I put this book together for several reasons. My hope is to help others going through the loss of their father or anyone close to them whether past, present or future. My desire is to also help to heal the hurting hearts of those who have shared their stories with you in this book. What a loving tribute to their dads to tell the world how much they love them and that they will be remembered forever. And lastly but not least to honor my own father and to make him proud of me by doing what he last told me to do, "keep helping others". So to you the reader if you are experiencing the pain of having lost your dad or if you know that you're going to lose your dad or know someone who is or has, thank you for purchasing this book. And I hope through the stories found in it's pages you find strength and courage and hope. Because it's my belief that our life doesn't end just because we no longer reside on this earth, but that we continue to exist in a higher place and in the hearts of those who love and miss us. In this book you will also find tidbits on how to deal with other things that can cause us to grieve. Things that you'll probably be surprised to learn we have the right to grieve over. What do we grieve for? You'd be surprised at what warrants our grief. We all grieve over the death of someone we love and we know we grieve over the loss of our pets. But did you know that we also have the right to grieve over the loss of a relationship, a job, a home... all of these things are worthy of a mourning period. The loss of anything that we hold dear and has held a prominent place in our lives and/or hearts causes us sorrow and pain and is worth taking the time to mourn and heal. In this book others share their stories and it's comforting to see where they are in their journey. Losing someone is heart breaking but losing someone as prominent in our lives as our fathers changes us forever. Some of these ladies are in the beginning and you can feel their pain and anger and sense of disconnection with the rest of the world and yet you will also read stories of those who have had time to process and heal and grow. It's my hope that their stories will also give you hope to see that while yes this does change who you are at your core forever... it changes you for the better... that same pain that is causing you to hurt so much now... is the same pain that is going to allow you, in fact help you get stronger and move you into the next phase of your life... IF you allow yourself the time... the respect... to grieve.
About the Author I am not a professional therapist nor do I hold any degrees of any type that makes me an authority on grieving. Simply, I'm a woman living in Virginia who's lost her dad, uncles, grandparents, homes, relationships and gone through several "fires" in my life. I've spent the last few years speaking to others who have and are going through the same things. We all seem to share a common thread; the pain doesn't go away, not entirely. So I decided to sit down and write a book about and to those who have lost their fathers since losing my dad was the inspiration for this book. I believe this book will also be helpful to those who have been told their going to lose their dads as well as many situations that cause us to grieve. Maybe it can help prepare you for the road ahead, although how do you prepare for that? But in some small way, maybe this little book can help. Keep it by your night stand or in your desk at work. Give it to a grieving friend or relative. My biggest message here is that you are not alone and even though it may not feel like it right now; you really will laugh again and enjoy life as you did before. The difference is that you'll soak it all in like never before and you'll grow as a person. When I lost my dad I physically couldn't breath and I at times didn't even want to live. But here I am sharing my story and the stories of others with you in the hopes that you gain a better understanding of what you're going through or may have to go through. Every day brings with it another day that you have gotten through this. And like we always say in our Yahoo group... We don't believe in getting over it. But we do believe in getting on with it, and even then at your own pace.
