Then one day something occurred that caused the girl to take her heart and put it in a safe place.However, after that it seemed that more things were empty than before. Would she know when and how to get her heart back?

    Things are good or bad. Anything in between is confusing. That’s the stuff Caitlin’s older brother, Devon, has always explained. But now Devon’s dead and Dad is no help at all. Caitlin wants to get over it, but as an eleven-year-old girl with Asperger’s, she doesn’t know how. When she reads the definition of closure, she realizes that is what she needs. In her search for it, Caitlin discovers that not everything is black and white—the world is full of colors—messy and beautiful.Kathryn Erskine has written a must-read gem, one of the most moving novels of the year.

    “You’ll do,” Frog says, and together they play Country Frog games. In summer, they meet again and play City Dog games. Through the seasons, whenever City Dog visits the country he runs straight for Country Frog’s rock. In winter, things change for City Dog and Country Frog. Come spring, friendship blooms again, a little different this time.Mo Willems’ spare, poignant text and Jon J. Muth’s expressive watercolors team up to tell a story that will resonate with readers of all ages.

    In other words, perfect." - The Huffington PostAn amusing and captivating tale that's a delightful primer for laughing at the inevitable: If you're a dinosaur, all of your friends are dead. If you're a pirate, all of your friends have scurvy. If you're a tree, all of your friends are end tables. Each page of this laugh-out-loud, illustrated humor book showcases the downside of being everything from a clown to a cassette tape to a zombie. Cute and dark all at once, this hilarious children's book for adults teaches valuable lessons about life.From the sock whose only friends have gone missing to the houseplant whose friends are being slowly killed by irresponsible plant owners (like you), All My Friends Are Dead presents hilariously entertaining stories about life and existential predicaments.The simple yet effective imagery, the personification of inanimate objects, and short, hilarious quips come together to create an amusing adventure through each character's unique grievance and wide-eyed dilemmas.Written by Avery Monsen, an actor, artist, and writer and Jory John, a writer, editor, and journalist. They are friends, and neither is dead. Yet.All My Friends Are Dead is both the saddest funny book and the funniest sad book you'll ever read.Children's book written for adults Displayed in an accessible cartoon form

    This emotionally charged novel explores loss, love, renewal, and the ways in which these complex bonds within families and between friends are tested at life's most challenging moments. Elowyn Eden and Kassey Messechek are best friends. They share every aspect of their lives. But one thing Elowyn has not yet shared with Kassey is that she checked the organ donor box on her newly acquired driver's license. Kassey only learns of this in a startling and devastating way--when Elowyn's life-giving donor wishes are about to be honored. Arabeth St. Clair has not had the luck to have a best friend. Due to her diseased heart, she's led a sheltered life. When Arabeth is sixteen, she and her mother receive the call that will change their lives--but they don't know to whom they should be forever grateful. When the worlds of these three girls and their families intersect, lives are changed in ways never imagined. Most especially, it is Kassey who sees things differently, for she can keep alive the memory of her dear friend by sharing the renewed life of another teenage girl, while helping to ease the pain of the two families involved and coming to terms with her own.

    "You've been reborn a devil. Now you work for me!" Issei's uproarious life as a devil's minion begins here!

    Left in the afterlife, reflecting on what she could have done differently, Eagan's still-beating heart is given to Amelia who has been waiting patiently for a transplant. When their thought, feelings, and dreams begin to mysteriously overlap, Amelia knows she must search for Eagan's family and find a way to give them all the closure they need move on.Praise for In a Heartbeat:"[A] dramatic story of loss and second chances. . . a highly satisfying read." -Booklist"Readers will likely come away teary-eyed and inspired." -Publishers Weekly

    She is taken in by her aunt, and soon finds out who is really riding for her and who is just around because they fear the wrath of Aunt Ruby. Making a deal with the devil doesn't seem all that bad when you're sitting on top of the world, with endless amounts of money and designer everything, but it's not long before her beloved Aunt Ruby is snatched away from her. Mecca is forced to fend for herself. She learns to play with the hand she was dealt, but who will be left standing in the end? In Mecca's world, everyone is suspect, and no one can be trusted, not even family. When the truth is revealed to her, it is up to Mecca to decide if she'll do the right thing and lead a life of righteousness, or continue to walk down the same dark path as her aunt.

    Caught up in a game of fast money, faster women, and a hustler's dream, Rasheed's secrets and lies threaten to completely sever his alliance with his baby's mother Michelle. Trapped in an emotional whirlwind of sex, love, and mistrust, Michelle attempts to hold the threads of their lives together. With the passing of each day their bond unravels further forcing Michelle closer to confronting the reality which is her life or suffering in silence. A cautionary tale for all "Baby Mommas" filled with tragedy,irony,violence and betrayal.

    Despite the difficulties of a new school, a new church, and a new neighborhood, Serenity gains strength from the family around her, the new friends she finds, and her own careful optimism. Debut author Renée Watson's talent shines in this powerful and ultimately uplifting novel.

    The first is “visions.” As the dying lose sight of this world, some people appear to be looking into the world to come.     The second shared experience is getting ready for a “trip.” The phenomenon of preparing oneself for a journey isn’t new or unusual. In fact, during our loved ones’ last hours, they may often think of their impending death as a transition or journey. These trips may seem to us to be all about leaving, but for the dying, they may be more about arriving.     Finally, the third phenomenon is “crowded rooms.” The dying often talk about seeing a room full of people, as they constantly repeat the word crowded. In truth, we never die alone. Just as loving hands greeted us when we were born, so will loving arms embrace us when we die.     In the tapestry of life and death, we may begin to see connections to the past that we missed in life. While death may look like a loss to the living, the last hours of a dying person may be filled with fullness rather than emptiness. In this fascinating book, which includes a new Afterword, Kessler brings us stunning stories from the bedsides of the dying that will educate, enlighten, and comfort us all.

