Gems for the Journey

Changes

You will be surprised if you have not been to the site in the past month. Several weeks ago I updated the site to include a photo of my book that is coming out March 2.

I've also added the slogan, Where pain and beauty mingle. The more I reflect on it, the more it seems to fit the journey. At least it does from the backward glance, it is much harder to see the beauty in the midst of the suffering.

As I reflect on my book I also see this theme emerging. In the poetry I was real with the raw agony of grief. Yet the photos speak to a beauty that permeates suffering. The photos are of nature, but not photos we would typically consider beautiful. The bud of a rose weighted down with snow. Leaves frozen in ice. Somehow, these too are part of the grand beauty of nature. Read about Seasons of Solace.

Part of the goal of my site is to provide space where you, the readers, can also share the ways that pain and beauty mingle in your life. I have just put up a form for readers to share their stories at Bereavement Stories. Feel free to add your stories. Where are you dealing with pain? Where have you experienced beauty?

My goal is to make this useful to the readers. Feel free to give me feedback of any kind about how this can be more useful to you. Contact me.

I have begun to interview people who have blogged as a way to work through their grief journey. So far I have done interviews with three people who have experienced the death of very young children. More stories will be added to this section on a regular basis. See Bereavement Interviews.

I am also starting a section on books about grief. It is still a work in progress, but you can check it out. If you have a book that has been particularly helpful to you, feel free to add it in the comment form on the Books on Grief page. Click here to see books on grief.

Finally, I have begun a section general grief articles. Click here to see the articles on grief.

If you are local to Pennsylvania, you may be interested in a series of retreats that a friend and I are offering. This retreat provides space for participants to explore their spiritual journey through scrapbooking, photography, and other visual arts.

No art experience is necessary, just a desire to enrich your prayer life and connect with God in new ways around your life story.

Both Mary and I found the artistic expression of life journey to be healing as we worked through grief following the death of family members. Mary enjoys working with paper collage and fabric. I enjoy writing, scrapbooking, and photography. You can find out more info on the site by clicking here.

May you find peace today for your journey,

Janelle

www.journey-through-grief.com