A Rumor of Angels: Quotations for Living, Dying & Letting Go

By Gail Perry Johnston

Book Overview

This beautifully designed collection of quotes from literary masters and everyday people will comfort anyone who has known loss or is in the midst of sorrow. Divided into three sections--living,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0979334500
• ISBN13: 9780979334504
• Release Date: April 2007
• Publisher: Cupola Press
• Length: 167 Pages
• Weight: 0.46 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.0" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

Wonderful Read

A Rumor of Angels could not have come at a better time. My dear friend just lost her adult daughter to a long illness. I read the book clear through in one sitting and decided this would be my gift to her--it surely can only offer comfort. I am grateful for this gentle source of insight and compassion. The authors have done a beautiful job in all aspects from content to appearance, and especially to the title...which hints at my sincere belief that our spirits do, indeed, live on.

A Rumor of Angels

After losing my wife of 20 years to cancer, I found incredible solace in the first edition of "A Rumor of Angels." I shared my copy with a friend, who shared it with another... I started re-reading the new edition recently and find it as uplifting as I did the first time I read it several years ago. I have given many copies of this book to friends suffering a loss, and always keep an extra copy with me. While "A Rumor of Angels" is about living through loss, it is wonderfully life-affirming. This book is a blessing to those who read it and is gift for a lifetime.

An inspired and inspiring collection....

A Rumor of Angels is a carefully-woven collection of honest insight into living, dying and letting go. I didn't expect this book to move me so much, but Gail Perry Johnston and Jill Perry Rabideau have artfully pieced together a literary "quilt of compassion" compiled from the well-known and not yet well-known: authors, parents, widows, children, pastors, poets, and scripture writers. Even reading the sources of some of the quotations brought tears to my eyes: "Kim Walker, who lost a 5-year old daughter", "Meg Woodson, referring to her 12-year old daughter who has cystic fibrosis", "Rabbi Harol Kushner, referring to the death of his firstborn, author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People". Each quotation moves seemlessly into the next, and I was struck with the book's gentle movement from life through letting go. This book is humble and intelligent; compassionate and joyful.. I was surpised and happy to read quotations from my favorite children's authors, and other great thinkers too! A Rumor of Angels isn't just a gift for others who have lost someone - though I haven't hesitated giving two books away already. For me, it has been as importantly, a reminder to treasure life and my own loved ones, and a way I can quietly hold my grieving friends in my thoughts and prayers. The illustrations are simple and lovely, and I was delighted to be able to order a couple of stamp pads from the author's website to create my own cards for an even more personal touch for giving. Thanks to the authors for creating this inspired piece!

Comfort, insight, and encouragement about death and life

This terrific collection contains a wealth of meditations, insights and perspectives on death, dying, and saying goodbye. It is anything but dark and morbid. I have turned to it again and again to find apt words of comfort and encouragement when friends are navigating that path (whether facing the uncertainty of serious illness or the challenge of carrying on after saying farewell to a loved one). I have found my (older edition) copy of this book useful so often over the years that I just ordered this one for friends who lost their husband and father this morning. While the poems, meditations, quotes and scriptures are drawn from a variety of sources and perspectives, an essential truth is woven throughout: God has a plan and a purpose for our lives, and our time on this earth is only the beginning. Embracing His plan enables us to face death-- whether our own our that of a loved one-- with courage and assurance. "If it is true that there is Someone in charge of the whole mystery of life and death, we can hardly expect to escape a sense of futility and frustration until we begin to see what He is like and what His purposes are." (J.B. Phillips.) The collected writers speak from various vantage points, yet many of them help us better understand what God is like and what His purposes are for living and dying. In the process, we get a wonderful reminder about the importance of treasuring the days allotted to us in this life, and living them well. "The single saying of Jesus which the Bible records more often than any other (four times) expresses a paradoxical truth: 'Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.' Sometimes seeming tragedies, like pain and suffering, can nudge us along the path to 'losing our lives...'" (Philip Yancey). Whether or not you are dealing with grief, you are sure to be challenged and encouraged by this compilation. I have not found another like it. Thanks, Gail and Jill!