4 out of 4 stars
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The Grief Helpline: Restoring Your Joy After Experiencing a Personal Loss by Vernessa Blackwell is a non-fiction, self-help book. The book opens with details about the author’s personal experience with loss and continues on with two self-help sections. Part One, “Grief Recovery,” deals with the many emotions one experiences immediately after the loss of a loved one. Topics discussed in this part include shock and denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Part Two, “Joy Restoration,” focuses on the healing journey. The focus in this section is not merely to feel better and return to normalcy, but to find true joy in moving forward. Setting goals and taking steps to achieve goals and dreams are predominant themes in this portion of the book.
The book is written as a day by day work book; each day includes a daily thought, prayer, bible verse, and challenge. The daily portions are short enough to read that they can easily be included in your daily routine. Though I read the book in one sitting (it is a fairly short read), I found each daily thought, verse, prayer and challenge to be unique, thought provoking and inspiring. The daily challenges especially interested me. Types of challenges include writing exercises, meditation and breathing exercises, and performing small tasks outside of your comfort zone.
The author’s personal story is inspiring all on its own. It is clear, the author has dealt with loss throughout her life. Further, she served as a soldier for her country before finding her true calling as a grief counselor and joy restoration coach. Throughout the daily entries, the author includes small tidbits from her own experience which makes the book seem credible and further gives the book personality and voice. Unlike other self-help books, this one feels like a one on one conversation with the author. I felt I really got to know a lot about the author’s beliefs and attitudes while reading The Grief Helpline.
This book has a strong focus on God and the Bible and thus may not appeal to all readers. If you are someone who has recently experienced loss or are having difficulty dealing with less recent loss and either want to find God or expand your current relationship with God, I highly recommend this book. The author’s words and the daily prayers and activities are not only comforting, but they will help you focus on acceptance and healing when struggling through difficult times.
At only 134 pages, The Grief Helpline can easily be read in one sitting; however, this book works better as day to day encouragement for those on the road to healing after a significant loss. The healing process will not happen overnight and The Grief Helpline will be a comforting and eye-opening companion for those working towards joy restoration. For the many reasons stated above, I happily rate this book 4 out of 4 stars.
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The Grief Helpline
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