When Words are not enough (eBook)

When Words are Not Enough explores the many ways that bereaved families find to express their loss. The authors' son was killed in a traffic accident in 2011. Ten years on they reflect on their journey and how they have used their creativity to survive their grief and create a new relationship with their son Josh. Everyone grieves for someone at some point in their lives. But how do we deal with the silence that often surrounds grief? How do we find ways to express painful feelings when words are not enough? In this deeply personal and beautiful reflection on grief Jane Harris and Jimmy Edmonds draw on their own experience of loss, and how the death of their son Josh has led to a creative response that is more than word bound. The emphasis on 'continuing bonds' and their own way of maintaining a relationship with Josh, is both emotional and practical. Echoed in thirteen other case studies they illustrate how creativity can shape a future where the deceased still play a part even while physically absent and how this is a normal and restorative aspect of the grieving process. The charity they created, The Good Grief Project, is based on ideas that flow from the concept of 'continuing bonds', of not wanting to cut off from the deceased, but of building a new kind of relationship with the deceased. Their mission is to support families grieving after the untimely death of a loved one, particularly the death of a child. And to promote an understanding of what it means to grieve in a society that often has difficulty talking openly about death, dying and bereavement.Grieving is hard work - it is tough, emotional and very challenging work. It is full of contradictions - we are trying to forget the pain and remember our loved one at the same time. But while it can be a very lonely experience, grief can also be a wonderful educator with new discoveries to be had.