How We Can Suffer Our Sorrow: ...and Become Wiser, Better, Gentler People

By Pamela Smith

In the end, everyone grieves; but most of us do it privately. Underneath the exterior "bucking up," however, there are steps we all take and retake. We slowly let it sink in that life has changed and will never be quite the same. We select what is important to remember even while we fear we will forget. We wonder if anyone or anything can fill that sinkhole that has sucked in somewhere between stomach and heart. We feel slowed down and stymied no matter how effectively we try to fake stamina and cheer. We look at pictures and sometimes talk to them. We find ourselves circling back to gravesites or columbarium niches or memorials, even though we know intellectually that no one and nothing but a name and dates will be found there. We become more susceptible to viruses and notice that our aches and pains seem more acute. We realize we should do something that isn't just escapist or sedating. In this unique and compelling book, Pamela Smith, SS.C.M.-no stranger to her own grief and that of others-offers practical ideas to help us "suffer our sorrows" in ways that allow us to become "kinder, better, gentler people" in the process. Using the contemporary American-language translation of the scriptures from The Message Bible translation by Eugene Peterson, especially the Book of Lamentations and the Letters of Paul, Smith offers a biblical pathway to get to the place where "ain't no one or nobody gonna steal my happy," as one grieving woman put it. Each short chapter offers down-to-Earth insights into the nature of grief, suggestions for dealing effectively with it, a short original prayer, and provocative questions for personal reflection and discussion with others. There is also a very helpful four-page list, curated by the author, of more than 20 other publications where the reader can find further inspiration on the topics found in this book.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0879466987
• ISBN13: 9780879466985
• Release Date: November 2023
• Publisher: ACTA Publications
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.2" x 8.3"