We all handle death and grief differently. And while there are no proven instructions for how to survive the loss of a loved one, in hearing people's personal stories of bereavement, it's possible to discover your own path through the darkness.
In her candid memoir, Given Time to Say Goodbye, author Dianne Leutner lays her pain on the page in a surprisingly hopeful way. As she describes her seven-year journey of loss-suffering through her parents' deaths from cancer, the suicide of her sister-in-law, and the sudden deaths of her father-in-law and another sister-in-law-Leutner freely admits her feelings of frustration and guilt, as well as her relentless sadness. But in her honesty, she offers an insight into what "good grief" looks like and slowly reveals how facing the darkness might be the only way back to the light.
Sometimes all we need is a tiny glimmer of light. Let this book be the beacon for you or anyone you know struggling with death or loss.
About the Author: Dianne Leutner, a Dutch national who now lives in England, knows the depths of grief firsthand after losing both her parents to terminal cancer and two sisters-in-law to sudden death within just a few years. It's no surprise, then, that her first two books focus on the topic of loss.
Her debut book, Remembering, is a children's bereavement book that was nominated at the BMA 2010 Book Awards, remains one of Child Bereavement UK's best-selling books, and is heralded by the British Medical Association.
For fifteen years, Leutner worked in TV and radio production as a script supervisor, director, and producer. The author is passionate about helping others learn how to grieve well so they, too, can fully embrace life.