    Through her own stories and those of medical professionals and hospice workers, Harris brings readers with her on the search for God, forgiveness, faith, repentance, and ultimate acceptance and peace. The perfect gift for someone who has experienced the death of a loved one, More Glimpses of Heaven will bring peace and comfort to all who read it.

    Mosely is a special dog. Not just because he's so big (he's part Great Dane.) Not just because he's all white (with one black spot under his eye and a heart shaped splotch on his chest.) Not just because he's clumsy, or because of tricks (he only knows one, and it's not very good.) He's special because he seems to know exactly what everyone in Corey's family needs, even when they don't know themselves. This is the story of Mr. Mosely, from his puppyhood to the last time he curls up on the back porch. It's the story of how sometimes a dog isn't "just a dog". Sometimes he's the glue the holds a whole family together.

    There are two times most people turn to it: for love and loss. The Art of Losing will be the first anthology of its kind, delivering poetry with a purpose. Editor Kevin Young has introduced and selected 150 devastatingly beautiful poems that embrace the pain and heartbreak of mourning. Divided into five sections (Reckoning, Remembrance, Rituals, Recovery, and Redemption), with poems by some of our most beloved poets as well as the best of the current generation of poets, The Art of Losing is the ideal a gift for a loved one in a time of need and for use by ministers, rabbis, and palliative care workers who tend to those who are experiencing loss. Among the poets included: Elizabeth Alexander, W.H. Auden, Amy Clampitt, Billy Collins, Emily Dickinson, Louise Gluck, Ted Hughes, Galway Kinnell, Kenneth Koch, Philip Larkin, Li-Young Lee, Philip Levine, Marianne Moore, Sharon Olds Mary Oliver, Robert Pinsky, Adrienne Rich, Theodore Roethke, Anne Sexton, Wallace Stevens, Dylan Thomas, Derek Walcott, and James Wright.

    Now she tells her own gripping story-the unbelievable motive for the murder, the shocking identity of the accused, and her own nine-year battle to bring her son's killers to justice.

    The victim of the crash is thrown into a coma and Jay keeps vigil by her side. As their lives, past and present intertwine; a story of love through time unfolds. An intricate drama including adoption, love, suspense, and plenty of questions, Someone Always Loved You is a novel that keeps the mind churning and the soul alive.

    Cashmere, brings you this dark street tale. Follow the highs and lows of Cha, Goldie, and Red, who come together for fun, laughs, and sometimes treachery in Long Beach, California. For these three ladies, survival was always about getting over by using lies, deceit, and sex. But when a plan goes dangerously wrong, Cha and Goldie take a step back out of the life. Cha desperately wants to rid herself of the demons of her past so she can at least feel normal enough to raise her son, Omari. Goldie ain't feeling the hood life anymore. She's tired of going from man to man, and knows her parents are rolling over in their graves at the life she chose for herself. Red craves the streets, and will cross anyone, friends included, to get what she wants. She steps deeper in the game, making her dirtier than she already is--so dirty that she will betray both Cha and Goldie, leading to horrifying consequences. Dirty to the Grave goes harder than Karen Williams has ever gone, with an explosive ending that will shock you and make you wonder: Are your friends really your friends? They say life is hard from the cradle to the grave, and once you think people can't get any dirtier, they do!

    Her home brims with plants and blossoms, and on hot days, she waters her granddaughter, her “most special flower of all,” with the garden hose. But a day comes when Grandma is no longer there to care for the little girl, who feels sad and small and alone until she remembers all that her grandmother taught her — and all that she now has to teach. Full of light and life and the solace of green growing things, this moving and beautifully illustrated picture book explores a timeless bond with warmth and joy.

    As he tries to hold his crazy father and their crumbling home together, Jason relies on a host of imaginary friends for guidance as he stumbles along trying not to draw attention to his father’s deteriorating condition.Both heartbreaking and funny, Crazy lives up to the intense and compelling characters Han Nolan is praised for. As Jason himself teeters on the edge of insanity, Nolan uncovers the clever coping system he develops for himself and throws him a lifeline in the guise of friendship.

    He wants to have an attachment to the bear family he finds, but is afraid his "bear" mother and "bear" brother and sister will leave him too. This causes him to act out his fears inways that jeopardize acceptance from his adopted family. However, with the understanding and help of Mother Bear, Porcupette finally accepts that he is truly loved and wanted despite, or maybe because of, his differences.

    When he and his wife lost their adored little girl, his trust in God turned to bitter anger. As he and his wife struggled to save their marriage and his faith, they discovered that home is more than just rooms and a roof. Home is a place where people are sometimes wounded or betrayed. Home is also where God is strong in the broken places. Woodlief takes readers through his house, room by room, showing that home is: • Where we cry out to God as we seek him in the small things • Where the sacred and the mundane meet • The place that makes us better than we could ever be on our own • More than the place where we eat and sleep…it is where we learn grace Woodlief’s heart-touching stories leavened with humor will appeal to a wide audience, especially those trying to reconcile the idea of a loving God in a broken world.

    On that Sunday morning, however, a blast in the 16th Street Baptist Church ripped through the exterior wall and claimed the lives of four girls. The church was the ideal target for segregationists, as it was the rallying place for Birmingham's African American community, Martin Luther King, Jr., using it as his ''headquarters'' when he was in town to further the cause of desegregation and equal rights. Rather than triggering paralyzing fear, the bombing was the definitive act that guaranteed passage of the landmark 1964 civil rights legislation. Birmingham Sunday centers on this fateful day and places it in historical context.Book Details: Format: Hardcover Publication Date: 2/1/2010 Pages: 48 Reading Level: Age 10 and Up

    Through various stages in this journey of initiation, we grow to understand the causes of our suffering and how to free ourselves from the pain and drama of our unhealed emotions. Life itself invites us to be initiated through many means—the possibility of love, the loss of a parent or friend, the birth of a child, or a serious health crisis. True initiation is empowered by facing personal challenges and experiencing the spiritual rebirth—or illumination—that follows.Unifying this book is the sacred process of transforming toxic emotions into sources of power and grace. Illumination shows us how to bid a joyful goodbye to the people and places we have met, discovering a sacred space where the spirit inhabits, uniting the body and soul. When we learn to let go from difficult situations and problems, to accept our lives as they are, we can begin to identify with a self that is eternal.Recounting his own experiences, tracing the mythologies of an array of cultures, and expanding his inquiry into the field of neurobiology, Alberto Villoldo shows readers how they can benefit from these sacred practices.

