God Knows You're Grieving: Things To Do To Help You Through, by Joan Guntzelman. Notre Dame, IN: Sorin Books; 2001. 156 pages, softcover, $11.95.
If, as the book declares, "bereavement is indispensable for growth" (p89), God Knows You're Grieving: Things To Do To Help You Through fosters that growth and development. It is meant to be a source of support to those who are grieving and suffering from losses such as death of spouse, parent, or child; abortion; and miscarriage. Some other losses exemplified in the book include property loss from natural disasters, loss of job, illness, divorce, and the loss experienced when a son joined the army.
God Knows You're Grieving: Things To Do To Help You Through is one of the God Knows, life-enhancing series and follows its 12-chapter format in which the author presents these 12 ways of grieving: "Realize That You Are under Assault and Healing Takes Time," "Openly Acknowledge What Has Been Lost," "Be Aware That Your Loss Is Like No Other," "Allow the Wide Range of Emotion That Comes with Grief," "Remember the Ways You Have Dealt with Earlier Losses," "Ask Your God To Help You in Your Grieving," "Learn the Lessons of Everyday Losses," "Choose To Reintegrate Back into Life," "Explore What Binds You to Your Grief," "Begin Building a New Life on the Cornerstone of Loss," "Invite Compassion To Help You Heal," and "Ritualize Your Letting Go."
The book's design is like the others in the series, where each chapter presents a topical discussion on a problem or concern, pertinent quotations, several insightful stories from various authors, and a list of related activities. For instance, the chapter titled "Learn the Lessons of Everyday Losses" explains loss and death according to the laws of nature in a sensitive and understanding fashion, which is the tone found throughout the book. This chapter deals with the life-death cycle and explains how loss and grieving are essential for growth, with suggested activities of recording your history of loss, examining significant losses, and reflecting on how previous losses have shaped who you are now. One of the chapter's stories describes the devastating and ultimately uplifting effects that a tornado had on the writer's life.
The book is easy to read. While the author recognizes the uniqueness of each grief state, the shared stories and wisdom from others who have been in similar situations help put things in perspective and support those bereaved with the grieving process. The suggestions and exercises that others have found useful offer the reader a practical guide and help. The author advises that the book need not be read in order, but as the subject matter becomes pertinent. "Grieving is the natural way we go about adjusting to death" (p7) and so the book God Knows You're Grieving: Things To Do To Help You Through is a useful tool to offer bereaved persons in their move through their grieving process.