I did not cry. The moment came when Heather died; I did not shed a tear. I felt numb, like I was having an out of body experience, and I was watching myself go through the motions. There were things to do; people to call, it was not the time to begin to fall apart. I had just joined an elite club of grieving mothers. This was the club no one talked about or wanted to become a member of. From that moment on my life was getting a makeover that I didnt ask for let alone consent to allowing it to happen. It was beyond my control; I was not given a choice. This was and is my life now. I am a grieving mother for the rest of my life.

“Wise, vulnerable, and surprisingly relatable . . . funny in all the right places and enormously helpful throughout. It will change how you think about death.” —Rachel Held Evans, New York Times–bestselling author of Searching for Sunday We are a people who deeply fear death. While humans are biologically wired to evade death for as long as possible, we have become too adept at hiding from it, vilifying it, and—when it can be avoided no longer—letting the professionals take over. Sixth-generation funeral director Caleb Wilde understands this reticence and fear. He had planned to get as far away from the family business as possible. He wanted to make a difference in the world, and how could he do that if all the people he worked with were . . . dead? Slowly, he discovered that caring for the deceased and their loved ones was making a difference—in other people’s lives to be sure, but it also seemed to be saving his own. A spirituality of death began to emerge as he observed the family who lovingly dressed their deceased father for his burial; the nursing home that honored a woman’s life by standing in procession as her body was taken away; the funeral that united a conflicted community. Through stories like these, told with equal parts humor and poignancy, Wilde’s candid memoir offers an intimate look into the business of death and a new perspective on living and dying. “Open[s] up conversations about life’s ultimate concerns.” —The Washington Post “As a look behind the closed doors of the death industry, as well as a candid exploration of Wilde’s own faith journey, this book is fascinating and compelling.” —National Catholic Reporter “[A] stunner of a debut.” —Rachel Held Evans, author of Inspired

Why me God? How could a good God allow this? Suffering and grief, how do you find joy amid it? These are some of the questions that Kelly Harris wrestled with after discovering the devasting news that her son would be born with a heart defect that would ultimately end in an unexpected death. Confessions of a Grieving Mother is a memoir of Kelly’s experience of struggling with infertility, birthing a beautiful son, and learning to live without him after only sixteen short days on earth. When someone goes through something so tragic and feels deep pain, you feel alone and lost. In Confessions of a Grieving Mother, the reader will navigate these raw emotions. Kelly shares actual diary entries that she wrote to help her cope with the grief and anxiety that the death of her son brought her. She will walk the reader through how she went from extreme suffering, anxiety, and grief to forgiveness and joy.

"I spent my 11th wedding anniversary planning my husband's funeral. If I could just figure out how to make that rhyme, it would be the beginning of a great country song." Confessions of a Mediocre Widow is a roller coaster look at one widow's journey through the odyssey of grief and the many missteps, crying jags, fights, hilarity, pedicures, and lying required to get through it. Catherine Tidd shares the story of what it was to honor her husband, to get her three kids (all under 6) through the day (with perhaps more sugar and television than might have been necessary), and come to terms with his loss, in a way that's real, rough, and honest.

A searching, eloquent memoir about the joys and hardships of open adoption God and Jetfire is a mother's account of her decision to surrender her son in an open adoption and of their relationship over the twelve years that follow. Facing an unplanned pregnancy at twenty-two, Amy Seek and her ex-boyfriend begin an exhaustive search for a family to raise their child. They sift through hundreds of "Dear Birth Mother" letters, craft an extensive questionnaire, and interview numerous potential couples. Despite the immutability of the surrender, it does little to diminish Seek's newfound feelings of motherhood. Once an ambitious architecture student, she struggles to reconcile her sadness with the hope that she's done the best for her son, a struggle complicated by her continued, active presence in his life. For decades, closed adoptions were commonplace. Now, new laws are guaranteeing adoptees' access to birth records, and open adoption is on the rise. God and Jetfire is the rare memoir that explores the intricate dynamics and exceptional commitment of an open-adoption relationship from the perspective of a birth mother searching for her place within it. Written with literary poise and distinction, God and Jetfire is a story of a life divided between grief and gratitude, regret and joy. It is an elegy for a lost motherhood, a celebration of a family gained, and an apology to a beloved son.

Grief Relief: Confession Leads To Recovery is written from the author's perspective of coping with the loss of parents, examines the emotions that come with the pain, and how to get relief from the grief. For many of us when grief becomes a suffocating blanket, it's time to speak relief. Grief Relief is a book that is not only a must-read, but it is a must share. Obviously, if someone has gone through this, the benefits of reading this book are clear. But there are people who've never gone through this kind of grief and who may want to help someone they know. Grief Relief gives the insight for those people as well. Whether someone has experienced the loss of a loved one, or knows someone who has, Grief Relief will help everyone on all sides of grief understand so there can be a better acceptance of this new normal. -Excerpt from the foreword by Victoria Christopher Murray, #1 national bestselling author and award winner. The author Keaver Brenai is a singer/songwriter of LullaBabyMusic the music therapy tool for children, a voiceover artist, music director, and public speaker.

Over 90 percent of new mothers will have scary, intrusive thoughts about their baby and themselves. What if I drop him? What if I snap and hurt my baby? Mothering is so hard—I don't know if I really want to do this anymore. Gosh, I'm so terrible for thinking that! Yet for too many mothers, those thoughts remain secret, hidden away in a place of shame that can quickly grow into anxiety, postpartum depression, and even self-harm. But here's the good news: you CAN feel better! Author Karen Kleiman—coauthor of the seminal book This Isn't What I Expected and founder of the acclaimed Postpartum Stress Center—comes to the aid of new mothers everywhere with a groundbreaking new source of hope, compassion, and expert help. Good Moms Have Scary Thoughts is packed with world-class guidance, simple exercises, and nearly 50 stigma-busting cartoons from the viral #speakthesecret campaign that help new moms validate their feelings, share their fears, and start feeling better. Lighthearted yet serious, warm yet not sugary, and perfectly portioned for busy moms with full plates, Good Moms Have Scary Thoughts is the go-to resource for moms, partners, and families everywhere who need help with this difficult period.