Coping With Grief
A Self-Help Guide
by
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This book is a written account of the activities that I have pursued and the readings that I have acquired in order to cope with the severe grief accompanying the loss of my wife of 40 years. I was not prepared to endure such pain. Later, I discovered that no one ever is. Furthermore, there is not any readily accessible knowledge on what to expect or what to do when such tragedies happen. So, I set out to find out what works in order to restart the rest of my life. Perhaps, it is destiny that my journey through life should include the painful experience that results from the sudden and unexpected loss of a dear and lovely spouse. Having said that, it follows that part of my personal healing was to reach out to others by writing about my experience. This self-help guide is the result. My training in science and engineering prepared me for a career in research and it is ironic that this methodology is now being used in a post-career endeavor to investigate ways to cope with grief. My efforts led to the observation, evaluation, analysis, and the documentation of what was learned. Much of the new information emerging in the literature comes from spiritual books that address the increasing demands for knowledge beyond simply believing "life is a mystery" and only faith is required to cope with tragedies. Accordingly, this guide was developed as a means to provide hope and an understanding for those who must endure the same painful process. It is a living, dynamic, document that is intended to grow and change as new information comes to light, which may be helpful to the reader and contribute to an even broader understanding of the spiritual world. At a time when knowledge of the spiritual world is receiving the attention of the general public, I found it both timely and comforting to increase my awareness on this matter and believe that others could be helped as well. The lessons learned from my experiences indicate that the mental part of a mourner’s preparedness can only be achieved with a healthy body and mind. Bereavement often includes an assault to the physical well-being of those grieving the loss of a loved one. Each individual is responsible for making an effort to restore his/her body to health once again, and then to develop his/her spiritual knowledge on life. One has to be eager to learn and to work at acquiring the knowledge that ultimately will make one better prepared to handle the challenges that await all of us in our journey through this "learning laboratory called earth." This cannot be done for you nor be acquired without a sincere, deliberate, and conscious effort on your part. You must want to survive, and to continue on life’s journey until God calls your name so that your soul can be made more pure before returning to heaven in the life hereafter. I hope and pray that all who use this book will consider it as a guide toward acquiring the spiritual knowledge that I think is the food of life. God Bless You All
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About the Book
This book is the product of my endeavors to confront the tragic loss that I experienced over three years ago. In my situation, I found some peace and comfort in researching spiritual books and writing about what this new knowledge meant to me. I needed something tangible to bring about a "ray of hope" in my life. In my search of the literature, I found hundreds of books on the subject of grief but there were only 12 recently published books that supported the view of an afterlife, which was important to survivors of a lost loved one. I prepared book notes on all that I read and combined these with information from the public domain relative to the subject of grief and my personal experiences. The feedback that I received from reviewers of the book indicates that it is a good first step in the healing process. It is intended to help people who are attempting to cope with grief so that they can re-start the rest of their life. Proceeds will be used to sustain an academic endowment at the Penn State Fayette campus in Uniontown, Pa. This endowment has been established to recognize and to reward superior academic achievement in the nursing program.
About the Author
The author is a retired civil servant who completed a successful 40-year career with the U.S. Department of Energy. After the tragic loss of my beloved wife, I set out to find out how to deal with the painful experience that results from the sudden and unexpected loss of a loved one. I feel that part of my personal healing was to reach out to others by writing about my experiences. This self-help guide is the result. My training in science and engineering prepared me for a career in research and it is ironic that the methodology is being used in an investigative approach to discover ways to cope with grief. My efforts led to the observation, evaluation, analysis, and the documentation of what was learned. Much of the new information emerging in the literature comes from spiritual books that address the increasing demands for knowledge beyond simply believing "life is a mystery" and that only faith is required to cope with the pain and suffering from tragedies. At a time when knowledge of the spiritual world is receiving the attention of the general public, I found it both timely and comforting to increase my awareness on this matter and believe that others could be helped as well.