    When something pops into her head, she wants it. Now! Right this minute! Her grandma’s just the same and they get along like a house on fire. One day Grandma falls ill and loses her control over words. The grown-ups don’t seem to understand her, but Maia never loses sight of her strong, wonderful grandma and knows exactly what she means. A beautiful and accessible book about the enduring relationship between a grandmother and her granddaughter in the face of illness and aging.

    In the wake of this tragedy, the community of the small, idyllic liberal arts college struggled to characterize the incident, which was even called "the events of October" in a campus memo. In this engaging and intimate examination of Maggie and Neenef's deaths, author and Kalamazoo College professor Gail Griffin attempts to answer the lingering question of "how could this happen?" to two seemingly normal students on such a close-knit campus. Griffin introduces readers to Maggie and Neenef--a bright and athletic local girl and the quiet Iraqi-American computer student--and retraces their relationship from multiple perspectives, including those of their friends, teachers, and classmates. She examines the tension that built between Maggie and Neenef as his demands for more of her time and emotional support grew, eventually leading to their breakup. After the deaths take place, Griffin presents multiple reactions, including those of Maggie's friends who were waiting for her to return from Neenef's room, the students who heard the shotgun blasts in the hallway of Neenef's dorm, the president who struggled to guide a grieving campus, and the facilities manager in charge of cleaning up the crime scene. Griffin also uses Maggie and Neenef's story to explore larger issues of intimate partner violence, gun accessibility, and depression and suicide on campus as she attempts to understand the lasting importance of their tragic deaths. Griffin's use of source material, including college documents, official police reports, Neenef's suicide note, and an instant message record between perpetrator and victim, puts a very real face on issues of violence against women. Readers interested in true crime, gender studies, and the culture of colleges and universities will appreciate "The Events of October."

    As civilization collapses in a spectacular orgy of brain-eating destruction, overweight comic shop owner Mort Lesser must make his way out of his hometown of DuChamp before the local nuclear power plant goes critical. It's no fun being fat when the streets are overrun by hordes of flesh-eating deadheads, but with the help of some new friends-- foul-mouthed redneck Pete Bolin and sexy stunt car driver Zhao Dao-ming-- Mort just might make it out of the city in one piece.Meanwhile, strange creatures stalk the inheritors of this blighted world. Are they mankind's saviors, as their angelic appearances suggest, or something far more sinister?Both a post-apocalyptic buddy comedy and an extremely violent survival horror novel, Mort is one of the most unique and original zombie novels you'll ever read! For mature readers only!

    Set in southern Los Angeles (which makes for a terrifying sequence as blind Rachel and ailing Lars are trapped in their home without power during the 1992 Rodney King riots), backgrounds and props are lovingly detailed: these objects serve as memory triggers for Lars and Rachel, even as they eventually overwhelm them and their home, which the couple is loathe to leave. Special Exits is laid out in an eight-panel grid, which creates a leisurely storytelling pace that not only helps to convey the slow, inexorable decline in Lars' and Rachel's health, but perfectly captures the timbre of the exchanges between a long-married couple: the affectionate bickering; their gallows humor; their querulousness as their bodies break down.Though Lars and Rachel are the protagonists of Special Exits, Farmer makes her voice known through creative visual metaphors and in her indictment of the careless treatment of the elderly in nursing homes. Special Exits gracefully deals with the hard reality of caring for aging loved ones: those who are or who have been in similar situations might find comfort in it, and those who haven't will find much to admire in the bravery and good humor of Lars and Rachel. Joyce Farmer, best known for co-creating the Tits 'n Clits comics anthology in the 1970s, a feminist response to the rampant misogyny in underground comix, spent 11 years crafting Special Exits, a graphic memoir in the vein of Alison Bechdel's Fun Home or Harvey Pekar, Joyce Brabner, and Frank Stack's Our Cancer Year, about caring for her dying father and stepmother.

    People are living longer than ever, and medicine has made dying more complicated, more drawn out and more removed from the experience of most people. Death is partitioned off to hospital rooms, separated from our daily lives. Most of us find ourselves at a loss when death approaches. We don't know how to die well. Rob Moll recovers the deeply Christian practice of dying well. For centuries Christians have prepared for the "good death" with particular rituals and spiritual disciplines that have directed the actions of both the living and the dying. In this well-researched and pastorally sensitive book, Moll provides insight into death and dying issues with in-person reporting and interviews with hospice workers, doctors, nurses, bioethicists, family members and spiritual caregivers. He weighs in on bioethical and medical issues and gives guidance for those who care for the dying as well as for those who grieve. This book is a gentle companion for all who face death, whether one's own or that of a loved one. Christians can have confidence that because death is not the end, preparing to die helps us truly live.

    This picture book is written for children ages 3 to 8, but can be enjoyed and appreciated by all ages. It helps children understand chemotherapy and how cancer and hair loss are not their fault. It is a story about fear and sadness, being silly and wearing crazy hats, and loving those who look different. This is a must buy for consumer and family library collections. It is a positive tool to guide conversations with children, giving them hope, comfort, and a better understanding of cancer treatments. Nancy O'Brien, Iowa Health Des Moines, Des Moines IA --CAPHIS/Consumer Connection (Medical Library Association Periodical)

    They drive for hours from all across Texas and beyond, sometimes for just a short weekend of wilderness. They bring everything needed for camping, boating, hiking, birding, and backpacking stuffed into or strapped to their vehicles. Most importantly, this loyal group of visitors brings a strong sense of caring and respect for the park.Most visitors to Big Bend National Park enjoy a wonderful, incident-free vacation and return home with great photos, thrilling memories, and stories of excitement and adventure. But accidents, even catastrophes, can happen. For a rare few Park visitors, a simple mistake, a lack of adequate preparation, or just plain hard luck has lead to deadly or near deadly outcomes. Heat stroke, dehydration, hypothermia, drowning, falls, lightning, and even murder have claimed victims at Big Bend. This book chronicles selected serious injuries, dramatic rescues, and tragic fatalities that have occurred in the Park since the early 1980s.Death In Big Bend contains useful information that could one day save your life.

