The Grieving Garden: Living with the Death of a Child

by Susan K. Gilbert, Suzanne Redfern, Susan Gilbert

Book Overview

Every year, some two million parents in the US suffer the death of a son or daughter. The unnatural sequence of the child's preceding the parent in death creates a wrenching loss and overwhelming emotional and spiritual disorientation. Most of these bereaved parents find relief from their isolation only in the company of others like themselves. The Grieving Garden offers support, understanding, and, ultimately, comfort and hope from those...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1571745815
• ISBN13: 9781571745811
• Release Date: April 2008
• Publisher: Hampton Roads Publishing Company
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Helpful for bereaved parents

My 18 year old son died suddenly 10 months ago. I have read many, many grief books since my world shattered. I found this book very helpful. Hearing from 22 other parents and how they dealt with their horrific loss somehow helped me deal with mine.

A tiny light at the end of a dark tunnel

I bought this book to preview before giving it to a dear friend who had just lost a daughter to cancer before deciding if I should pass it along to her. I read it in one night and found it captivating, sensitive, practical, and inspiring. It presented issues, and possible suggestions to solutions for those issues, which I never would have even anticipated. My friend will now be able to anticipate the shock of the first time someone asks her "So how many children do you have?" and she will know that her feelings of overprotection for her remaining daughter are normal and to be expected. This book will also help her to know that eventually, she will see a tiny light at the end of this very deep tunnel in which she now exists, and that in time, that light will brighten. This book inspires those who grieve to learn that the human spirit can indeed face a new day while at the same time honoring the memory of those we will always hold dear.

Surviving the Worst Pain a Parent Can Endure

The twenty two parents who contributed their stories to this book have given a precious gift to the world. Their stories of how they survived the loss of their child is like holding 22 fragile hearts who have been pulled through the fire by the worst fate that can befall a parent. Each of them digs deeply, courageously and honestly into their memories and feelings. I cried as I was reading this book. I cried for the parents' loss; I cried in admiration for their courage. I cried in gratitude that I was not one of the twenty two parents. Life is fragile and destiny is uncertain. To the community of parents who are faced with this life-altering tragedy, this book will be a comforting, spiritual and practical guide that they are not alone on their journey. To those of us who know a parent who suffers from the death of a child, we have been given new insight into how to comfort them. We should also get them this book. To those of us who pray never to suffer the loss of a child, now, right now, tell your child how much you love them. You can give them and yourself no greater gift. What courage and love it took for the authors to pull this book together!

The Grieving Garden

The book tells real stories of about real children, but organized by the issues the parents must face. But the Grieving Garden isn't just for parents who have lost a child. It is a must read for all of us who have friends or relatives who have experienced the unthinkable, all of us who have been at a total loss for words to express our shock and sympathy. While full of pain, it is full of hope for the continuance of life, of faith. It will help anyone trying to work through loss and grief.

Nurturing Wisdom of the Grieving Garden

As a mother who is learning to live with the death of her son and as an experienced psychotherapist, I have found this book to be profoundly wise and comforting. Like a rich garden, this is a book that can be visited often, for either brief,energizing and inspiring moments, or for longer and more focused "working" interludes that generate deep reflection. You can "walk" this Garden at your own pace and follow your own path,or refer to the "map" offered by the editors of the book, who know the grieving process through their own heartbreaking experiences. 22 parents share 22 unique stories, organized around the poignant themes and questions so familiar to all grieving parents at different points in their journeys, from surviving the first few days to reaching out to others many years later.I shall keep this book in close reach and share it with many other parents whose hearts have been broken by unspeakable losses.