Refined by Fire: A Journey of Grief and Grace

“Where is the handbook for widows?” Mary Kenyon lamented as she planned a funeral for the beloved husband whose triumph over cancer she chronicled in Chemo-Therapist: How Cancer Cured a Marriage. During the ensuing weeks, as she attempted to make sense of his untimely death, she filled two journals, blogged, and read the inspirational writings of others who had gone down the road of grief before her—authors like C.S. Lewis and Madeleine L’Engle. She eventually found herself studying grief and bereavement in her quest to unearth answers to alleviating the pain associated with profound loss. In the process, she discovered a strength and emotional reserve she didn’t know she had, along with an evolving faith that helped her face the impending loss of an eight-year-old grandson.

“In the midst of the darkness of loss, I found light. Admittedly, in those first weeks, it might have been but a single small spark I sensed deep inside of me, but that spark guided me in the twisted, dark journey of grief. As I stumbled over the roots of hopelessness and despair, that light grew to illuminate my path, a path I sometimes felt very alone on. At some point in the journey I’d turned around, and there was God.

"That is grace.”

In beautiful prose, touching metaphors and stories, and actual journal entries, Mary Potter Kenyon provides a balm for the grieving soul.

1118175345
Refined by Fire: A Journey of Grief and Grace

“Where is the handbook for widows?” Mary Kenyon lamented as she planned a funeral for the beloved husband whose triumph over cancer she chronicled in Chemo-Therapist: How Cancer Cured a Marriage. During the ensuing weeks, as she attempted to make sense of his untimely death, she filled two journals, blogged, and read the inspirational writings of others who had gone down the road of grief before her—authors like C.S. Lewis and Madeleine L’Engle. She eventually found herself studying grief and bereavement in her quest to unearth answers to alleviating the pain associated with profound loss. In the process, she discovered a strength and emotional reserve she didn’t know she had, along with an evolving faith that helped her face the impending loss of an eight-year-old grandson.

“In the midst of the darkness of loss, I found light. Admittedly, in those first weeks, it might have been but a single small spark I sensed deep inside of me, but that spark guided me in the twisted, dark journey of grief. As I stumbled over the roots of hopelessness and despair, that light grew to illuminate my path, a path I sometimes felt very alone on. At some point in the journey I’d turned around, and there was God.

"That is grace.”

In beautiful prose, touching metaphors and stories, and actual journal entries, Mary Potter Kenyon provides a balm for the grieving soul.

16.95 In Stock
Refined by Fire: A Journey of Grief and Grace

Refined by Fire: A Journey of Grief and Grace

by Mary Potter Kenyon
Refined by Fire: A Journey of Grief and Grace

Refined by Fire: A Journey of Grief and Grace

by Mary Potter Kenyon

Paperback

$16.95 
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Overview

“Where is the handbook for widows?” Mary Kenyon lamented as she planned a funeral for the beloved husband whose triumph over cancer she chronicled in Chemo-Therapist: How Cancer Cured a Marriage. During the ensuing weeks, as she attempted to make sense of his untimely death, she filled two journals, blogged, and read the inspirational writings of others who had gone down the road of grief before her—authors like C.S. Lewis and Madeleine L’Engle. She eventually found herself studying grief and bereavement in her quest to unearth answers to alleviating the pain associated with profound loss. In the process, she discovered a strength and emotional reserve she didn’t know she had, along with an evolving faith that helped her face the impending loss of an eight-year-old grandson.

“In the midst of the darkness of loss, I found light. Admittedly, in those first weeks, it might have been but a single small spark I sensed deep inside of me, but that spark guided me in the twisted, dark journey of grief. As I stumbled over the roots of hopelessness and despair, that light grew to illuminate my path, a path I sometimes felt very alone on. At some point in the journey I’d turned around, and there was God.

"That is grace.”

In beautiful prose, touching metaphors and stories, and actual journal entries, Mary Potter Kenyon provides a balm for the grieving soul.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781939629340
Publisher: Familius
Publication date: 10/21/2014
Pages: 170
Product dimensions: 5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Mary Potter Kenyon works as Program Coordinator for Shalom Spirituality Center and is a public speaker, a workshop presenter, and a writing instructor. Mary is the author of five previous Familius titles, including the award-winning Refined by Fire: A Journey of Grief and Grace, and is widely published in newspapers, magazines, and anthologies, including ten Chicken Soup for the Soul books.

Table of Contents

Foreword xv

Grief at Ten and a Half Weeks xix

Scene of Domestic Bliss 1

Faith of Our Mothers 3

The Muse, the Mother, and Kenny G 5

Making Sense of It All 7

Finding My Way 11

First Holiday 15

Word Study 19

Reading Grief 25

A Study in Grief 29

Glimmers of Hope 35

Driving Miss Mary 43

Grave Decisions 49

Grief at Twenty Weeks 53

Tuesdays With Mary 55

Five Months 59

Be Still 63

With This Ring, I Thee Wed 69

Dream a Little Dream 75

My World Gets Bigger 79

To Heck With the Holidays 83

The First Christmas 87

A New Year, Another Challenge 91

A Season of Illness 97

The Ides of March 101

Still Searching 107

A Cursory Anniversary 109

The Force Be With You 113

Lights Out 121

Grief at Seventeen and a Half Months 127

A Room of One's Own 131

A Force Stronger Than Death 135

Epilogue: December 2013 139

Who Am I … Two Years Out 141

Suggested Resources 145

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