    In this essential guide, the acclaimed expert on the now aging Baby Boomer generation outlines nine crucial steps for effective, successful family caregiving, turning chaos into confidence during this most crucial of life stages.

    Presents a story of a magical love affair and all-consuming grief, of being a mother alone and trying to live for the future.

    Each offers Lennie something she desperately needs... though she knows if the two of them collide her whole world will explode.Join Lennie on this heartbreaking and hilarious journey of profound sorrow and mad love, as she makes colossal mistakes and colossal discoveries, as she traipses through band rooms and forest bedrooms and ultimately right into your heart.As much a celebration of love as a poignant portrait of loss, Lennie's struggle to sort her own melody out of the noise around her is always honest, often uproarious, and absolutely unforgettable.

    When a mysterious creature begins terrorizing their village and killing its livestock, the two volunteer to venture out into the woods and kill it. The beast is slain, but only the younger brother comes back.A week later the narrator's brother walks out of the woods. But how can it be his brother, when his brother is dead?He should know.He killed his brother.(taken from TVTropes.com)

    Saving Henry is a memoir of the author's struggle to save the life of her son Henry, who suffered from a rare childhood illness. Henry was born with a heart condition that was operable, but which proved to be a precursor for a rare, almost-always fatal illness: Fanconi anemia.  Laurie, Henry's mom, decided to do everything in her power to fight the course of the disease. She and her husband signed on for a brand new procedure called PGD that, through in vitro fertilization combined with genetic testing, was supposed to be able to produce a new baby who was a carrier of the gene, but who would not become ill with it. The stem cells from the umbilical cord could then be implanted into Henry's body and ultimately save him. As Laurie puts it, "I believe in love and science, nothing more and nothing less."Laurie and her husband had a second child who was healthy but not an FA carrier, and then went through nine failed courses of PGD before they had to give up. Meanwhile, the feisty little boy who loved Batman, Cal Ripken, and root beer-flavored anesthesia captivated everyone who came in contact with him, from New York City to Minneapolis, with his spunk and "never give up" attitude.   Henry was the little kid who, when the nurses came to take blood samples, brandished his Harry Potter sword and said, "Bring it on!" and when he lost his hair after a chemo treatment, he declared, "Hey, I look like Michael Jordan!" Laurie became a lobbyist for stem cell research, testifying before Congress, written up by Lisa Belkin in the New York Times and other media, and appearing on Nightline to discuss Henry's case and the importance of the research. Throughout it all, Henry's courage and bravery were a source of inspiration for the many nurses, doctors, friends and family who interacted with him-- and he has saved many lives through his participation in groundbreaking research. This is the moving and incredibly inspiring story of this family's search for a cure, and the impact their amazing son had on the lives of so many.

    First, there is the illness itself, with its often debilitating symptoms. But then there is the more insidious injury made by society, stigmatization. In a voice remarkably clear, eloquent, and calm, Gruchow shows us why he came to regard the mentally ill as “his heroes.”www.letterstoayoungmadman.com

    This compilation of over 125 photographs documents images from photography's earliest era (1840s) up to the present. The historic images are classic representations of American and European memorial cultural traditions. The modern photographs document contemporary practices of bereavement and memorialization. Case Bound Format: 6 x 6 3/4 in 136 pages, 130 Illustrations In four color

    He's played football everywhere they've lived and honed his skills on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro. Now they are settling back at home in England. Then at a 'community' day at his favourite football team, Hatton Rovers, Nat's talent is spotted by the club's scout.

    In this bindup of If You Come Softly and Behind You, Jacqueline Woodson has created two heartbreaking, interconnected tales that beautifully capture the undying power of first love. Sometimes, love outlives us.Miah is black and Ellie is white. But that doesn't matter to them. All they want is to be together. But then, on a tragic evening, Ellie and Miah are separated forever. Now each is trying to figure out how to move on--without the other."Woodson handles delicate, even explosive subject matter with exceptional clarity, surety, and depth."--Publishers Weekly, starred review of If You Come Softly"Love and sadness permeate the pages of this brief, beautifully written novel, but there is a feeling of hope at the end."--KLIATT on Behind You"Woodson writes with impressive poetry about race, love, death, and what grief feels like--the things that 'snap the heart'--and her characters' open strength and wary optimism resonate."--Booklist on Behind You

    It is not simply that they see the big picture; if you spend long enough with them, they help you see it too.'What really happens when someone hears the words, 'You have cancer?' What has preceded it and what comes after? Written with great compassion and honesty, this is a rare view from the other side of the desk. Oncologist Ranjana Srivastava reflects on the very human side of the medical profession – the moral dilemmas, the anxieties, the empathy – and shows us that the best doctors are the ones who keep learning by listening to their patients.This book is much more than an oncologist's diary; it is an acknowledgement of the incredible courage of ordinary people as they confront the big issues of life and death.

    But she did. Not only that, but she also came face-to-face with the strong possibility that she and her two precious daughters were also living on borrowed time. In everyone's life, rain falls. And often times that rain was never in the televised forecast. There was no warning and no time to prepare for the downpour or the resulting flood. Of course, it is not natural rain that is being spoken of. In this case, 'rain' metaphorically represents the tribulations that often blindside and befall even the strongest of Christians. And when the storms come, there are two choices: we can stand up and live or lie down and die. The question is...which will you choose?

