A life-changing read for everyone who loves a child
“Helping Children Grieve through Sacred Action and Images” by Michelle Ryan is a must read book for all adults, especially those who love and care for children. The profound wisdom expressed in its pages left me feeling both humbled and delighted! I am still in awe of the depth of understanding, clarity, and skill evident in the writing of this book. It is one of those reads that will profoundly change your life.
Most often in an experience of loss, a child does not know how to access and cope with the overwhelming feelings of deep grief. Without support and guidance, they may be lost in the overwhelm of “too big to feel.” In my role as Hospice Chaplain, I have witnessed the damage caused by our societal norm of being unable to grieve fully. I have experienced the devastating pain and struggles of families lost in grief, not knowing a way out, and the toll this takes on our lives. In her book, Ms. Ryan presents a clear understanding of an essential world view that promotes connectivity and congruence. Her conscious application and explanation of this model through the grief process shows a better way.
“Helping Children Grieve” is an essential read for anyone wanting deeper authentic relationships, with themselves as well as those they love and care for. Michelle Ryan shares her deep wisdom, authenticity, and integrity. She shares her experience of grief, and how she healed and grew herself up to become a resource of wisdom in helping children grieve. This book is a well-organized, well written, thorough manual that not only identifies the problem and provides the solution, but gives a clear description of how to implement it in your life through examples from her real-life experience as a special education teacher, and through the transparent stories of how she applied her insights with her own children and grandchildren.
Ms. Ryan explains quite clearly the responsibility of adults to step up and be wisdom holders and guides for what it means to connect with Self in an honest, loving, and honoring way. As we do this for ourselves, we will become available to promote empowerment, self-acceptance, problem solving, and choice in our children. The information in “Helping Children Grieve” can assist all of us in understanding and navigating all of our relationships, but it is absolutely essential for guiding, nurturing, and growing strong, vital and capable children. Reading this book was a breath of fresh air, and an experience in how being present to the moment can change the life of a child. It provides clear directions for how to address and change our current paradigm, thus “making the world a better place” for all of us, and for generations to come. I loved this book! I cannot recommend it highly enough.
- Karen VanLandingham
