Some solace in grief

"Healing is not a cure; no cure exists for grief. Healing doesn't mean painless. The pain of grief never really goes away. Healing doesn't mean forgetting. A loved one will stay in the heart forever.
"Healing means facing the future with acceptance, gratitude, and hope. … With God's help, those who grieve can heal…" (49)

Grieving God's Way: The Path to Lasting Hope and Healing by Margaret Brownley is a great little book. It was born of the author's personal journey through grief following the death of her son. That personal experience is apparent in her gentle words and compassionate tone.

Grieving God's Way is a 90-day reader designed to bring hope and healing to those who have experienced loss. Each thoughtful devotional begins with a scripture and ends with a haiku, written to affirm the positive theme of the text. Divided into four categories—body, soul, heart, and spirit—each day's entry offers insight into the grieving process that increases understanding of God's purposeful plan for healing the heart and soul.

With a subject as sensitive and intimate as grief, it cannot be expected that a single resource would be useful for all individuals or that one would even like everything about a given resource. Personally, I am a bit put-off by the title. I wanted to read the book anyways, but am still a little disconcerted by the suggestion that Brownley knows how God expects/wants people to grieve. I have overlooked the overt comparisons of "Man's way" to "God's way" although I agree that what Brownley calls "God's way" is a more wholesome means of grieving for most people.

While many individuals draw strength from their faith in times of crisis, others have their faith shaken by the death of a loved one. For someone who is struggling with their grief and their faith, this book would likely not be well received. I would be careful about giving this book to a person whom I thought might be offended or perturbed by the gesture.

Brownley lays out a 90 day journey. Since everyone grieves in one's own way and in one's own time, this highly structured path may not mesh with one's personal experience. Most of the reflections are structured such that they stand independently, and references to previous content are typically clearly indicated by the day's number. Personally, I have enjoyed picking up the book and flipping through days at random, stopping to read when a haiku or phrase caught my attention. I plan to keep this book handy.

"When we're in mourning
life's cereal bowl turns to
soggy shredded wheat." (127)

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com  book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255  : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”