    Beyond inspiring."-Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence"This beautiful book is unlike any other personal account of living with Alzheimer's disease that I have ever read . . . it offers patients and families practical insights into how they can live their lives more fully amidst the heartbreak of a mind-robbing illness."- Paul Raia, Director of Patient Care and Family Support, Alzheimer's Association, Massachusetts Chapter"A story of courage, love, and growing wisdom in the face of Alzheimer's."-Joseph Goldstein, author of One Dharma, Founder / Director of Insight Meditation SocietyIn this profound and courageous memoir, Olivia Ames Hoblitzelle describes how her husband's Alzheimer's diagnosis at the age of seventy-two challenged them to live the spiritual teachings they had embraced during the course of their life together. Following a midlife career shift, Harrison Hobliztelle, or Hob as he was called, a former professor of comparative literature at Barnard, Columbia, and Brandeis University, became a family therapist and was ordained a Dharmacharya (senior teacher) by Thich Nhat Hanh. Hob comes to life in these pages as an incredibly funny and brilliant man who never stopped enjoying a good philosophical conversation-even as his mind, quite literally, slipped away from him. And yet when they first heard the diagnosis, Olivia and Hob's initial reaction was to cling desperately to the life they had had. But everything had changed, and they knew that the only answer was to greet this last phase of Hob's life consciously and lovingly.Ten Thousand Joys & Ten Thousand Sorrows provides a wise and compassionate vision for maintaining hope and grace in the face of life's greatest challenges.(This memoir was originally self-published as The Majesty of Your Loving.)

    Unfortunately, these fields tend to function in isolation from each other. The result is a substantial disconnect between grief research, theory, and care?which has evolved greatly over the last two decades?and ministerial practice. Using a metaphor of grief as a mosaic, Melissa Kelley presents contemporary grief theory and research, integrated with important theological, religious, and ministerial perspectives. Written in an accessible way for ministers, ministers-in-training, and all pastoral and spiritual caregivers, this book provides the most up-to-date theory and research in grief to help inform their care of others. Through exploration of critical topics including attachment to God, meaning making, and religious coping in grief, readers are brought right to the heart of a contemporary understanding of grief.

    But when an ice cream truck starts making the rounds of his neighborhood, Trey can no longer tell reality from his delusions.Closet Treats explores the blurred lines between psychosis and reality, asking the question: do monsters exist outside the mind?

    Unseen, a mysterious guardian dwells deep beneath the house. As the run-down mansion repairs itself, Kellyn is plagued by nightmares – windows into other dimensions that are as confusing as they are frightening. Not sure what is real or imagined, Kellyn turns to her new friends for help. When they realize that their dreams are connected, they are determined to find the truth behind the unbelievable coincidence. But the presence at Shadow Ley has something more diabolical in mind. And the friends must unravel the secrets before the insane entity takes more lives, beginning with theirs.

    The Exorcist's Handbook approaches the subject of exorcism in clear, practical, and non-religious terms--with a generous serving of humor. It covers all issues that are important to an exorcist, including various methods of exorcism, death work, the removal of curses, the types of beings an exorcist could possibly encounter, methods of protection, and self maintenance advice for the exorcist.

    The Legacy of Beezer and Boomer describes Doug Koktavy’s own journey through anticipatory grief when his beloved dogs were dying. During this time, he was engulfed with fear, guilt and hopelessness, but found strength and powerful solutions when he began to listen to his wise dogs. The award-winning book illustrates how we can learn to stay present, cope with emotions, and ultimately find peace in the most difficult situations.

    The play's the thing. Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king! Denmark is in turmoil. The palace is seething with treachery, suspicion and intrigue. On a mission to avenge his father's murder, Prince Hamlet tries to claw free of the moral decay all around him. But in the ever-deepening nest of plots, of plays within plays, nothing is what it seems. Doubt and betrayal torment the Prince until he is propelled into a spiral of unstoppable violence. In this sumptuous staging of Shakespeare's enigmatic play on the page, Nicki Greenberg has created an extraordinary visual feast that sweeps up all in its path as the drama intensifies both on stage and off. An astounding work - unique, gripping and, as ever, tragic.

    One summer day, she visits the woods with her mother and father. While her parents prepare the picnic, she seeks out buttercups and daisies for a flower necklace. As she does so, a wish forms in her mind--and to her surprise, a silver-haired woman appears, ready to grant it. Carol Ann Duffy's story of a girl's journey through life, and the desires that shape it, will speak to everyone who wonders about the mysteries that lie at the heart of human experience.

    Adapted from the journal she kept through the experience of her horrendous loss, this book is a roadmap for parents who have lost children, as well as for those who are on the sidelines, watching the agony of someone they care about and not knowing what to do or how to help. Terri Ann's ability to put emotions and experiences into words that everyone can understand and relate to can shine as a beacon of hope and understanding during a time of excruciating pain.

    His sanctity took 120 years to become officially recognized, but between his death in 1889 and his canonization in 2009--amid creeping secularization and suspicion of the missionary spirit he so much embodied--Fr. Damien De Veuster never faded from the world's memory. What kept him there? What keeps him there now?To find an answer, Belgian historian and journalist Jan De Volder sifted through Father Damien's personal correspondence as well as the Vatican archives. With careful and even-handed expertise, De Volder follows Father Damien's transformation from the stout, somewhat haughty missionary of his youth, bounding from Europe to Hawaii and straight into seemingly tireless priestly work, to the humble and loving shepherd of souls who eventually succumbed to the same disease that ravaged his flock.De Volder finds that--as spiritual father, caretaker, teacher, and advocate--Father Damien accomplished many heroic feats for these poor outcasts. Yet the greatest gift he gave them was their transformation from a disordered, lawless throng exiled in desperate anarchy into a living community built on Jesus Christ, a community in which they learned to care for one another.Every generation seems to have its own image of this world-famous priest. Already during his life on Molokai and at his death in 1889, many considered him a holy man. Even today, in the highly secularized Western world, he is widely admired. In 2005 his native Belgium honored him with the title the greatest Belgian in polling conducted by their public broadcasting service. Statues honor his memory in the National Statuary Hall of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., and at the entrance to the Hawaiian State Capitol in Honolulu. In 1995, in the presence of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Pope John Paul II beatified him in Brussels, Belgium; and in 2009 Pope Benedict XVI canonized him in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Today Father Damien is the unofficial patron of outcasts and those afflicted with HIV/AIDS. Illustrated with many photos . De Volder contends that the common thread running through the saint's life, the spirit of Father Damien that so speaks to the world, is at once uniquely Christian, fully human, and as important today as ever before.

