The Good Grief Journal: A Journey Toward Healing

A thoughtful, spiritual journal for processing the ten stages of loss and grief--a wonderful companion to the bestselling Good Grief.

Every loss "deserves a fitting grief," author Jill Alexander Essbaum assures us in The Good Grief Journal. Healing is possible, and Essbaum offers a path for all who grieve, whether the loss is from a physical death, a divorce, declining health, bankruptcy, or some other wound.

Each of the ten sections of meditation in this journal corresponds to a stage of grief as outlined in Granger E. Westberg's classic book Good Grief, first published in 1968 and still timely for today's reader. With more than three million copies in print, Good Grief has provided readers validation for their "minor" and "major" types of grief, understanding of their feelings, and guidance for how to live through grief and rediscover hope.

Scripture passages, poems, and quotes from a variety of sages and artists offer inspiration for this journey. Every poignant meditation is followed by interactive prompts and questions designed to help you reflect more deeply on the nature and effects of your loss.

The meditations and prompts in this journal are intentionally nonspecific so they adapt to both the nature of the loss and the needs of each grieving person. No matter what shape your grief takes, you will find understanding and comfort here.

Jill Alexander Essbaum is an award-winning poet, best-selling novelist, and recipient of two fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts. She has a masters of arts in religion from the Episcopal Seminary of the Southwest and teaches in the University of California--Riverside Palm Desert MFA program. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband, Alvin, and her cat, Mavis.