Comfort for the Grieving Adult Child's Heart: Hope and Healing After Losing Your Parent

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

The loss of a parent is painful.

The loss of a mother or father 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.

We've known them all our lives. How could they be gone?

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 Adult Child'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 Adult Child'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 sense of being orphaned that 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 Adult Child'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.

About the Author
Roe, Gary: - Gary's story began with a childhood of mixed messages and sexual abuse. This was followed by other losses and numerous grief experiences. Ultimately, a painful past led Gary into a life of helping wounded people heal and grow. A former college minister, missionary in Japan, entrepreneur in Hawaii, and pastor in Texas and Washington, he now serves as a writer, speaker, chaplain, and grief counselor with Hospice Brazos Valley in central Texas. Gary is the author of more than a dozen books, including the Difference Maker Series (Living on the Edge: How to Fight and Win the Battle for Your Mind and Heart and Difference Maker: Overcoming Adversity and Turning Pain into Purpose, Every Day) and the award-winning bestsellers Shattered: Surviving the Loss of a Child, Teen Grief: Caring for the Grieving Teenage Heart, and Comfort for the Grieving Spouse's Heart. Gary has won two national book awards and his books have been honored as national book award finalists seven times. He has been featured on Focus on the Family, Dr. Laura, Thrive Global, Belief Net, the Christian Broadcasting Network, Wellness, Bustle, The Family Educator, the Family Bookmark, Professor's House, and other major media. Gary has over 700 articles in print. Recipient of the Diane Duncam Award for Excellence in Hospice Care, Gary is a popular keynote, conference, and seminar speaker at a wide variety of venues. He founded and coordinates The Suicide Prevention Project and is part of the Brazos Valley Coalition on Suicide Prevention. He is a member of the Texas Authors Association, the American Institute of Healthcare Professionals, and the American Academy of Grief Counseling. 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.