Grieving: A Beginner's Guide - Softcover

McCormack, Jerusha Hull

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1557254931 ISBN 13: 9781557254931

Publisher: Paraclete Press, 2006

Synopsis

"McCormack covers so much ground in such a little book that the reader could devour it quickly in hours or spend weeks reading it slowly, savoring each bit of wisdom. Anyone who is grieving or anyone who knows a grieving person will find hope and support in this small book." —Publisher's Weekly, starred review

There is no sure route through grieving. Jerusha McCormack provides instead a series of signposts by which we may find our own path to a new life.

"We are all amateurs at grief,” she writes, “it comes to us all; we must all go through it. To treat grief as a problem to be fixed, or (worse still) to medicalize it, is to rob us of the extraordinary privilege of encountering this experience on our terms: for each of us has our own way of grieving, and each of us has something special to learn from the process.”

"Every loss is unique. Each person grieves in his or her own way. The world is full of invisible sufferers — those who have lost someone through any manner of catastrophes. Perhaps nothing draws as deeply on individual creativity as grief does. It is a time to rally your own resources, to use them in such a way as to express your grieving as your own, and thus to take possession to it."

About this title

About the Author

Jerusha McCormack provides instead a series of signposts by which we may find our own path to a new life. “We are all amateurs at grief,” she writes, “it comes to us all; we must all go through it. To treat grief as a problem to be fixed, or (worse still) to medicalize it, is to rob us of the extraordinary privilege of encountering this experience on our terms: for each of us has our own way of grieving, and each of us has something special to learn from the process.”

Reviews

Starred Review. Working from the theory that "it takes one to know one," McCormack—widowed while her children were still young—writes a clear-eyed account of the many emotions and situations a grieving person may encounter. By her own admission, this book is "less a consolatory piece than a tour guide," and what a guide it is. An Anglican layperson and visiting professor at Beijing University, McCormack writes straight from the heart in simple language infused with a spirituality that is never preachy or pushy. She covers so much ground in such a little book that the reader could devour it quickly in hours or spend weeks reading it slowly, savoring each bit of wisdom. People suffering from loss will especially appreciate the counterpoint she provides to all the well-meaning but insensitive "churchy" things Christians tend to say to people who are grieving ("it's God's will," or "it's all for the best"). But more importantly, McCormack includes a chapter of "Guidelines for Spirit Guardians," offering advice to those who accompany grieving people so they can be fully present and helpful. Anyone who is grieving or anyone who knows a grieving person will find hope and support in this small book. (Mar.)
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Edition details

• Publisher: Paraclete Press
• Publication date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1557254931
• ISBN 13: 9781557254931
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 148