The Losses of Our Lives: The Sacred Gifts of Renewal in Everyday Loss

"When we intentionally enter into our everyday walk through small losses, the terrain of larger losses, the valley of the shadow of death, is not totally unknown. It is not completely unfamiliar, alien, terrifying, for we have walked some of this way before with our lesser losses. We can journey through this valley of loss, for journey through it we must. And we can emerge markedly changed, but alive, on the other side."
--from the Prologue

Find hope and renewal in life's natural cycle of ordinary losses and new beginnings.

Going beyond loss as a problem to be resolved, a grief to be worked through, Dr. Nancy Copeland-Payton, a spiritual director and ordained clergywoman, reframes loss from the perspective that our everyday losses help us learn what we need to handle the major losses. Weaving in spiritual and classical themes, personal and scriptural story, Dr. Copeland-Payton shows us that by becoming aware of what our lesser losses have to teach us, the larger losses of our lives become less terrifying. Each chapter includes a spiritual practice and questions for reflection to help you:
* Mine the hidden depths of painful losses of things and places.
* Traverse the devastating loss of relationships and the heart-wrenching death of people we love.
* Overcome the steep, dark slopes of loss of beliefs and faith.
* Venture past our fear of the losses of aging and our own death.
"Capture[s] beautifully the paradox that the losses of our lives can become our gains. By weaving story, experience and faith ... shows how our deepest hurts may be the soil that nurtures the seeds of our transformation."
--Sr. Clarissa Goeckner, prioress, Monastery of St. Gertrude, Cottonwood, Idaho
"Walks us step by step through the stages of life ... helping us delve deeper into the meaning of gift and loss-- inconsequential or catastrophic--when they are considered together."
--Terry Taylor, author, A Spirituality for Brokenness: Discovering Your Deepest Self in Difficult Times
"An extraordinary and wise guide in the treacherous terrain of loss."
--Rabbi Dayle A. Friedman, author, Jewish Visions for Aging: A Professional Guide for Fostering Wholeness
"Offers a way to reflect on loss that is integrative and practical. Invites the reader on a journey of depth and care."
--Mary C. Earle, author, Days of Grace: Meditations and Practices for Living with Illness