Shadow Living... Paintings of Grief

By Deborah Slappey Pitts

Shadow Living?Paintings of Grief is the enthralling sequel to I Feel Okay, the author's debut bestseller. In Shadow Living?Paintings of Grief, the author shares an intimate story of survival during... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0978789709
• ISBN13: 9780978789701
• Release Date: September 2007
• Publisher: Harobedhouse
• Length: 311 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.6" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Coming Through...

Shadow Living: Paintings of Grief by Deborah Slappey Pitts is an honest, inside view of a woman and a family's struggle to get through to the other side when one loses a loved one. Ms. Pitts is harrowingly honest in her portrayal of how she felt when her husband died. The reader could literally feel the emotions and the pain. More importantly, however, the reader could also feel the hope. Ms. Pitts provides us with the stages of grieving that one goes through when a spouse is lost to death, particularly at an early age. Her renderings allows one to understand that there will be anger, sadness, fear and shock and that sometimes one will feel all of these emotions at one time. We are also allowed to see how big a part faith can play in healing, emotionally. The reader is also given a complete view of her husband, Clyde Slappey as a complete person, as a man, a husband and a father. Her portrayal of Clyde made her loss even more poignant. Shadow Living serves as an honest and spiritual guide to those who are going through or will go through the loss of a beloved family member. I recommend this book to all who have loved and lost someone dear to their heart. Angelia Menchan APOOO BookClub

Extraordinarily written

The author has written a heartfelt account of grieving during the first year after her husband dies of a rare disease. Her vivid description of her personal grief put me in the same room with her. I felt her pain. Shadow Living...Paintings of Grief is an amazing true story. I would suggest that you read her story for yourself. Most books I read just talk, but very few describe the moments. This one knocked a homerun twice over. Thank you for a beautiful, well written book about grief. October

Learning to Live On

Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (11/07) "Shadow Living...Paintings of Grief," tells of what it is like to lose a spouse. Deborah Slappey Pitts lost her husband to Amyloidosis disease. Pitts takes us through her personal experience of becoming a widow at forty-years of age. In telling her story, she reaches out to others who have gone, or are going, through the grieving process of losing a loved one. In addition to telling her personal story, she also discusses the stages of grief. I believe that this is incredibly important for people to read, so that they can understand the myriad of emotions that they will be experiencing. When reading "Shadow Living," I discovered that it felt more like Pitts was in the room with me telling her story, than I was reading words. She vividly describes her experience in such a way that you are picturing, and feeling it, not just staring at words. It was very difficult not to tear up while reading her story. My heart went out her. She was a wife and a mother who all of a sudden had to learn to redefine her role. I admired her for hanging on to her faith and putting God first. At times her prayers were heart wrenching. Having gone through the break up of a fifteen-year marriage myself, this grief brought back memories of my own grieving, and the moments where I begged God for things to be different. I truly believe that her incredible faith helped her survive through this ordeal. She also sought out help and went through the counseling process. When she entered into group therapy and heard other people's stories, she was able to connect to them and relate. She also experienced physical problems because of her emotional pain. It is really important for the grievers to know that this can happen and that if they don't care for themselves properly, they can really become ill. The book is divided into several sections. Pitts' experience is separated into three parts. She also offers resources through endnotes, a recommended reading list, an update on Amyloidosis, references and a discussion guide. People that will benefit from "Shadow Living...Paintings of Grief," include those affected by Amyloidosis, people who have lost loved ones, and grieving groups. This book is a perfect tool for those in grief therapy, both individual and group. The groups would especially benefit from the discussion questions. Even though I was divorced instead of widowed, I found that I could relate to a lot of what Pitts went through after her husband passed on. The stages of grief were the same. She lost her husband physically and emotionally, I lost the dream of what I thought my husband was. Pitts definitely suffered a greater loss than mine; however, as I read, I felt that women going through divorces could also benefit from this book. The main thing we all have to learn is that life does go on and if you hang on to your faith and take care of yourself, it definitely does get

The pain of it all

SHAWDOW LIVING: Paintings of Grief by Deborah Slappey Pitts is a vivid description of what it really means to lose a loved one. Clyde Slappey was stricken with primary amyloidosis, a disease of the immune system, and when he was first diagnosed, after months of seeing doctor after doctor, there seemed to be no cure. Clyde and Deborah had been married for twenty-one years when the disease finally took him from her. Even though he was at the Mayo Clinic waiting for a heart transplant, death came to him sooner. This book is Deborah's story of living with the grief of having lost her soul mate. She gives the seven stages of grief: shock, denial, anger, fear, bargaining, depression and acknowledgement. Her anger was interesting in that she was so angry with Clyde for leaving her and his two sons, Clyde Daryl and Alex Keith. In her deep grief, she felt as if he could have held on longer - at least long enough to get a heart transplant. SHADOW LIVING is a book that would surely help anyone going through the loss of a dearly loved mate. Deborah tells of her sleepless nights, her attempts to hide her deep depression from her friends and loved ones, of finally seeking help for herself and her son, Alex Keith. Her words are emotional and deep and I felt as if I, too, had known Clyde and had witnessed him as a father and husband. Reviewed by Alice Holman of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

A very worthwhile read for those who grieve

A profoundly wise, helpful, and comforting book -- a magnificent achievement. This book is a caring hand to guide you through grief while holding on to God's unchanging hand. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has lost a love one.