    "People think that because I am against the death penalty and don't think people should be executed, that I forgive those people for what they did. Well, it isn't my place to forgive people, and if it were, I probably wouldn't. I'm a judgmental and not very forgiving guy. Just ask my wife."It this spellbinding true crime narrative, Dow takes us inside of prisons, inside the complicated minds of judges, inside execution-administration chambers, into the lives of death row inmates (some shown to be innocent, others not) and even into his own home--where the toll of working on these gnarled and difficult cases is perhaps inevitably paid. He sheds insight onto unexpected phenomena-- how even religious lawyer and justices can evince deep rooted support for putting criminals to death-- and makes palpable the suspense that clings to every word and action when human lives hang in the balance.

    His resourcefulness, industry, and good fortune contribute to creating a future -- but so does a mysterious "guardian angel". This is a "quietly wonderful" (Clair Higgins, "Queer Bent for the Tudor Gent") story about young Arthur Silver, his mentor Ralph Jonas who teaches him to create spectacular gardens, and the mysterious woman who made his new life possible. Heartwarming and inspirational.

    The first novel in the Gothic Memoirs series.

    Dying with Confidence reads like a remarkable how-to guide, laying out in clear and straightforward language the preparations we must make and the best practices to use while dying to further our goal of enlightenment.

    It traces the history and development of the cult of relics, from its beginnings in late Roman funerary practices to its rise in both the Byzantine East and the West.From tomb to altar. The religion of relics in late antiquity and Byzantium / Derek Krueger --Relics and their veneration / Arnold Angenendt --Catalogue 1-35 --Gathering the saints. Sacred things and holy bodies : collecting relics from late antiquity to the early Renaissance / Holger A. Klein --"Non est in toto sanctior orbe locus" : collecting relics in early medieval Rome / Guido Cornini --Catalogue 36-54 --Ritual and performance. Relics, liturgical space, and the theology of the church / Éric Palazzo --From altar to amulet : relics, portability, and devotion / James Robinson --Catalogue 55-76 --Matter of faith. The stuff of heaven : materials and craftsmanship in medieval reliquaries / Martina Bagnoli --"A brilliant resurrection" : enamel shrines for relics in Limoges and Cologne, 1100-1230 / Barbara Drake Boehm --The spectacle of the charismatic body : patrons, artists, and body-part reliquaries / Cynthia Hahn --Catalogue 77-124 --Beyond the Middle Ages. The afterlife of the reliquary / Alexander Nagel --Catalogue 125-139.

    After an introduction that provides a general scientific, social, and historical perspective, this volume:Explores causes and contributing factors, covering biological theories and genetics, as well as trauma, brain anomalies, and substance abuse Offers an original approach to classification, creating ten levels of severity from role playing to homicidal necrophilia Discusses necrophilia epidemiology, exploring offender characteristics and habits Provides 20 case studies of infamous as well as less publicized cases Details the forensics approach to necrophilia investigation Examines current legislation and mores across the world Explains the challenges involved with providing expert testimony

    Topics cover everything from literal to figurative death, speaking with the dead, divination with the help of the dead, honoring ancestors, working with death Daemons, and merging with the death energy (among other things).

    The Meno is a seminal work of epistemology. The Phaedo is a key source for Platonic metaphysics and for Plato's conception of the human soul. Together they illustrate the birth of Platonic philosophy from Plato's reflections on Socrates' life and doctrines. This edition offers new and accessible translations of both works, together with a thorough introduction that explains the arguments of the two dialogues and their place in Plato's thought.

    When she foresaw her father’s death, she picked up her football and decided to head for New York.Meet her older brother Bob: Protector of the Rat, but more often her follower, he is determined to find their uncle in America and discover a new life for them both. On their adventures across the flatlands of Winnipeg and through the exciting streets of New York, Bob and the Rat make friends with a hilarious con man and a famous rap star, and escape numerous dangers. But is their Uncle a rich business man, or is the word on the street, that he something more sinister, true? And will they ever find him? Hughes has created a funny, warm, unique world that lives and breathes. Like I Capture the Castle, Breakfast at Tiffany's, The Curious Incident, Hughes’ story and characters will resonate for many and for years to come.

    She was growing old. Zelda was just starting out in life. They were best friends. They read books together. They took trips together. And they talked about everything. But one day Crystal was not in the garden. She had died. In this gentle story, children learn, with Zelda, that true friendship is a gift that doesn’t die.

    Working in a studio presided over by Claus Sluter, these sculptors created monuments for the ducal family that rivaled contemporary Italian works.This stunning book provides an in-depth study of the twin summits of the achievement of these artists––sculptures from the tombs of Philip the Bold (1342–1404) and his son, John the Fearless (1371–1419). These extraordinary marble and alabaster tombs serve as platforms for the ducal figures, who rest atop fully carved arcades. Within the spaces of the arcades, the artists carved individual monks in procession. Just over two feet high, each monk is a miniature embodiment of late medieval devotion. Shown in various states of mourning, they move in perpetual procession beneath the marble bodies of their rulers.Accompanying the first major traveling exhibition of these recently restored sculptures, The Mourners illuminates the artistic sophistication and craftsmanship of these works.

    The game, designed by Stuart Harrington, wealthy businessman, is the genius behind the hottest game craze. But only ten guests are able to arrive before Brian, a category four hurricane, makes landfall. Lois Steinberg washes ashore on the beach. Amongst strangers, she has no idea who to trust and when Paul, the cook, is found murdered, events happen too eerily reminiscent of any "Catch Me" game that Stuart Harrington could ever conceive.

