The blessing of sorrow : turning grief into healing / Ben Kamin.

Introduction: do not defer your sorrow -- Grief is personal : is there any one way to grieve? -- The stages of grief : what do the dying teach us about life? -- Honoring a loved one : what to do, what to say, at a time of grief -- How grief can complicate one's life : what should i do in the days after the funeral? -- Channeling your grief : what should I do in the first year after a death? -- Necessary business : what does the funeral director think, say, and do? -- Prayerful communication : are there conversations with the dead? -- Moving forward : how does grief grow us and can there be relief in death? -- Faith and hope : because every soul takes its own journey -- Afterword.

"Tackling one of life's great mysteries, Rabbi Ben Kamin examines the diverse ways we mourn the death of a loved one. Drawn from his fort-plus years of counseling the bereaved, Kamin shares stories filled with people from all walks of life to provide thoughtful insights on how we encounter and endure grief. Using his own experience of the heartbreaking loss of his father, he stresses the importance of not deferring the process of grieving at the risk of harming one's physical, emotional, and spiritual health. An empathetic and simple spiritual guide that offers a path to acceptance and peace for those who must continue their life journey after a loved one dies." -- Back cover.