The Bottom Line
From Sorrow to Dancing offers hope to those newly widowed and we recommend it.
From Sorrow to Dancing: The Recent Widow's Handbook
by Marcy Kelly
Publisher: Xulon Press, 2008.
ISBN-13: 978-1604776119
Pros
- Practical suggestions
- Easy to read format
- Offers hope
Cons
- No index
- References to faith and religion may not be accepted by all readers
Description
- Many chapters end with discussion questions that help wrap up the focus of the chapter.
- There is an emphasis on faith and prayer that would not be helpful to people who are not religious.
- It is unfortunate that there is no index.
- Our favorite chapters were "Taking Care of Yourself" and "The First Year".
- Kelly points out the importance of physically and emotionally taking care of yourself especially through the first year.
- The first year, which is a year of firsts, needs to be dealt with from a position of strength.
Guide Review - From Sorrow to Dancing: The Recent Widow's Handbook by Marcy Kelly
Contents:
From Sorrow to DancingMarcy Kelly's Four Action Steps to Move Through Loss:
The Losses We Face and the Questions We Ask
Things People Say
That's What Friends are For
Grieving: A State or a Destination
Taking Care of Yourself
Special Times With God
The First Year
My Final Thoughts
Action Steps to Move Through Loss
"1. Do a personal check concerning your attitude. Are you bitter? If so, learn to forgive. Bitterness feeds on itself and puts you into a spiral leading to a lonely, unhappy life. Forgiveness and thankfulness are the antidotes to bitterness.Recommendation: Although we recommend Kelly's book, another book we recommend that covers long term marriage and coping with loss is Two-Part Invention: The Story of a Marriage by Madeleine L'Engle. See Review2. Give yourself and others grace to make mistakes. Women can be very hard on themselves and others. They feel like they should always be in control and never make mistakes. Going through loss puts your mind into a state where you aren’t thinking clearly. Over time, your mind will clear and you will again make good decisions.
3. Put off making big decisions for at least a year. Big decisions like selling your house, giving all your money to charity, etc. should not be made until your mind has a chance to grasp a new situation. Although a year seems like a long time, it truly will go by very quickly.
4. Be around caring people and allow them to help you. Women often want to be the ones to help someone else. Allowing others to help you can be difficult because you may feel vulnerable. If you have always been the giver, being the recipient of help allows you to grow personally."
