I read of a man who stood to speak At the funeral of a friend He referred to the dates on her tombstone From the beginning to the end
He noted that first came the date of her birth And spoke the following date with tears, But he said what mattered most of all Was the dash between those years.
In 1996, an announcer read Linda's Ellis's poem “The Dash” aloud on a syndicated radio program--and, to her surprise, it became an instant, meteoric success. Calls came in from people around the country eager to tell Linda how her words had touched their hearts. That was the beginning of an enduring phenomenon.
Live Your Dash captures and expands upon the theme of the original poem: It's not your birth or death that matters most, but how you spend each passing year. Linda shares her message of joy, hope, and positive energy through uplifting stories, essays, and poetry, along with tales of people who have been "touched by the dash," including Bob Dole, legendary football coach Lou Holtz, and American Idol winner David Cook. An inspiring look at life based on the fantastically successful poem.
In late February 2007, Leah Fishbane's life was flourishing. A promising young graduate student in Jewish history, she was an adoring mother to her nearly four-year-old daughter and two months into a new pregnancy. In an instant, all this was gone: Leah was struck down suddenly with a previously undiagnosed brain tumor--her life ended, her family in despair. In this deeply evocative memoir, written during the dark time of the first year following Leah's death, her husband Eitan gives voice to the overwhelming nature of mourning, and to the uplifting power of memory. He tells the story of his efforts to be a good father to his grieving child and of his self-discovery as a parent in ways he had not known before. Along this path, Fishbane asks fundamental questions about the meaning of death and life, about the place of God and faith in the experience of tragedy, about what it means to live with loss. The result is a poetic testament that will resonate with anyone who has known the depths of grief, anyone who seeks to console a loved one in pain. In giving honest expression to emotions that are at once particular and universal, Shadows in Winter offers a luminous window of comfort and hope to those battling the devastation of loss.
Working With the Bereaved: Multiple Lenses on Loss and Mourning summarizes the major themes in bereavement research and clinical work and uses the authors’ own cutting-edge research to show mental-health practitioners how to integrate these themes into their practice. It provides clinicians with a framework for exploring their own emotional and intellectual assumptions about loss and bereavement, and it goes on to summarize state-of-the-art thinking in the field. The heart of the book focuses on the theoretical and clinical implications of the empirically validated Two-Track Model of Bereavement, as well as a variety of therapeutic techniques designed to help the bereaved both reapproach life and manage their continuing bonds with the deceased. The later chapters examine methods for integrating systems and family perspectives in therapy, for attending to the implications of culture and religion, and for meeting crises and emergencies in bereavement care. The concluding chapter addresses self-care, well-being, and resilience, offering practical guidelines for both the bereaved and those who treat them.
Those left behind in the wake of suicide are often plagued by unanswered questions and feelings of guilt. Helping them to understand why the suicide happened, how suicide survivors commonly react and cope, and where they can find support can help them move forwards on their path from grief to recovery.
Drawing on the testimonies of suicide survivors and research into suicide bereavement, this book provides those working with the bereaved with the knowledge and guidance they need. It covers common grief and crisis reactions, including those specific to children and young people, how suicide bereavement differs from other forms of bereavement, and how others have coped and been supported. It also addresses how the bereaved can move on, including advice on support networks including friends, family, professionals and other bereaved people.
This book will be invaluable to all those supporting those who have been bereaved by suicide, including counsellors, bereavement support workers, social workers, and psychologists.
