Grief Diaries: A collection of intimate and candid reflections through life's losses

Dear friends,

August 5 marked the anniversary of our 15 year-old daughter’s accident in 2009.  As expected, I was feeling a bit raw as I sat down with strong coffee in hand to open my email.  I halfheartedly surveyed the overflowing Inbox, and clicked on the first one.  It was from one of the participants of the Grief Diaries anthology series, and she was submitting her story for Loss of a Child.

This mother lost both of her children in one car accident in 2011.  Instead of tucking her submission aside to be edited later, I couldn’t help but read through it, a moment that will forever be etched in my heart as I realized that her story brought me comfort on the day I dread more than any other.  The very thing I strive to create for others, the gift of comfort, was instead gifted to me just when I needed it.

It’s humbling to be taken out of the driver’s seat and be on the receiving end of such a gift. For you see, my daughter’s accident has created a whole new life for me. A life filled with wondrous opportunities to comfort and inspire people around the world. Not a day goes by that I forget where this bittersweet journey started, and today I was receiving the gift of comfort instead of giving it.

Why is this so important?  Because it’s the whole purpose for creating a project near and dear to my heart.  Called Grief Diaries, it is series of books, each one focusing on one type of loss yet narrated by many voices.

You see, grief comes in many forms and every experience is unique.  And when we share our experiences, it helps others to better understand.  It also helps the rest of us feel not quite so alone.

Many people think that when you share your loss, it keeps you “stuck” in your grief.  But I have found the opposite to be true.  When I first started Grief Diaries Radio in February 2014, some well meaning individuals questioned why I would want to revisit my grief every week, and especially in such a public way.  They framed it as if I purposely returned to the pain, and why in the world would I want to do such a thing?

Grief isn’t something you visit like a vacation, and then leave when you decide.  It becomes a permanent scar you learn to carry forward as an invisible hallmark of a profoundly heartbreaking experience that completely reshapes your life.

So I find myself repeatedly explaining that talking with other grievers, and reading their stories, makes me feel less alone.  It mentally transports me to a soothing and comforting village where I’m among others who speak my language.

Besides, in my mind it makes sense that if grief is truly a unique experience, a book sharing one journey isn’t nearly as powerful as a book sharing a whole collection.

A couple of years back, I was invited to participate in a book written by 27 women from around the world who had all undergone a difficult transition.  One woman wrote about a childhood full of humiliation because of congenital baldness.  She is now thriving as the founder of a wig company.  Another wrote about suffering from domestic abuse, and now heads an international awareness campaign.

I, of course, shared about losing a child.  While I didn’t feel my story was particularly good, my experience as a participant in the book project was enriching and very healing for me on many levels.  It brought together people from around the world who all shared their own intimate stories for the purpose of bringing comfort and hope to others.  Not only was the act of putting pen to paper wonderfully therapeutic, it was incredible to be aligned with such individuals.  Most of us who collaborated on that book have since become cherished friends.

I wanted to create a similarly wonderful project for the bereaved, thus my inspiration for Grief Diaries.  And I’m sharing this with you because I invite you to be part of this novel project working to bring comfort and hope to others.

It’s free to participate, and open to everyone around the world.  Some of the books in the series have many participants.  Some, like Loss by Homicide and Loss by Suicide, are very lean and need more voices.

If you are willing to share your story, I invite you to join us.  An entire book series solely dedicated to sharing grief stories has yet to be done.  Until now.  And the more stories shared, the more comfort we spread.

To learn more about the Grief Diaries anthology series and how to participate, visit http://shop.goodgriefww.com.  Or feel free to email me at [email protected].

As Helen Keller once said, "Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light."  Perhaps our collective voices in Grief Diaries will be a light for a stranger we'll never meet.  XO