Named a 2010 Self Help Best Book by Library Journal Saying Goodbye To Someone You Love consists of moving narratives about end of life and grief. These personal histories are complemented by practical guidelines for those caring for their loved ones through the last stages of life. For those who are grieving, the true-to-life-stories demonstrate how others have navigated through the tidal wave of emotions and reactions that characterize the grief process. For health care professionals and those who are offering support to grievers, Saying Goodbye To Someone You Love provides a new perspective on the challenges of caring for the dying and living with grief. Hundreds of poignant, touching, loving, humorous personal experiences address readers' concerns and curiosity about how others have faced life's final chapter with love and dignity. Specific issues include talking about death, hospice, funerals, grieving, and celebrating life. Saying Goodbye To Someone You Love empowers readers by Bringing compassion and awareness to end of life issues Providing examples of loving care at the moment of death illuminating uncharted territory Demonstrating how others cope Demystifying the grief process Inspiring hope The narratives and advice in Saying Goodbye To Someone You Love benefits family members, friends and health care professionals as they travel the emotional journey through end of life and grief.

Following the success of 'The Funeral Celebrant's Handbook', Barry H Young OAM has been inspired to write a sequel offering an abundance of choices of poems, prose and prayers to assist practising and aspiring funeral celebrants when planning a funeral. Families who wish to actually participate during the ceremony will also find a great depth of choice in this carefully considered volume which, like 'The Funeral Celebrant's Handbook', is also presented in orderly sequential sections (passages), beginning with meaningful, relevant and heartfelt openings through to the Committal and Benediction. Barry Young prefaces each passage with moving words of wisdom about the actual messages or thoughts that the readings following will impart. There are passages suitable for funeral ceremonies for the elderly, middle-aged, teenagers, babies, tragic occurrences, suicides and the lonely; those who cut themselves off from society; those without family and those affected by illnesses and drugs. It provides tributes from husbands and wives, tributes from sons and daughters, grandchildren and those who have served in the forces. Barry H Young OAM has been a member of the Australian Federation of Grief Celebrants since 1998. To hear him present a Farewell or Memorial Service is to be amongst the privileged. Being mindful of grief and the provision of comfort to young and old on his journey as a funeral celebrant, he has seen a need for such a book to assist celebrants to make each ceremony unique and meaningful for the loved ones. This book gives many inspirational choices of readings; it will also become a treasured and relevant handbook for celebrants.

Whether you’re coping with a loved one who has received a terminal diagnosis, has a long-term illness or disability, or suffers with dementia, caregiving is challenging and crucial. Those who face this responsibility, whether occasionally or 24/7, are brushing up against life’s sharpest point. In this book, Stan Goldberg offers an honest, caring, and comprehensive guide to those on this journey. Everyone wants to “do the right thing,” and this book provides the often-elusive how-to; from bedside etiquette to advice on initiating difficult conversations, caring for oneself while caring for another, navigating rapid changes in your loved one’s condition, and even offering “permission” for them to die. Goldberg’s stories demonstrate how to address the most difficult topics and will facilitate more open and useful communication and caregiving.

The grief books that just "gets it." Each year about eight million Americans suffer the unexpected death of a loved one. For those who face the challenges of sudden death, the classic guide I Wasn't Ready to Say Goodbye offers a comforting hand to hold, written by two authors who have experienced it firsthand. Acting as a touchstone of sanity through difficult times, this book covers such difficult topics as: The first few weeks Suicide Death of a Child Children and Grief Funerals and Rituals Physical effects Homicide Depression Featured on ABC World News, Fox and Friends and many other shows, this book has offered solace to over eight thousand people, ranging from seniors to teenagers and from the newly bereaved those who lost a loved one years ago. An exploration of unexpected death and its role in the cycle of live, I Wasn't Ready to Say Goodbye provides survivors with a rock-steady anchor from which to weather the storm of pain and begin to rebuild their lives. Praise for I Wasn't Ready to Say Goodbye: "I highly recommend this book, not only to the bereaved, but to friends and counselors as well."-- Helen Fitzgerald, author of The Grieving Child, The Mourning Handbook, and The Grieving Teen "This book, by women who have done their homework on grief... can hold a hand and comfort a soul through grief's wilderness. Outstanding references of where to see other help."-- George C. Kandle, Pastoral Psychologist "Finally, you have found a friend who can not only explain what has just occurred, but can take you by the hand and lead you to a place of healing and personal growth...this guide can help you survive and cope, but even more importantly... heal."-- The Rebecca Review "For those dealing with the loss of a loved one, or for those who want to help someone who is, this is a highly recommended read."--Midwest Book Review

Over the past few years, John Pavlovitz's blog, Stuff That Needs To Be Said, has become a virtual hub for millions of people from all over the world, drawn there by his clear, compelling words on compassion, equity, love, and justice. This expansive, like-hearted community transcends race, orientation, gender, religious tradition, political affiliation, and nation of origin--and finds its affinity in the deeper place of our shared humanity, which is the True North of his writing. This collection lovingly pulls together some of John's most widely-read and most beloved essays on faith, politics, grief, and the elemental parts of being human. It is an encouraging, inspiring, challenging storehouse of "stuff that needs to be said."

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER What would you do with one last year? Susan Spencer-Wendel was determined to laugh instead of cry. In June 2011, Susan Spencer-Wendel learned she had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) - Lou Gehrig's disease - an irreversible condition that systematically destroys the nerves that power the muscles. She was 44-years-old, with three young children, and she had only one year of health remaining. She decided to live that year with joy. She left her job as a journalist and spent time with her family. She built a meeting place for friends in her backyard. And she took seven trips with the seven most important people in her life. As her health declined, Susan journeyed to the Yukon, Hungary, the Bahamas, and Cyprus. She went to the beach with her sons and to Kleinfeld's bridal shop in New York City with her teenage daughter, Marina, for a glimpse of the wedding she would never attend. She also wrote this book. No longer able to walk or even lift her arms, she tapped it out letter by letter on her iPhone using only her right thumb, the last finger still working. And yet Until I Say Good-Bye is not angry or bitter. It is sad in parts - how could it not be? - but it is filled with Susan's optimism, joie de vivre and sens of humour. It is a book that, like Susan, will make everyone smile. From a hilarious family Christmas disaster to the decrepit monastery in eastern Cyprus where she rediscovered her heritage, Until I Say Good-Bye is Susan Spencer-Wendel's unforgettable gift to her loved ones and to us: a record of their final experiences together and a reminder that every day is better when it is lived with joy.

Facing the imminent death of a loved one can be a difficult and oftentimes painful experience. To help, well-known author Cecil Murphey and hospice chaplain Gary Roe share what they've learned from their personal and professional grief and healing experiences: how to forgive past mistakes--both one's own and the loved one's--affirm the life of the one passing, and give that one permission to let go of this life. Michal Sparks' serene illustrations add a soothing touch to this encouraging gift book for those experiencing and grieving the death of a loved one.