With that said, I have read one of the most remarkable books that I've read in my entire life titled Colors of Goodbye: A Memoir of holding on, letting go, and reclaiming joy in the wake of loss. It was written by September Vaudrey. It launched yesterday it already has 44 reviews on Amazon, all of which are 5-star reviews. It also received a "starred" review from Publishers Weekly.
This is my recap of the book. If you are dealing with grief or loss, I couldn't more strongly encourage you to read or do anything else:
I received an early manuscript of this book about a month ago in the form of a .pdf. I began reading the book on my phone and read the entire book on that platform in less than 24 hours. It is a 300-page book and not an easy read yet I was so drawn in by the richness of September's words and the manner in which she drew me in as a reader.
While I'm sure most who will read this book may be female, as a male this is one of the top five books that I've ever read, and it may be at the very top. I received an actual copy of the book today and it's a beautiful book. It was beautiful with just words on paper before the pictures and artwork, and it has been enhanced that much more since. I opened the actual book today and wanted to gauge if maybe I was in a frame of mind when I read the book that affected my initial response to it. I opened to one page midway through the book and knew immediately that it was everything I believed it to be during my initial reading.
You need to get your hands on this book and, when you do, clear your day because you won't be able to do anything else, no matter the importance. It's that special. This book is rich in content, heartbreaking, uplifting yet real, and a true blessing. I can't imagine I would ever more highly recommend a book.
Again, if this is inappropriate to post here, please feel free to remove.
I will have to look into this. We lost my nephew 5/31/2013, and he has never been found. This book might be good for his dad.
Totally appropriate.
A friend’s nephew was diagnosed Monday with a brain tumor and it’s obviously weighing heavily on them.
Initial diagnoses is that while in an inoperable area, it’s probably treatable.
One of my kids just got diagnosed with a chronic disease. It won’t kill him but it requires some big lifestyle changes and lots of treatment and possible surgery. It’s a big change for all of us.
I will go buy a copy today.
I’ve worked in Critical Care for 20 years. Sadly, I’ve seen this all too often. As a supervisor, I’ve been the person who had to make “the call” far more times than I ever wanted, which is never.
Making “the call” means that for the person on the receiving end of the call, I am the dividing line between life before and life after. I had a lady tell me once that every second of my voice, every word of that call, was etched in her brain forever, replaying in an endless loop.
Thanks for the positive feedback to the post. I was really hesitant but this book is just stunning. If you are skeptical, I encourage you to read the Amazon reviews as well. I think the thing that made it so powerful for me is the author really takes a “both-and” approach to grief. She isn’t someone who just says everything is okay. She has unspeakable grief, yet brilliantly tells of celebrating a good, yet now different, life. She is a phenomenal writer and I am a big reader.
Here is the Publishers Weekly review: “On May 31, 2008, Vaudrey’s 19-year-old daughter Katie was in a fatal car accident. She was home on summer break from Azusa Pacific, where she was studying art, and that particular day she was running late for her waitressing job. Vaudrey and her husband, a pastor at Chicago-area megachurch Willow Creek, rushed to the hospital to find Katie in a coma with a broken neck and severe intracerebral hemorrhaging. Was her accident the result of sloppy teenage driving, or—as Vaudrey saw in a vision—had Katie already been unconscious at the time of the crash from a burst aneurysm? With Katie brain-dead, their large, close-knit family had just 24 hours to say goodbye. This moving debut memoir, richly illustrated with Katie’s own artwork, interweaves medical detail, flashbacks to Katie’s childhood, convincing reconstructions of dialogue, and a brave rendering of the two years following her death. The content is lovingly arranged under color headings and inspirational epigraphs. Grief was often nearly overwhelming, but the whole “horrid-beautiful” time drew Vaudrey closer to God. “Don’t put it off. Don’t avoid. Lean into the pain,” she kept reminding herself. Exquisitely balanced between sadness and joy, this sensitive account of a mother’s loss will leave ripples.”
It has been almost a year since my wife and I lost my stepdaughter (her daughter) to cancer. I may pick up this book. However, I worry that it might exacerbate wounds that we have worked hard to heal (or have learned to ignore).
I’ve known two people who accidentally killed their child. That’s a dark place no one can visit.
Ping, FRiend.