Grief and Consolation
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Midwinter God : Encountering The Divine In Seasons Of Darkness
$18.95Add to cart“I believe we all carry grief that has gone unnamed and unmourned,” writes best-selling author Christine Valters Paintner. “Nothing in our culture prepares us to deal with darkness and grief. We are told to cheer up and move on, to shop or drink our way to forgetting the pain we carry. Yet I believe that being faithful to our own dark moments is the path of true prayer.” In her book, A Midwinter God: Encountering the Divine in Seasons of Darkness, Paintner offers an invitation to enter the wisdom of holy darkness and to find there a path toward hope and spiritual maturity.
Paintner has experienced multiple journeys through grief that have brought her face-to-face with what she calls the “midwinter God”–the seeming absence of the God of life in dark and fallow seasons of loss. She has learned to confront her own terror in that darkness and to approach it with curiosity to see what it has to teach her. This endeavor has illuminated a path for her to embrace a life of profound depth, one that honors both the trials of suffering and the richness of joy.
With her characteristic integrative and creative practices, Paintner, abbess of the online Abbey of the Arts, guides her readers to view darkness as a place where seeds of holiness begin to germinate. Each chapter of this book unfolds as an invitation to grow in understanding of holy darkness and also meditate, reflect, and create with these elements:
*Paintner’s reflections on various themes of loss and acceptance
*Insights on a scripture passage written by Paintner’s husband, John
*A guided meditation to bring the teachings into your heart
*Prompts for an expressive arts practice to process these insights through creativity
*Reflection questions to integrate what you have experienced
*Writing samples from people who have worked through this material in an online retreatAutumn and winter are vital to the health of nature and to our own bodies. It is a time of releasing and letting go–a season that invites us to slow down, to welcome the growing darkness, and to grow stiller and quieter. Darkness can be an uncomfortable and uneasy place, but it is also a place of profound incubation and gestation, a source of tremendous and hard-wrought wisdom. With Paintner as our guide, we can encounter this midwinter God with vulnerable courage that leads us to hope-filled wholeness.
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Keep At It Riley
$22.95Add to cart“This is a story of how Catholic faith accompanied my family through the sickness and death of my elderly parents. What could mistakenly be seen as a downward spiral was actually upward. As my parents were called home to God those around them caught a glimpse of heaven. Ministering to them during this time was challenging, yet a blessing, not a burden… I discovered my source of strength was my Irish Catholic upbringing, the sacraments, and my God. Our family motto, ‘Keep at It, Riley!’ sums it up well. We don’t give up; we give it to God.”
This is the second book of the Magenta series, edited by Charles Camosy. The Magenta project brings together authors who will treat important topics from the standpoint of Christian conviction without being trapped in a polarized mindset.
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Daily Comfort While Grieving
$10.95Add to cartEvery person while lives will experience loss. Who will be a source of strength and solace to see us through? The daily Scripture or quote, brief reflection and the prayer in the 29th book in our Spiritual Life Series will help you respond with hope and faith to the inevitable suffering and sorrow that come our way and help to heal the brokenness.
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Praying Through Our Losses
$15.95Add to cartGrief is the painful process of adjusting to a loss. This collection of meditations is designed for anyone experiencing loss, whether it be the death of a loved one or the loss of health, financial security, or relationships. Each reflection focuses on a different topic, moving readers from acknowledging pain and loss to healing and new life. Using Scripture and prayer, Simsic gently shepherds readers through difficult issues like forgiveness, shock, depression, and the fear of letting go, without ever resorting to shallow sentimentality. This expanded version of the original book, Cries of the Heart: Praying Our Losses, features additional meditations and photographs from nature. A wonderful resource for people going through times of loss as well as for those looking for a gift to comfort family or friends.
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Stars At Night
$18.99Add to cartPaula D’Arcy was only 27 when a drunk driver killed her husband and young daughter. But in the midst of crushing despair, she discovered a presence that responded to her fearful cries with great tenderness and wisdom. In this captivating work, D’Arcy recounts the way night slowly became day again–and the perspective shift that allowed her to find meaning in life again. If you’ve experienced great loss, or if you’re feeling lost in the darkness yourself, Stars at Night can offer reassurance that pain does not have the final say.
