Invitation to Tears Read-Along #7

Listen to all Read-Along Podcasts

(available until October 7th)

Welcome everyone! This is my last week inviting you to share your grief questions. This week we’re covering your questions on Chapter 5: “Mourning with Friends”. The chapter inspired me to share stories of how friendships work to

In the podcast, you’ll hear about why grief is not a solo activity, where the Bible actually tells us to search for our friends who are in grief, and how we can turn grief into mourning.

You can listen here.

Other quotes and links pertinent in this week’s podcast:

“Be kind for everyone you meet is carrying a great burden.” — Attributed to Philo

“What is the difference between grief and mourning? Mourning has company.” –Roger Rosenblatt. Quote in my podcast from Roger Rosenblatt in Kayak Morning: Reflections on Love, Grief, and Small Boats from page 20-21

Dr. Catherine Sanders (who gave us the positive “hoarding” concept) and her book Surviving Grief and Learning to Live Again and a summary of her material by clinical psychologist Dr. Patricia Pitta “Grief and Bereavement.”

More details about the Jewish practice of Shiva and beyond. I was particularly drawn to this Shiva written notice on the door of those bereaved

“In a Jewish House of Mourning” – Each culture approaches death and the mourning period in its own unique fashion. As a family, we only request that an effort be made to create an atmosphere that is congruous with our Jewish values. Conversations should focus on the life and legacy of Judy Dan. No effort should be made to portray her in an artificial light, since this would offend her memory. Painful as it may seem, attempts at distracting family members from thinking or speaking about their loss are not considered appropriate at this time.Thank you, The Dan Family

Grieving the breakups of friends.

WYG: What’s Your Grief? illustrations on the difference between primary and secondary losses.

Wendt Center for Loss and Healing on secondary losses.

“Understanding Grief: Distinguishing between Primary and Secondary Loss” from GriefJourney.com. A helpful guide to distinguish primary and secondary loss and questions to ask yourself.

Wendy Welch’s Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap, which I quote at length regarding the divorced man bringing his wife’s library to the used bookstore. Wendy’s blog and info to buy her book.

Commentor David’s comments on grief from last week.

One of my favorite guides through grief, author Christian Wiman and his book My Bright Abyss Meditation of a Modern Believer.  One of the underlined sentences in my copy “What might it mean to be drawn into meanings that, in some profound and necessary sense, shatter us? This is what it means to love.” p. 50.

Andrew Sullivan’s review of Wiman’s book calling Wiman “America’s Most Important Christian Author”.

–for Christ plays in ten thousand places, / Lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not his, / To the Father through the features of men’s faces. — Gerard Manley Hopkins

We are looking forward to your comments and questions this week over our LAST chapter, Chapter 6 “Reaching”. Feel free to submit any general question as well as we only have this week left!

As always, please leave comments and questions for next week’s reading below. Or you can send confidential questions to mail(at)soulation(dot)org. You must have your questions submitted by 1pm MT this Friday afternoon.

The iTunes link if you want to subscribe to the podcast.

If you’re reading via email, click here to listen to the podcast.

See Read-Along 1
See Read-Along 2
See Read-Along 3

See Read-Along 4
See Read-Along 5
See Read-Along 6

Listen to all Read-Along Podcasts