God is keeping the promise of Isaiah 45:2-3 to me. In this book I share some of those treasures of darkness.

From the writer of the classic Letters to a Young Poet, reflections on grief and loss, collected and published here in one volume for the first time. “A great poet’s reflections on our greatest mystery.”—Billy Collins “A treasure . . . The solace Rilke offers is uncommon, uplifting and necessary.”—The Guardian Gleaned from Rainer Maria Rilke’s voluminous, never-before-translated letters to bereaved friends and acquaintances, The Dark Interval is a profound vision of the mourning process and a meditation on death’s place in our lives. Following the format of Letters to a Young Poet, this book arranges Rilke’s letters into an uninterrupted sequence, showcasing the full range of the great author’s thoughts on death and dying, as well as his sensitive and moving expressions of consolation and condolence. Presented with care and authority by master translator Ulrich Baer, The Dark Interval is a literary treasure, an indispensable resource for anyone searching for solace, comfort, and meaning in a time of grief. Praise for The Dark Interval “Even though each of these letters of condolence is personalized with intimate detail, together they hammer home Rilke’s remarkable truth about the death of another: that the pain of it can force us into a ‘deeper . . . level of life’ and render us more ‘vibrant.’ Here we have a great poet’s reflections on our greatest mystery.”—Billy Collins “As we live our lives, it is possible to feel not sadness or melancholy but a rush of power as the life of others passes into us. This rhapsodic volume teaches us that death is not a negation but a deepening experience in the onslaught of existence. What a wise and victorious book!”—Henri Cole

"This book consists of personal essays on the experience of grieving a loved one"--

Nautilus Book Award Gold Winner A psychotherapist offers “crucial” guidance on how to “alter fundamentally our fearful relationship to deep feelings,” from depression and anxiety to grief and fear (Los Angeles Times) We are all touched at some point by the dark emotions of grief, fear, or despair. In an age of global threat, these emotions have become widespread and overwhelming. While conventional wisdom warns us of the harmful effects of “negative” emotions, this revolutionary book offers a more hopeful view: there is a redemptive power in our worst feelings. Seasoned psychotherapist Miriam Greenspan argues that it’s the avoidance and denial of the dark emotions that results in the escalating psychological disorders of our time: depression, anxiety, addiction, psychic numbing, and irrational violence. And she shows us how to trust the wisdom of the dark emotions to guide, heal, and transform our lives and our world. Drawing on inspiring stories from her psychotherapy practice and personal life, and including a complete set of emotional exercises, Greenspan teaches the art of emotional alchemy by which grief turns to gratitude, fear opens the door to joy, and despair becomes the ground of a more resilient faith in life. “This remarkable book has taught me a whole new way of thinking.” —Harold Kushner, author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People “A beautiful piece of work destined to become a perennial classic.” —Martha Beck, author of The Joy Diet

Grieving is not a bad thing; it’s normal to grieve. No person experiences grief in the same way as the next person. We all grieve differently, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Whether it’s grieving over the loss of a loved one, mistreatment, rejection, or betrayal, we must learn to cope and deal with grief in the correct way so we can heal. In Grieving in the Dark, author and evangelist Cynthia Ousley-Garey offers a spiritual look at grieving, showing the answer is to apply God’s word—the Bible—in your life. She writes that knowing who you are in Christ will help ease the pain while you’re grieving and will lighten the stress, depression, and frustration that comes with grieving. Ousley-Garey provides advice for weathering the journey. Don’t grow bitter during your grieving time. Stay positive, hopeful, and true to yourself. God sees you as victorious. God sees you as an overcomer. God sees you more clearly than you see yourself. You’re not alone. He’ll strengthen you and empower you.

This earthly plane offers much for us to learn: happiness, wisdom, loss, heartbreak, and enlightenment. It is a Pandora's box of emotions, situations, opportunities, and failures, all wrapped into a package we call life. Nobody is immune, but everyone has the opportunity to grow tall or wither like a flower in harsh light. It's completely up to us how we choose to respond. Finding Hope in the Darkness of Grief is a gleaning of insights from artist Diamante Lavender. For her, life has been a long, difficult road, but it has taught many poignant lessons. Her poetry collection is an exploration of the human soul, a traversing of situations that life throws at us. Diamante has always been intrigued by the ability to overcome and move on to bigger and better things. She writes to encourage hope and possibility in those who read her stories. If she can help others heal, as she has, then Diamante's work as an author and artist will have been well spent. She believes that everyone should try to leave a positive mark on the world, to make it a better place for all. Writing is the way that she is attempting to leave her markone story at a time.

At some point in our lives, we all experience grief:The death of a loved one, a financial catastrophe, a debilitating illness, or the ending of a marriage. In the dark moments that follow these losses, life can seem hopeless and unbearable. Author Therèse Tappouni knows this journey all too well. After suffering the devastating loss of her eleven-year-old son, she ultimately came to the realization that it is possible to not only heal from grief, but to find gifts from the deepest places of despair. The Gifts of Grief: Finding the Light in the Darkness of Loss explores the grieving process and examines new ways to heal from the inside out. Couched in Tappouni’s warm and comforting prose, and steeped in examples from her own experiences with deep loss, Therèse is able to walk the reader through the grieving process, while keeping in mind that the journey will be different for every person. Complete with guided audio mediations and journaling exercises, The Gifts of Grief offers a compassionate path from loss and emptiness into wholeness, teaching not only how to survive grief, but also adapt and evolve new blessings from it as well.