Comfort for the Grieving Spouse's Heart: Hope and Healing After Losing Your Partner (Large Print Edition)

by Gary Roe

Overview

LARGE PRINT EDITION

This loss changes everything.

The loss of a life partner can be traumatic. Oblivious to our suffering, the world around us speeds on as if nothing happened. Stunned, shocked, sad, confused, and angry, we blink in disbelief. Our hearts are broken. Our souls shake.

We look for comfort. Our broken, grieving hearts need it to survive.

Multiple award-winning author, hospice chaplain, and grief counselor Gary Roe is a trusted voice who has been helping wounded, grieving hearts find hope and healing for more than three decades. Written with heartfelt compassion, this warm, easy-to-read, and practical book reads like a caring conversation with a friend and will become a comforting companion as you navigate the turbulent waters of grief.

Gary's desire is to meet you in your grief and walk with you there. Composed of brief chapters, Comfort for the Grieving Spouse's Heart is designed to be read one chapter per day, giving you bite-sized bits of comfort, encouragement, and healing over a period of time. You do not have to read it this way, of course. We all grieve differently. Read in the way that is most natural for you.

In Comfort for the Grieving Spouse's Heart, you will discover how to...

Process complicated grief emotions (sadness, anger, guilt, confusion, guilt, anxiety, depression, feeling overwhelmed, etc).

Navigate all the relational changes - feeling alone, misunderstood, isolated, and even rejected by those around you.

Handle the increased stress and uncertainty that this heavy loss can bring. * Deal with physical and mental health issues, illnesses, and new symptoms that often arise.

Take care of yourself through diet, hydration, fitness, and rest.

Deal with a myriad of practical issues (financial challenges, parenting, family activities).

Handle the intense, deep loneliness that often comes with this loss.

You will also find hope in how to...

Think through the challenging spiritual and faith questions that frequently surface.

Relate well to the people around you - those who are helpful and those who aren't.

Overcome the tendency to run from emotional pain with unhealthy habits or compulsive behaviors.

Deal well with triggers and the grief bursts that will come.

Find the support you need for survival, recovery, and healing (safe people, fellow grievers, counseling, etc.).

Develop a simple, realistic plan for birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays.

Use your grief for good - for yourself, your family, and others.

Allow this loss to give you greater perspective and motivate you to live more effectively than ever before.

Make your life count, one day, one moment at a time.

Please don't grieve alone. Let Comfort for the Grieving Spouse's Heart join you on this arduous, tasking journey. Be kind to yourself. Take your heart seriously.

Death has invaded, but it doesn't have to win. Read on. Comfort awaits you in these pages of this book.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781950382248
Publisher:	Gary Roe
Publication date:	12/12/2019
Edition description:	Large Print
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	1,033,762
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.67(d)

About the Author

Multiple award-winning author, speaker, and grief specialist Gary Roe is a compassionate and trusted voice in grief-recovery who has been bringing comfort, hope, encouragement, and healing to hurting, wounded hearts for more than 30 years. Gary is the author of numerous books, including the award-winning bestsellers Shattered: Surviving the Loss of a Child, Heartbroken: Healing from the Loss of a Spouse, Please Be Patient, I'm Grieving, and Teen Grief: Caring for the Grieving Teenage Heart. Gary has been featured on Focus on the Family, Dr. Laura, Wellness.com, Beliefnet, CBN, The Daily Positive, Thrive Global, and other major media and has well over 500 grief-related articles in print. He is a popular keynote, conference, and seminar speaker at a wide variety of venues. A former college minister, missionary in Japan, entrepreneur in Hawaii, and pastor in Texas and Washington, Gary now serves as a writer, speaker, chaplain, and grief counselor with Hospice Brazos Valley in central Texas. Gary loves being a husband and father. He has seven adopted children, including three daughters from Colombia. He enjoys hockey, corny jokes, good puns, and colorful Hawaiian shirts. Gary and his wife Jen and family live in Texas. Visit Gary at www.garyroe.com.

Table of Contents

OTHER BOOKS BY GARY ROE

DEDICATION

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

WHAT THIS BOOK IS ALL ABOUT

MY HEART IS SHAKING

YOU WERE JUST HERE

HERE COME THE TEARS, AGAIN

HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN?

EVERYTHING SEEMS DIFFERENT NOW

I WISH MONEY WASN’T SUCH A BIG DEAL

I KEEP ASKING THE SAME QUESTIONS

I DON’T UNDERSTAND

I DON’T KNOW HOW TO DO THIS

DETAILS CONTINUE TO STRANGLE ME

I FEEL EMPTY

EVERYONE WANTS ME TO FEEL BETTER

I FEEL REJECTED

I’M FORGETTING THINGS

I’M NOT SLEEPING WELL

I TAKE ONE STEP FORWARD AND TWO STEPS BACK

WHERE DID EVERYONE GO?

HOW DO I RAISE KIDS ALONE?

WHO’S NEXT?

I CAN’T GET ENOUGH AIR

I FEEL GUILTY

THE GUILT LIST HAS NO END

PLEASE FORGIVE ME

SURELY SOMEONE COULD HAVE DONE SOMETHING

COUPLES SEEM TO BE EVERYWHERE 59 I’M ALL BY MYSELF NOW

I HAVE MORE QUESTIONS THAN I THOUGHT

I’M NOT THE SAME

I DON’T KNOW HOW TO BE SINGLE

I FEEL LIKE A SHADOW

MISSING YOU IS EXHAUSTING

I’M NOT FINE

MY CHILDREN DON’T UNDERSTAND

I WISH I HAD KNOWN

HOW MUCH MORE AM I GOING TO LOSE?

