Alicia King

Sorry for Your Loss: What People Who Are Grieving Wish You Knew - Good Things to Know Alicia King

I looked for a book like this after my parents died and couldn't find it. When someone is grieving, we want more than ever to comfort them but often don't know what to do. I wanted to gather what helped others, what grief is really like, and what never to say. Why are there 500 guides for housebreaking a puppy, but not one honest guide for what to do when someone dies?

Sorry For Your Loss: What People Who Are Grieving Wish You Knew tells the reader everything they need to know when reaching out to someone after a death. It includes quotes, (many from celebrities), about personal grief experiences. They share what others did that saved them as well as where it all went wrong.

Grief and death can be difficult subjects for many people to talk about. We want to help, but we're terrified of saying the wrong thing. We're worried it will be awkward, or too emotional, so we stay away. This avoidance only causes more pain for the survivors than anything we might have said or done out of nervousness. Sorry For Your Loss: What People Who Are Grieving Wish You Knew shares all the details about the reality of grief that we may not tell our friends.

The book includes a list of the 10 things you should never say to someone who is grieving. If we're honest, most of us will admit to having said at least one of them before. It's not enough to mean well. Until we understand how our words affect the griever, we will continue to cause them pain unintentionally. 

The book takes the reader step-by-step through different ways to help. It allows you to see things from the perspective of those who are grieving. Discover all the ways they were comforted. Read lists of ideas for helping someone when they need you the most. Learn what they're facing as they try and move on, when to step in, and how to support them as they begin to recover. 

It's also a book of hope, sharing stories of people who have overcome unimaginable loss. They tell how the support of others helped them reclaim their lives and adjust to a "new normal". They explain where they found relief and what gave them the strength to go forward. They share ideas for paying tribute to those who have died and how this helped them heal.