Books!

Austin had a positive outlook on life.  If he was here, he'd want me to pick myself up and he'd say, "Come on old man, lets get going!".  I'm not sure he would know how hard actually is to get going after something like this, but one part of getting going is reading books on grief. It's a special section that you don't read unless you're confronted with this challenge. Nevertheless, these are good reading for everyone.

We all know that we will face some challenge one day. It may be a long way away or maybe soon. Ultimately, the Bible is my primary source of truth. There is much to be learned from Job, Joseph, and many others. In addition, here are a few books that I've been in my path. I'm not gonna post full review here, but I'm happy to share my views with you if you ask.

A Grace Disguised, by Jerry Sittser
A sober look at grief.

Through the Eyes of a Lion, Levi Lysol
A difficult journey of loss, but uplifting approach to dealing with grief.

Room of Marvels, James Bryan Smith (fiction)
A view of heaven written by someone who experienced losses over multiple years.
​
Holding onto Hope, Nancy Guthrie
(not read yet, but Suzanne has enjoyed)

Let Me Grieve, But Not Forever, Verdejo Davis
(a very helpful book, but not quite finished yet)

I'm sure I'll add more....

Even with this list of books, I choose to not just read book after book after book. Even just a handful of these books listed have much of the truth I need to move forward. I need to remember that God's word has all the teaching I need. I need to ask myself, am I satisfied with God's answer alone? Am I looking for a better answer that in the end really won't satisfy? The more books I read, the more color in insight I have, but it doesn't necessarily add to the truth.