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Loving Baby Louie
$18.95Add to cartSome take a lifetime to fulfill their purpose. Others, such as babies that die prematurely, need much less time to accomplish God’s plan for their lives. Authors David and Colleen Currie share the story of their tenth grandchild, Louis Gerard, to offer hope to families suffering the loss of an infant and to assist children in the grieving process. Loving Baby Louie is a poignant story that will help small children understand the loss of a sibling and the eternal life that awaits them in Heaven. As Scripture tells us, “No eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).
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Loving Baby Louie
$24.95Add to cartSome take a lifetime to fulfill their purpose. Others, such as babies that die prematurely, need much less time to accomplish God’s plan for their lives. Authors David and Colleen Currie share the story of their tenth grandchild, Louis Gerard, to offer hope to families suffering the loss of an infant and to assist children in the grieving process. Loving Baby Louie is a poignant story that will help small children understand the loss of a sibling and the eternal life that awaits them in Heaven. As Scripture tells us, “No eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).
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Grace Given : A Fathers Love For A Dying Child
$14.95Add to cartA Grace Given is a searing debut book about a father’s life in the shadow of his daughter’s terminal illness, and the beauty, spiritual growth, and joy that can eventually come from suffering. This is the personal account of the impact that one life, however seemingly insignificant, can have on those around it. Beyond that, it explores the meaning of faith, the growth and deepening of spirituality that comes from suffering, and the gift that a severely handicapped child represents.
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Gentle Keeping : Prayers And Services For Remembering Departed Loved Ones T
$7.95Add to cartAt last a book of simple prayers and prayer services for those who mourn that is intended for use at the dining room table or on the living room couch. Author and bereavement ministry leader Mauryeen O’Brien offers grieving loved ones words for remembering those who have died. Designed for use in the home with family and friends, Gentle Keeping offers comfort for the grieving and gentle guidance on leading prayer. With prayers for particular people and special occasions, these twenty-eight simple prayers and twenty-five prayer services sustain those who mourn through the ordinary and not-so-ordinary days of the year.
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Healing Takes Time
$19.95Add to cartLoss can occur in many forms, such as the death of a loved one, divorce, or termination of a job. Healing Takes Time is filled with 52 meditations and reflections to help people experiencing loss start a journey of healing. This biblical resource draws on experiences from Gallagher’s life, and includes a theme, relevant Scripture passages, personal illustrations, and practical steps to take toward healing in each meditation. Just as a physical injury takes time to mend, emotional and spiritual anguish require time, patience, and faith to heal. Perspective is often lost during painful times, and the Scripture passages in this book are a fresh reminder of God’s love and faithfulness.
Most people have heard about the stages of grief, but knowing the stages academically is quite different from knowing them in the heart. Healing Takes Time helps those suffering loss, loneliness, and sorrow prayerfully walk through the stages of grief step-by-step. Healing Takes Time is ideal for support groups or people working at their own pace. This short, practical, and focused book is a helpful companion for anyone experiencing emotional or spiritual distress.
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Inner Voice Of Love
$17.00Add to cartThis is Henri Nouwen’s “secret journal.” It was written during the most difficult period of his life, when he suddenly lost his self-esteem, his energy to live and work, his sense of being loved, even his hope in God. Although he experienced excruciating anguish and despair, he was still able to keep a journal in which he wrote each day a spiritual imperative to himself, which emerged from his conversations with friends and supporters.
For more than eight years, Nouwen felt that what he wrote was too raw and private to share with others. Instead he published ‘The Return of the Prodigal Son,’ in which he expressed some of the insights gained during his mental and spiritual crisis. But then friends asked him, “Why keep your anguish hidden from the many people who have been nurtured by your writing? Wouldn’t it be of consolation for many to know about the fierce inner battle that lies underneath so many of your spiritual insights?”
For the countless men and women who have to live through the pain of broken relationships or who suffer from the loss of a loved one, ‘The Inner Voice of Love’ offers new courage, new hope, even new life.
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Comfort In Sorrow
$9.95Add to cartCardinal Manning, preaching at a Requiem Mass, spoke of John Henry Newman as a ‘preacher of justice, or piety, and of compassion.’ Nowhere can this be seen more clearly that in his letters to those who were bereaved. This selection links his correspondence with words of comfort from his sermons and other writings. Many, including Manning, found comfort in Newman’s sympathy. They can be used in times of personal grief as well as to bring consolation to others.
