It is so encouraging to hear from people who have been helped by Walking Through.
Hope is contagious, so with that in mind, I have selected some of the responses to share with you. My husband and I lost our oldest boy at age 19. He, along with two of his friends, were killed by a drunk driver on June 19,2009. The hurt your heart feels, no one can know unless you have walked this road.
I went into a local store, and the owner, who knew me, came up to me and said, “Terri, you have to read this book. I thought of you all the way through it and want to know what you think.” I was so honored that she thought of me and I took the book home and opened the first page and was forever glad I did. Here was another mother, who has been on this road for 18 years and showed such love and caring in her words. When I would read her words, they were almost exactly what I have felt. And her love of the Lord, just touched my heart. Because, I too am held by Him. He holds me together when I can’t hold myself. Peg shows that there is hope and joy again. It’s nice to know there are people who are there, further down this road, who reach back and say, “Come on…I’ll hold your hand and you’ll be fine.” Thank you Peg for going back to such pain so all of us, newly on this road, can go forward. I love your mother’s heart. - Terri Goudy http://plzgivethekeys.org/ Wow… I read your book this weekend. Thank you for persevering through the process of writing it. I really believe it is a valuable tool for those who are grieving.
My heart was engaged from the beginning to the end… particularly at the realization that as you were journeying through the grieving process with the death of Jason, Pam and I were grieving amidst our own loss. In January of 1992, our twin daughters Amanda and Catherine were stillborn. So, I read your book… with tears, smiles and laughter. I was blessed by how comprehensive your book is. As I read, as soon as the thought, “I hope she addresses this issue” came to mind, I turned the page and there it was! Thank you for your vulnerability and for your transparency. You are an excellent writer. Your imagery, your language and the simplicity and beauty with which you express your thoughts is great. I loved the “Jungle” imagery. I also wanted to affirm the structure of the book. Mindful that those who are grieving have a difficult time in concentrating – let alone trying to sit and read a long chapter of a book – having shorter chapters with opportunity for reflection is such a great pattern. Thank you also for the artwork. I LOVE the map of grief… that is such an accurate picture of our journey as well. So many of the clinical books we read through our journey were so linear making you feel like you should be through one stage of grief before you get to the next. That just wasn’t our experience. The other thought that came to mind is that the book would be a good resource for a small group. Pam and I were involved in a grief group called “Empty Arms” for a number of years after our loss – while it was great, and helpful to share and to hear other people’s stories – upon reflection… meetings sometimes meandered and – there was no way to process the gamut of emotions with those whose loss was fresh and those whose loss was less recent. We felt emotionally exhausted just from the roller coaster ride of the meetings because we covered so much ground on so many different topics and so many differing perspectives on each of those areas. Your book would be a tool to have some parameters / boundaries or focus on a particular area of grief where everyone could read a section or two and dialogue on those two sections – embracing the voices of those who are fresh on the grief journey and those who have been on the journey for a while… almost like an Alpha course for those who are making the journey through grief. So – all that to say – thank you for your obedience to the Holy Spirit in writing this resource. Thank you for sharing your journey. It has been a great blessing. Gratefully, Jonathan Jonathan Dow | Executive Director Aldersgate Renewal Ministries 121 East Avenue | Goodlettsville, TN 37072 www.aldersgaterenewal.org On first inspection this is obviously a book that was created with quality in mind with full color paintings, great illustrations and printed in hardcover with a wonderful design. But it is far more than pretty pictures.
This is a book whose author lost her son a number of years ago through a terrible automobile accident who has obviously hacked her way through the grieving process then used her experiences to write and illustrate this book. Let’s face it, we all grieve at times in our lives. “Walking Through” helps those of us who are grieving to get through our pain in order to discover that there is life after grief. Things do get better, and Peg Muenzel is a wonderful example of someone who has used her writing and artistic gifts to help others who are entering the jungle of grief. Perfect both for those who are grieving, as a gift to someone who is looking for something to give a person who is struggling and for professionals who deal with grief on a daily basis. This is a wonderful book written and illustrated by someone who has lived through one of the most painful experiences, the loss of a child, and emerged on the other side as a stronger and more thankful person. - Sammy Eerdmans (Grand Rapids, MI ) |