Grief. Jody Neufeld

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      One person alone may be overpowered.

       Two people can defend themselves.

       But a rope made of three strands is not easily broken.

      Ecclesiastes 4:12 (paraphrase)

      Preface

      …weeping may stay during the darkness of night, but joy comes with the light of dawn.

      Psalm 30:5 (paraphrase)

      As a nurse and a mother, I found that the hours between 1 and 6 a.m. can be very dark and frightening. Just before light breaks through the clouds is when a child’s fever or the amount of my tears and fears become the greatest. And a ‘day’ or ‘night’ may not always be measured in a twelve hour period. During a life-threatening illness or any other life-changing situation, joy may seem very fleeting while sadness or grief may take months or years to journey through.

      I met Janet Wilkie while working as a nurse for a hospice. At first I thought it was just her ‘sweet Southern ways’ that encouraged people to open up and let go of their burdens. As she became my friend and walked with me through my divorce and my son’s illness and death, I found out that her ‘ways’ also included a deep caring and an ability to give me practical options for coping and moving forward in my journey of grief. She has been so valuable in helping me to develop this simple book that could be helpful in those first days and months following a loss. In that period the pain is so sharp and fresh that all you want to do is go to bed and pull the covers over your head. And yet, you desperately want the ability to move forward just a step, in the hope that the pain might be relieved even a little bit. The vision that God gave me for this book is that those who are experiencing grief from whatever source and those who want to help those who are grieving might find some words of wisdom and practical application within these pages.

      -- Jody Neufeld