First You Cry

From Tragedy to Hope

Moments, hours, days, months, years, learning to cope with a great loss in life is time-consuming. It drains the energy out of every day. The anger, resentment, and sadness use up the oxygen in the room. It creates a disconnect with our loved ones and life itself. It bewilders and pushes us into a different direction than the one we have been comfortable following. The journey back from this soul-destroying loss takes time and effort. It is a course work in life that no one wants to be forced to take, yet everyone will. Eventually, we look back and see we have managed to make it a life-affirming effort. After losing her husband at a young age, this story unfolds in the two to three years following his death. During the labyrinth of this time, one woman was changed in ways she would have never expected. The struggle to find answers to her questions for God and the way to have meaning in her life again is the topic of this book. In this story, a woman’s loss and her travel through it provides a vision for others to gain hope for solace. To move back into the gift of life is a challenge after this experience. Through the actions suggested in the readings and with goals to achieve, there is a response that promotes healing and resonates with others experiencing the devastating death of a beloved person of their own. Reading through and taking the actions associated within this book may be the pathway to healing for others experiencing a great loss of their own.