepting the forward and backward movements of grief and loss.

Wild Things will also be a valuable resource for those seeking to aid and comfort the grieving: pastors, counselors, chaplains, hospice workers, and family and friends of those dealing with loss.

About this title

About the Author

Roberta C. Bondi is Professor Emerita at Candler School of Theology, Emory University. She will be recognized for several "firsts" at Candler School of Theology in fall 2014, including that she was the first woman who attained tenured faculty status. A graduate of Oxford University and Southern Methodist University, Roberta is married with 2 children and 2 grandchildren.

From the Back Cover

"Grief is such a messy thing," Roberta Bondi writes in the introduction. "It fills us with so many ideas and images, memories and fantasies, celebration and bitter regret all at once-all superimposed upon one another. No wonder it wears us out." In this book of poetry and reflections on her mother's death, Bondi acknowledges her grief in the presence of God over the span of a few months. She expresses many conflicting feelings: love, pain, anger, guilt, emptiness, confusion, exhaustion, relief that her mother was no longer suffering. As she celebrates her mother's life and wrestles with her own sense of loss and longing, she ponders the mystery of life, death, and God's presence every day all around us in nature as well as in relationships. Even though we may feel isolated in our grief, we do not grieve alone, Bondi reminds us. In this firsthand account of her grief, she offers a gift to all who are grieving-comfort and help with accepting the forward and backward movements of grief and loss. Wild Things will also be a valuable resource for those seeking to aid and comfort the grieving: pastors, counselors, chaplains, hospice workers, and family and friends of those dealing with loss.

Edition details

• Publisher: Upper Room Books
• Publication date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0835813630
• ISBN 13: 9780835813631
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 174