The Heart of Grief Relief Journal, is a place to help you heal by writing your thoughts, fears, feelings, angers and regrets down on each journal page. These pages are your private sanctuary, an invaluable sounding board, and a truly safe place to express the nearly inexpressible. These are your pages, for your words, for your feelings and emotions that need to be expressed. Healing almost assuredly will follow.
More than a journal…
In addition to the journal pages, this unique book offers articles of wisdom and insights to help you get through your devastating loss. Grief and loss are examined from every angle and your written words are intended to help reduce your level of suffering and get the grief relief you so deserve. You’ll find insight on coping with death, as well as the value of hospice for you after your loved one has passed. Other articles focus on the value of journaling as well as how to get through the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, Valentine’s Day and Mother’s and Father’s Day. We are reminded that death is a universal reality without equivocation.
A treasure trove of quotes about grief and healing
The pages of the journal include quotes on the subject of grief by the famous and the not-so-famous. Quotes from Marcus Aurelius to Martin Luther King Jr. add a dimension and depth to the journal. The quotes run a broad spectrum of wisdom derived from Eskimo legend, Chinese, Swedish, Jewish and Turkish writings, The Bhagavad-Gita and the Holy Bible. You will find encouragement with words from individuals like Helen Keller, Richard Bach, General George S. Patton, Jr., Kahlil Gibran, Winston Churchill, Oprah Winfrey, Shakespeare, Mother Teresa and an array of authors who words are here to soothe and encourage you. Here are some sample quotes that are liberally sprinkled throughout the journal:
“Give sorrow words. The grief that does not speak whispers the o’erfraught heart and bids it break.” — William Shakespeare
“He that conceals his grief finds no remedy for it.” —Turkish Proverb
“I still miss those I loved who are no longer with me but I find I am grateful for having loved them. The gratitude has finally conquered the loss.” — Rita Mae Brown
“To spare oneself from grief at all cost can be achieved only at the price of total detachment, which excludes the ability to experience happiness.” — Erich Fromm
“If you suppress grief too much, it can well redouble. ” — Moliere
Nothing quite like this journal is available anywhere. We have put this volume together incorporating those elements that appear to be most meaningful in the healing grief process. Ballo offers it to you with the expectation that you will find solace and healing in its pages. In the back of the journal is a page that provides links to the most helpful grief resources available. You are encouraged to contact any or all according to your desire. Help is there for you in many forms.
Diana Jacks, Ph.D., author of the award-winning book, Here to There, Grief to Peace –
“When a friend suffers a death in the family, one often doesn’t quite know what to do for them. Rich Ballo’s new book is more than a journal; it is replete with practical ideas to cope with death of a loved one, drawn from his own grief experience. This book would make a gentle gift for a survivor on their grief journey.” — Diana Jacks, Ph.D., author of the award-winning book, Here to There, Grief to Peace
Karla Wheeler, founder of Quality of Life Publishing Co., publishers of numerous award-winning grief support books –
“I wish I had read Rich’s journal when my 54-year-old husband died a few years ago after being sick for only two months. The Heart of Grief Relief Journal brings hope, just when it is needed most, validating that grief is a process, not an event. I recommend it for anyone who is bereaved and believe it will be an important resource for grief support groups in hospices, churches, and other organizations.” —Karla Wheeler, founder of Quality of Life Publishing Co., publishers of numerous award-winning grief support books
Wendy & Rob Lindsay, whose story regarding the death of both their son and daughter is featured in Afterglow: Signs of Continued Love –
“It is reassuring to read the words of someone else who understands first-hand about grief. Rich’s time-tested tips for handling holidays and special occasions will be especially useful to folks newly bereaved. We feel this journal…has something to help everyone.” — Wendy & Rob Lindsay, whose story regarding the death of both their son and daughter is featured in Afterglow: Signs of Continued Love
Jenny Lee Wheeler, author of the national award-winning book Weird Is Normal When Teenagers Grieve –
“I think Rich Ballo’s The Heart of Grief Relief Journal will help anyone who has experienced a loss, especially grieving teens. After my dad died when I was 14, journaling became a safe place for me to not only write down words, but also to draw pictures as a healthy outlet for my sometimes-overwhelming emotions.” — Jenny Lee Wheeler, author of the national award-winning book Weird Is Normal When Teenagers Grieve