Customer Reviews

The Light at the End of the Tunnel: Coming Back to Life After a Spouse Dies

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I didn't know what else was going into the book along with the chapter I wrote but Mary has managed to pull together an amazing number of true stories with enough variety to speak to a number of reader's experiences.

Loosing a spouse gets 100 points on the stress scale the "Social Readjustment Rating Scale" by Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe and is at the top of that scale in terms of stress impact. Nothing can really save a person from going through the stress of loosing their spouse but knowing that others survived a went on with their lives gives hope in a situation that at times seems hopeless. It can go a long way in helping a surviving spouse to reach that light at the end of the tunnel.


Brenda A. Elliott

Mary Menke has written an amazing book. Recently two of my friends spouses died, so I bought 2 copies. Although both people are friends, neither of them are so close to me that I knew how to talk to them about their loss. By giving them Mary's book, it opened the communication paths between myself and my friends on this difficult delicate subject. One of my friends read it in a day and said she will read it again. Thank you Mary. I can't say I look forward to having a reason to purchase another one :), but if the need arises, I am glad I now know what to do.
Kathy Denton, author of, "The Search of a Lifetime", "Corporate Russian Roulette", and cameo-author of, "Beneath the Big Muddy"

Light at the end of the Tunnel is a great compilation of first person accounts of individuals from various walks of life.

I have read many books, hoping to find some solace. However, this was not one of them. Most of the stories focussed on strong faith and prayer. I'm pleased for them, but that just hasn't been my way. One wants to know (1) you're not crazy and (2) perhaps one day you'll want to continue living. For me, this book didn't help my quest. One of my favorite books is by Joan Didion, "The Year of Magical Thinking."

Grief
by Jerry Fagnani

I write for those
Who dwell in sacred hush,
Kneeling on altars
Of their own exile;
Those who weep
For the wildness in a gentle heart,
And sing a song of longing
For sun dappled paths of light.

I sing for those
Flying further than any dream can reach,
Knowing that the rivers remember
As do the desecrated shadows in the dark;
Forlorn brothers, who,
With wings of ancient wrath,
Ride the raging storms of night
With a love that can't forget.

I walk with those
Who embrace their ravages,
And listen to the wind
For a message from the seasons;
Souls on a withered landscape
And its long, long season of silence;
Except for their hearts
Which gently moan.

A Kinder Bright: Poems of Praise and Remembrance