PEOPLE DON’T GET IT

MISSING YOU IS MAKING ME SICK

WHY DO PEOPLE TRY TO FIX THE UNFIXABLE?

I FEEL VULNERABLE

I MISS YOUR VOICE

I MISS YOUR EMBRACE

MY SOUL IS LEAKING

I FEEL TRAPPED SOMETIMES

CAN’T THEY SEE I’M HURTING?

WHERE HAVE ALL THE LISTENERS GONE?

I WANT TO LAY BLAME SOMEWHERE

I’M IN CONTROL OF SO LITTLE

NOTHING SEEMS TO MATTER

I’M GETTING TIRED OF FAKING IT

I MISS EVERYTHING

WHY DO PEOPLE SAY SUCH THINGS?

I DON’T LIKE THIS NEW LIFE

I’M MISSING THE FUTURE

I’M TIRED OF GRIEF 129 I’M LONELY

I WANT COMPANIONSHIP

I’M EVEN MORE VULNERABLE THAN I THOUGHT

SILENCE, LISTENING EARS, AND A HUG CAN DO WONDERS

I HAD NO IDEA 141 GET OVER YOU? IMPOSSIBLE.

I FEEL YOU SLIPPING AWAY

I’LL NEVER FORGET YOU, WILL I?

I MUST TALK ABOUT YOU

I’M TIRED OF BEING AFRAID 153 I THOUGHT I WAS BETTER

I DREAD SPECIAL DAYS

I NEED TO BE REAL

MY HEART IS CHANGING

I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT I DIDN’T KNOW

WORDS ARE CRUCIAL — AND OVERRATED

I WILL USE MY GRIEF FOR GOOD

PERHAPS LETTING GO ISN’T WHAT I THOUGHT

I THINK I’M READY

MY GRIEF IS CHANGING

I’M SMALL, BUT I MATTER

I’M SWIMMING UPSTREAM

TRIGGERS ARE EVERYWHERE

IT WILL BE HARD, BUT IT CAN STILL BE GOOD

ONE DAY AT A TIME

I WANT TO LIVE TODAY AS BEST I CAN

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS: A PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE ON LOSS, GRIEF, AND EMOTIONAL PAIN

AN INVITATION TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

SUMMARY OF GRIEF AFFIRMATIONS

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

A REQUEST FROM THE AUTHOR

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

AN URGENT PLEA

Editorial Reviews

"Gary Roe is no stranger to grief. In Comfort for the Grieving Spouse's Heart, he captures the silent anguish of the grieving and provides practical understanding and insight for how to deal with grief. I found myself saying, 'YES, YES, YES!' with every page. If you find yourself in the midst of grief, this is a must read to help make sense of it all." - Dr. Troy Allen, Pastor

"The author's ability to connect with the grieving spouse's heart is so evident in this book. Readers will see themselves on almost every page and find the comfort they need in Gary's compassionate empathy and counsel. I highly recommend this book to anyone experiencing the loss of a spouse." - Paul Casale, Licensed Professional Counselor/ Marriage and Family Therapist

"Healing from the loss of a spouse is hard work. To do it well, we need to engage the bereavement challenge every day. In Comfort for the Grieving Spouse's Heart, Gary guides the reader through the healing process with a daily dose of honesty, courage, compassion and love." - Dr. Craig Borchardt, President / CEO, Hospice Brazos Valley

"I give this book the highest praise I can - it rings true. While reading it, I relived the range of emotions I felt through my grief journey after the death of my husband. At the end I felt hopeful and light again, just like in real life. I know it will be a treasured resource for others." - Kelli Levey Reynolds, Mays Business School, Texas A & M University

"If you're struggling with the loss of a spouse, be encouraged. Gary's book, Comfort for the Grieving Spouse's Heart, walks you through the process of emotional healing. You'll find hope, healing, and help filtering your feelings." - Dr. Charles W. Page, MD

"Comfort for the Grieving Spouse's Heart is the book for anyone who loses a mate. In its chapters you'll recognize how you're feeling that day, gain insight into why you're feeling that way, and learn strategies to cope and grow. You'll return to it again and again." - Debra Johnson, M.Div., Hospice Bereavement Coordinator

"In his new book, Comfort for the Grieving Spouse's Heart, Gary Roe masterfully describes the journey of grief after losing a partner. But he doesn't stop there. He guides the reader to a deeper understanding of what they may face on their journey. Then he provides helpful insights and affirmations to assist them along the way. There are no simple or correct paths on the grief journey. That is why Comfort for the Grieving Spouse's Heart is a must read. It will assist the reader in maneuvering the potholes, detours and dead ends they may face along this road." - Brian Kenney, Pastor

"From the first words on the first pages, I knew that this book was going to be different. This isn't just a book about grieving. It's about me. How am I going to heal? Where is my hope? Gary is speaking directly into my soul. Every page tells me that it's somehow going to be okay." - Scott Marlow, Journey Church

"In Comfort for the Grieving Spouse's Heart, Gary masterfully describes the tapestry of emotion experienced by those affected by the loss of a mate. His connection to the reader is demonstrated through sharing his own journey of loss and healing. I share his books with clients and friends with great confidence." - Carrie Andree, Licensed Professional Counselor

"Gary Roe seems to have the ability to put into words exactly what my heart felt after the loss of my spouse. His writings are full of truth and healing. Thank you, Gary, for using your personal pain to help others on their grief journey." - Page Bratcher, Grief and Divorce Recovery Coach

From the Publisher