The Alchemy of Loss

Wow! I have just read an inspiring book called The Alchemy of Loss. This is a book that tracks the journey of a Abigail Carter who lost her husband in the September 11th disastor.  This book is such an honest reflection of how grief affects and changes you, it makes you smile, it makes you cry…it makes you remember…..but most of all it gives you hope.

I really enjoyed the book, because it seemed so honest and also it showed that you can grow through your bereavement. I have chosen a couple of quotes from the book which I know many of you will be able to relate to….

Talking about the funeral, Abigail is lost

“I was resolved to celebrate Arron’s life, too, rather than mourn it. I wanted to remember him the way he really was………It was time for Plan B…..There was no books called How to Plan a Celebration of Life. There was very little information on this touchy subject of death at all…I was desperate.”

To the end of the book (if not the journey!)

“I looked at a picture of myself, taken a few months after September 11, looking tired and sad as I held Carter in my lap and tried hard to smile for the camera. I was glad that I no longer had that beaten down look in my eyes and that my smile now came from genuine happiness….That woman was now an ingredient of who I had become.”

To any widow or widower who wants a book that helps them understand their grief, who helps them both come to terms with their bereavement and also inspires hope for the future, then this is a wonderful insight that will make you smile and cry all at the same time.