From:  Introduction

 

Finding Grace: journeys of grief, courage and healing was born in moments of personal pilgrimage when I became more available and open to the voice of Grace through the grieving lives of others. I had accepted that I was meant to write another book; I was meant to immerse myself in Grace – open myself to all its possible signs, accept its place in the human heart, and begin conversations about its power and possibilities. I made a commitment to walk into the lives of others, listen to, write and share their stories. I trusted that when I looked up from my writing, I would discover patches of blue – spaces where dark clouds parted and the light and love of Grace flowed into the brokenness of irreversibly altered lives. And as I watched and listened, it happened . . . through faith and mystery, thoughtful reflection and community, ritual and legacy, and always compassion.

 

From:  beyond grief: moving through the paradox 

 

Like Grace, wholeness has no easy definition; it reflects the layers of complexity abundant within the human experience. During my time wrestling within the contradictions of paradox living, wholeness came to the fore because of the dynamic place it holds in the paradox gap. Wholeness, I learned, begins with vulnerability – with surrendering to the fact that we feel damaged. It is not about existing within the fictitious ideal of perfection; instead it involves accepting, indeed authentically embracing our brokenness. Wholeness demands that we open to the whole truth of our lives – its tragedy and comedy, its ugliness and beauty, its drawbacks and possibilities – if we expect to travel our own restorative journey into the fullness of a whole life, into wholeness.