Surviving - by Gary Sturgis (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

The death of a spouse or close loved one is one of the most devastating experiences an individual suffers. Whether it is sudden or after a prolonged illness, the death and subsequent grief are life-changing. One day you're together, and the next day you're not. You feel like life will never be "normal" again.

Author Gary Sturgis knows first-hand the pain of grief after becoming a widower in his early 50s. He suffered profound sadness along with anger, guilt, loneliness, confusion, and heartache to name just a few. But Gary found his way from grief to healing and is surviving after his loss. You can too.

In his book, Gary shares intimate details of the personal stages he encountered through his grief journey. Along the way, he learned how to continually move forward and honor his loved one by talking about death, handling his emotions, and sharing special stories and experiences. He reveals how he progressed over time from feeling deep anguish to healing from grief to living a life that has joy, happiness, and peace again. Throughout the book, Gary offers you reassuring guidance and comforting advice as you travel through your personal grief journey. He uses his own path to healing as a reference together with lessons learned as a health care professional and volunteer grief counselor helping others.

Review Quotes

Heartfelt, authentic and an excellent description of the grieving process and moving through it. This book really is "a life vest to those who are drowning in their grief." It provides the reader hope in that they do have agency even in the midst of "emotions in a tangled mess". Essential truths are explored in this book: "Grief is hard, but it is not the end"; "Embrace every single feeling"; Balance "Leaning into the pain and breathing"; "By talking about your grief you are helping your heart explain to your brain what has happened." "Grief in our heart is the way of healing the pain of your loss." "Letting go of pain is not letting go of your loved one." "Life after loss is ever changing." This is a book you can read more than once and get something new from it each time. - Rev. Dr. Rosemary MacKay, Cranberry Hospice and Palliative Care