It’s difficult to know how to help, some people prefer to be alone and others prefer company. Know that if someone is struggling to cope and can’t afford private counselling, they can receive free grief counselling from Cruse. Also read on how to cope with companion animals die. And of greener burial services.
Love and Grief is an easy-to-read illustrated guide for anyone who is struggling to cope after loss. This practical, comforting and inspirational guide reminds us that each grief journey is different. Know the necessary changes you must make, and also know what you cannot control, but still take back power when life creates circumstances, when you feel powerless. This book helps to soften the pain by rememering them with love, accessing gratitude alongside grief and honouring legacy, to maintain a lifelong connection. There is no wrong or right way to ride grief. The author (a certified grief counsellor) lost her husband at a young age so has travelled the same journey as the reader.
Grieving Room is a book by an ordained minister and grief educator. Only when her own sister died from cancer did she realised what grieving people don’t need, and what they do. Room for imperfect goodbyes and room for a changing faith, room for regret and to rage at the world. Room for hard holidays and to never ‘get over it’. In a world that wants to rush towards ‘closure and healing’, this book gives permission to let loss linger.
a simple exploraton of grief & death for children
Bird is Dead is an honest simple exploration of death and grief for children. With illustrations by a therapist-turned-artist, this uses gentle words and images to make death an approachable topic.
Bird is dead. Yesterday he was alive. How do the other birds know? On your back + feet up = dead. Some of the birds cry a little. And that’s alright. Crying together can be nice. When it’s time to give Bird a funeral, they reminisce about him, and then have tea with worms (or cake, if you don’t like worms).
In a simple but warm way, this picture book of collaged birds can help discussions with children about what happens when someone (or an animal dies), how to understand feelings of grief and how people experience loss differently, and have a variety of emotions, when something tragic happens. This sensitive book offers space for children and adults to talk about death.