    From leather and fur to skulls and bones, she incorporates them into ritual tools, jewelry, and other sacred items. Not only does her practice involve the physical remains, but she also works with the spirits of the animals themselves. In this book she expands upon the information provided in her earlier book, Fang and Fur, Blood and Bone: A Primal Guide to Animal Magic. You'll find information on how to select animal remains based on not only your needs but those of the spirits themselves; how to work with the animal spirits, including in shapeshifting and other rituals; proper care for the physical remains; and other practices. Plus you'll find detailed, illustrated guides on how to make ritual tools ranging from bone-handled knives to fur pouches, skull rattles to dancing skins; and much more! Based on Lupa's decade-and-change of intensive experience, this is an absolutely indispensable guide to the spiritual and magical use of animal parts in neopagan, occult, and other traditions. Whether you only have a single feather to work with, or an entire ritual room full of spirits embodied in hides and bones, there's plenty of material in this non-dogmatic text for you to integrate into your own practice as you see fit

    She is on theother side, in a place of spirits. But she is given a rare offer. Toreturn to Earth without having to be reborn. Into the body of amessed-up teenage girl - Jean Rodriguez. A transfer of souls, theycall it. Shari is given a chance to be a Wanderer, and to do a greatservice for humanity. It is an offer she gladly accepts. Then she isback, in a human body. Yet she does not remember being Shari Cooper.At first she recalls nothing of the afterlife. Perhaps it is just aswell. Not everybody on Earth welcomes Wanderers. Of the few who knowof their existence, some want them dead. And others, the truly evilones, wish them much worse than that.

    If they don't, the haunted holiday could be extinguished for good.

    Stool Cemetery—in fact, its residents are rather busy. There’s a zombie trying to escape his tomb, a vampire looking for a job, a teenage ghost-girl dreaming of returning to life, and all the while, the Grim Reaper is searching for a little affection. Drawn in a bold style that complements the big personalities of the characters, these humorous strips will endear fans of comics to each story arc and reveal the illustrated land of St. Stool Cemetery as a place worth revisiting. This work is in association with Diabolo Ediciones.

    Having to deal with his Mom being dead for three years, a drunk abusive father, and having to sell drugs to make enough money doesn't help much either. But when a compelling friendship ignites between him and Ian, whose family just moved into the neighboring house that has been empty for years, Jesse will finally have to confront his conflicted past, and come to terms with who he truly is.More than a coming-of-age story, Jesse is a story about human compassion, and its power to change everything.Rating: language/drugs/violenceStatus: CompletedThere is an edited 2nd edition available

    In this collection of essays, he brings together personal, historical, theological, and contemporary perspectives to issue a passionate call to work for justice and peace.An essential complement to his now classic Until Justice and Peace Embrace, the forthcoming Love and Justice, and Justice, this book makes clear why Wolterstorff is one of the church’s most incisive and compelling voices. Between the Times invites us not simply into new ways of thinking, but a transformational way of life.

    She was a superhero, a spy, an escape artist, an athlete, and a clown who taught the students about responsibility, compassion, and unconditional love. Have your tissues ready when you read this positive, uplifting memorial to a most beloved pet.

    What is more important? The art, or the medium used to create the art? Where does inspiration come from?Canvas discusses a dark inspiration for the creation of works the artist considers "holy."

    Peaceful Passage is all of this and more.From first hearing the news to well beyond the funeral you will keep this resource close by you to give you answers at three in the morning, for encouragement every day and for detailed information on what to do, how to do it and when to do it. Here is guide for you to care well for yourself, your dying loved one, your family, marriage, career and in your spiritual life. This book is a labor of love from a professional counselor who cared for her own mother in her final days. One hospice described the book as, "An exceptional tool and resource for anyone assisting a loved one going through their final journey. A delightful, heartfelt, open discussion of processes, tips and things to ponder when traveling with them. Well done, and I applaud you. Thank you from all of us."

    No one else thinks the old stray is special, but Cody does. He knows the dog is alone now. He watched them tear down the blue house where Bones used to live with an old man. Cody knows how it feels to lose someone, too. Slowly--cautiously--Cody opens his home and his heart to the scruffy dog with one blue eye and one brown.Inspired by the true story reported in the New York Times about a homeless dog in a suburban New York neighborhood, readers will be deeply affected by Deborah Blumenthal's story of love and loss. Adam Gustavson's full-color illustrations beautifully depict quiet neighborhood life, and highlight the emerging relationship between the narrator and the lonely, dispirited dog that captures his attention, and finally, his heart.

    Her dad is always sad, her sister has a horrible secret, and 151 days ago her Mammy died. What is Mimi to do?

    Jesse is their school's poster child for popularity: good-looking, a star athlete, even Romeo in the school play. On opening night he collapses on stage. That's when doctors discover the unthinkable: a tumor on his spine. His type of cancer is virtually incurable – 97% of those diagnosed die within ten months.Jesse shuts down, refusing to see most of his friends. He submits to treatments of chemo and radiation, but he doesn't possess hope. Sam is the one person he’ll talk to. He convinces his mom to let her sleep in another bed in his room, saying he's afraid to die alone.That’s when Jess and Sam make a startling, bittersweet discovery: they’ve been in love all along.The Girl Next Door addresses the universal question: In an unpredictable world, how can we possibly feel safe?

    But being told you're dying has a way of changing things. Years after she left, she and her five-year-old daughter, Isabella, must return to her sleepy North Carolina town to face the ghosts she left behind. They welcome her in the form of her oxygen tank-toting grandmother, her stoic and distant father, and David, Isabella's dad . . . Who doesn't yet know he has a daughter. As Jenny navigates the rough and unknown waters of her new reality, the unforgettable story that unfolds is a testament to the power of love and its ability to change everything--to heal old hurts, bring new beginnings . . . Even overcome the impossible. A stunning debut about love and loss from a talented new voice.

