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By Grief Refined: Letters to a Widow
Book by Von Hildebrand, Alice
Paperback
Published January 1, 1994
About the author
Alice von Hildebrand
34 books167 followersAlice von Hildebrand DCSG (born Alice Jourdain; 11 March 1923 in Brussels, Belgium) was a Catholic philosopher, theologian, and professor.
She came to the U.S. in 1940 and began teaching at Hunter College in New York City in 1947. She earned a doctorate from Fordham University in 1949. In 1959 she married the philosopher and theologian Dietrich von Hildebrand (1889–1977). She retired in 1984.
Alice von Hildebrand lived in the United States and was a lecturer and author whose works include: The Privilege of Being a Woman (2002) and The Soul of a Lion: The Life of Dietrich von Hildebrand (2000), a biography of her husband. In 2014, she published her autobiography, Memoirs of a Happy Failure, about her escape from Nazi Europe and her teaching career at Hunter College.
She came to the U.S. in 1940 and began teaching at Hunter College in New York City in 1947. She earned a doctorate from Fordham University in 1949. In 1959 she married the philosopher and theologian Dietrich von Hildebrand (1889–1977). She retired in 1984.
Alice von Hildebrand lived in the United States and was a lecturer and author whose works include: The Privilege of Being a Woman (2002) and The Soul of a Lion: The Life of Dietrich von Hildebrand (2000), a biography of her husband. In 2014, she published her autobiography, Memoirs of a Happy Failure, about her escape from Nazi Europe and her teaching career at Hunter College.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 23, 2013
BY GRIEF REFINED
“Comforting a Widow”
I had the privilege and unique opportunity to attend a lecture on the Joy of Being a Woman, graciously presented by Alice Von Hildebrand. It was after she had shared her insight into the mystery of womanhood that she mentioned this slender volume among other of her works. I sincerely recommend this book to every woman who is—or considers herself to be—a widow. One does not have to be a Catholic to be able to relate to human pain and the despair of bereavement.
This little guide to emotional self-survival will help those who are demoralized by sudden loss of—and cruel separation from—the greatest love of their lives. The book consists of many short meditations on various aspects of grief—in the form of a correspondence from one widow to another. The author exhorts her friend, who is newly walking down the loneliest road of sorrow, to place her faith in God, the loving father who grieves with us; she urges her not to succumb to natural doubts and temptations, to bear the burden by trusting in His timing and perfect grace. She urges her friend to rise above her own despair and reach out to others who are also in pain and in need of sympathetic succor.
The author provides examples and quotations from the lives of various Saints, church founders and Christian writers. Her style is tenderly soothing, while fully cognizant of the toll caused by the interruption of a wife’s deepest feelings for her beloved partner. Wisely she has realized that it is through suffering and emotional torment that we may grow to be willing servants of the Lord—that our hearts may learn the art of Compassion. This little book offers reflective meditations which will help women who have lost their soul mates.
“Comforting a Widow”
I had the privilege and unique opportunity to attend a lecture on the Joy of Being a Woman, graciously presented by Alice Von Hildebrand. It was after she had shared her insight into the mystery of womanhood that she mentioned this slender volume among other of her works. I sincerely recommend this book to every woman who is—or considers herself to be—a widow. One does not have to be a Catholic to be able to relate to human pain and the despair of bereavement.
This little guide to emotional self-survival will help those who are demoralized by sudden loss of—and cruel separation from—the greatest love of their lives. The book consists of many short meditations on various aspects of grief—in the form of a correspondence from one widow to another. The author exhorts her friend, who is newly walking down the loneliest road of sorrow, to place her faith in God, the loving father who grieves with us; she urges her not to succumb to natural doubts and temptations, to bear the burden by trusting in His timing and perfect grace. She urges her friend to rise above her own despair and reach out to others who are also in pain and in need of sympathetic succor.
The author provides examples and quotations from the lives of various Saints, church founders and Christian writers. Her style is tenderly soothing, while fully cognizant of the toll caused by the interruption of a wife’s deepest feelings for her beloved partner. Wisely she has realized that it is through suffering and emotional torment that we may grow to be willing servants of the Lord—that our hearts may learn the art of Compassion. This little book offers reflective meditations which will help women who have lost their soul mates.
Displaying 1 of 1 review