Title: Finding Joy In the Midst of Grief
Subtitle: Continuing in God’s Loving Grip Through Loss of a Loved One
Author: Kay Thomson
Publisher: Xulon Press
ISBN: 978-1609579135
Pages: 114
Genre: Christian Grief
Reviewed by: Barbara Bamberger Scott
Synopsis
Finding Joy in the Midst of Grief takes its listeners along twists and turns as the author walks through the tunnel of grief while dealing with the loss of her husband of 44 years.
It is not easy to accept life when God takes something cherished from your grasp. As you listen through the minutes and the pathway traveled, you will find that God does not punish us; rather, He opens our hands and hearts to receive what He has for those of us who remain until our own journey comes to an end. You will learn that the will of God will never take you where the grace of God will not protect you.
About the Author
The death of a spouse is a horrific and life-changing event, but by holding onto God’s hand, one can learn to walk through the tunnel of grief and find joy on the other side. Such was the position author Kay E. Thomson found herself in when on August 10, 2008 her beloved husband, Dale, passed away after 44 years of marriage together. In Journey to Joy: In God’s Loving Grip Through Two Years of Grief and Loss, she shows readers how to live again after losing a spouse in death. With each turn of each page, readers will learn that the will of God will never take them where the grace of God will not protect them.
“Widowhood is a lonely and difficult place to find ourselves,” the author says. “This book will address the many ways we learn to cope, find joy in the memories, and know we are not alone in the ‘new normal’ phase of our life. We can’t walk the journey in a successful process without God by our side. He will never fail us or leave us.”
Thomson, who grew up in a Christian home in New Jersey, says that although she has only been a widow for two and a half years, her struggles have allowed her to find God in a whole new way. “We don’t know Jesus is all we need until Jesus is all we have,” she explains. “I was eventually able to put one foot in front of the other and be open to what God had for me next.” God’s plans, she says, were for her to form The Encouragers Group, which is made up of both men and women walking in the tunnel of grief as they learn to encourage each other on their own journey to joy in Christ.