    He quit his high-stress job, sold his high-rise condo and left his high-maintenance girlfriend behind to start over in Nashville. Three years later, his band Wilder is still struggling for the recognition they deserve and his hopes aren't what they used to be. Out of the blue he gets a call that an ex-girlfriend passed away - leaving him a child he didn't know he had. To make matters worse, his six year old daughter, Andie, is a demon. Kelsey Conklin never had the good life. She's always taken care of everyone and everything around her, including her entire family. But now it's just her and her two kids. She's packed up her past and moved them all to Nashville to start over. All she really wants is a quiet life and she's pretty sure she knows how her story works. But JD and Andie need her. And it turns out that she and her kids need them, too. Somewhere along the way, JD becomes something she can't live without, and something she never thought she'd have. With a little ingenuity, they can make this work. And maybe JD knows what she needs better than she ever did. . . .

    Only one woman has ever dared to challenge him, and sparks fly as this feisty beauty comes up against his will of steel.Plus a Diana Palmer reader favorite! Reluctant Father Once shy, the now famous writer has returned home--and to the man who had cruelly pushed her away. But could their rekindled passion melt his heart of ice?

    Taking on everyday situations, such as a pool at dusk, a visit from Jehovah’s Witnesses, and mosquitoes, the poet provides unexpected examinations of them and places them back in front of the reader to be seen in a new light.

    Their scenes of unsparing savagery and jaw-dropping beauty remind us that fairy tales, in all their simplicity, have the power to change us. With some of the most famous stories in world literature, including “Cinderella,” “Little Red Riding Hood,” “Hansel and Gretel,” “Snow White,” as well as some less well known stories like “The Seven Ravens,” this definitive collection promises to entrance readers with the strange and wonderful world of the Brothers Grimm.Maria Tatar’s engaging preface provides readers with the historical and cultural context to understand what these stories meant and their contemporary resonance. Fans of all ages will be drawn to this elegant and accessible collection of stories that have cast their magical spell over children and adults alike for generations.

    Yet many of us know very little about a tragedy that may strike our own loved ones--and much of what we think we know is wrong. This clear and powerful book dismantles myth after myth to bring compassionate and accurate understanding of a massive international killer.Drawing on a fascinating array of clinical cases, media reports, literary works, and scientific studies, Thomas Joiner demolishes both moralistic and psychotherapeutic cliches. He shows that suicide is not easy, cowardly, vengeful, or selfish. It is not a manifestation of "suppressed rage" or a side effect of medication. Threats of suicide, far from being idle, are often followed by serious attempts. People who are prevented once from killing themselves will not necessarily try again.The risk for suicide, Joiner argues, is partly genetic and is influenced by often agonizing mental disorders. Vulnerability to suicide may be anticipated and treated. Most important, suicide can be prevented.An eminent expert whose own father's death by suicide changed his life, Joiner is relentless in his pursuit of the truth about suicide and deeply sympathetic to such tragic waste of life and the pain it causes those left behind.

    His dramatic images present complete, self-contained narratives in both of these wordless tales. Prelude to a Million Years unfolds against the backdrop of the Great Depression, portraying in thirty illustrations a sculptor's struggles in an industrial society. Song Without Words explores one woman's emotional journey through pregnancy and childbirth in a series of twenty-one images described by the author as "a kind of prose poem."Ward's memorable works have been honored with such prestigious awards as the Library of Congress Award, the National Academy of Design Print Award, the New York Times Best Illustrated Award, the Caldecott Medal, and the Regina Award. An introduction by woodcut historian David A. Beronä places these stories within the context of Ward's career and the graphic arts world of the 1930s.

    The story involves three people whose lives cross for a short period of time and the profound effect that results from their interaction. Alex Dorian, freelance travel writer and victim of child abuse, arrives in Sydney in an attempt to exorcise the ghosts of her past. She shares a house with Steve and the disturbing Matthew, a gay couple. Alex finds herself inexplicably attracted to Matthew and she must battle with her repressed sexuality and fear of intimacy.Matthew, extremely good looking and an inspiring actor, lives with Steve, who is dying of AIDS. Matthew has his own battle, that of dealing with the rejection of his socialite parents and facing a future without his partner. Steve is the rock to which the troubled Matthew and Alex cling as they examine their lives and beliefs. Steve finally dies, but his legacy lives on in the strength that both Matthew and Alex find to face their own pain. Alex learns to love again, thanks to the gift of friendship from Matthew; and in turn, with Alex’s love and support, Matthew learns to forgive the past and move on to follow his dream.

    This guide, second in the Zoamorphosis Essential Introductions series, provides a clear and lucid account of the composition of those Songs as well as close readings of individual poems from both Innocence and Experience.Jason Whittaker is Professor of English and Media Arts at University College Falmouth, and the author and editor of a number of books and articles on Blake, including William Blake and the Myths of Britain (Macmillan 1999), Radical Blake: Influence and Afterlife from 1827 (with Shirley Dent, Palgrave 2002), and Blake, Modernity and Popular Culture (with Steve Clark, Palgrave 2007).

    If Bob knew how many synchronicities surround the rediscovery and release of this "lost" studio session, he would be chuckling in that half jolly, half mischievous way of his. If you believe in any kind of afterlife, maybe you can imagine him laughing right now. I like that image: Bob the laughing Buddha, still having one over on us from the great beyond.

    The book also looks in depth at the methods of building the inner temple and the egregore. The techniques in this book explore alternative ways for the Hierophant/Magus/Magister to approach the inception and development of a fully contacted magical lodge. The structure behind the magical technique is looked at, and approached in a way that is more harmonious with our 21st century consciousness.

    Last year’s Best Young Poet and gifted guitarist is now Taft High School’s resident tortured artist, when he bothers to show up. He's on track to repeat eleventh grade, but his English teacher, his principal, and his crew of Thicks (who refuse to be seniors without him) won’t sit back and let him fail.