The Joy of Giving

Of course, I love it when I get a note from Amazon or from Paypal indicating that someone has just bought my book. But there a different kind of excitement when i get a request for a copy of the book to be donated to a group's grief library. I know that the books will be used over and over again by parents and children to talk about their mutual loss and pain and what they can do together to remember their loved one who has died. So the recent group of requests from Troy UMC in Illinois, Cornerstone Counseling in Glendale, WI, Good Shepherd Hospice in Melville, NY, and the KU Kid's Healing Place in Kansas City KS have been really thrilling to fill. AND a big thank you to the donors who make it feasible for me to ship gift copies - I couldn't do it without you!
And by the way, two book signings are coming up very soon. My next post will talk about them

Mitch Albom gave his character, the Blue Man, a thought provoking line in "The Five People You Meet in Heaven": "Fairness does not govern life or death. If it did then no good man would ever die young... There are no random acts. Good comes from it..."

I have been thinking about this quote a lot lately as I have seen more people my age or younger become my patients, and even more so upon learning of the unexpected death of a high school classmate. The temptation is strong to cry out, "God it so totally unfair!" But God's promise isn't to negate hurt or eliminate sorrow. God does promise to so support us with the rod of divine authority and the staff of shepherding comfort that when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death (and we will, often many times with ourselves and side by side with others) we will fear no evil.

Death is what it is, and I am still angry when I am made aware of the death of someone, "far too young". But the real enemy is fear. And God does promise that together we will overcome fear.

Where to find us?

There are a number of "brick and mortar" book stores that carry "We Do Remember You" and "A Letter From Heaven".

Look for my books at:

Venti's Casa; Lenoir NC

Inspiration Station; Hudson NC

Cornerstone Christian Book Store; Lenoir NC

Caldwell County Heritage Museum; Lenoir NC

And of course there are even more online outlets where you can find either or both of the books:

www.amazon.com

www.bn.com

www.authorhouse.com

www.enheartpublishing.com

www.alibris.com

www.alexandrasrose.net

www.swap.com

www.paperbackswap.com

http://half.ebay.com

Interviewing on National TV

Now that my interview on the Balancing Act has aired twice, I'd like to spend this space in reflecting on the process of the interview itself. First of all, Production coordinator Cindy Roussin & Host, Kristy Villa were tremendous people to work with and their professionalism is responsible for the quality of the interview as you see it either on TV http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=CfghxZdbP9I, or on Facebook or You Tube.

I'm pleased that many people have commented on how composed I came across on TV, but I can see two distinct places where my nervousness came in to play, illustrated by anticipating and answering Kristy's question as she was asking it. You see I was given a list of topics to be covered in the interview well in advance and spent most of my train ride down rehearsing my responses and timing them to fit the 5 minute time limit for the interview. See if you can spot the two places i jumped the gun.

But at the end of the day, I felt like we communicated what needed to be said about the books and about this part of my personal path of mourning. Thank you for your kind words about the interview and thank you very much to "The Balancing Act" for inviting me to interview.

Our Pets - Our Families

Earlier this month, I was very honored to be asked to offer a "Blessing of the Animals" at the re-dedication of our county's animal shelter. Besides blessing the animals housed in the shelter, I was able to offer blessing to the many pets who were brought to the shelter for the free rabies vaccinations offered that day. The day certainly reminded me (as if my Trooper would ever let me forget) that our pets are very much part of our families. And very often, the first experience of death & grief for a child comes with the death of a beloved pet. One of my favorite books speaking to this subject is "A Special Place for Charlee" by Debby Morehead and published by Partners in Publishing., what are besides taking the reader through the life of the dog, Charlee and her family from puppyhood through the end of Charlee's life, the author shows us how the family memorialized their beloved pet's memory.

So let me ask you, what are some of your most appreciated books about pet loss and grief?

Video Tune In

http://www.thebalancingact.com/video/?v=LFUIDU2XR03203

I am so excited about this segment coming up on the Balancing Act. The details for those who haven't heard yet but the air date is Tuesday, October 18th, 7-8 am ET . Lifetime is channel 108 on DISH Network and channel 252 on Direct TV. You'll need to check the channel number for your local cable.

Steve Butler on the BALANCING ACT

It's too soon to say that the wait is over but I do know that my interview concerning my books will be aired on O2 Media's program, the Balancing Act, shown on Lifetime Television Tuesday, October 18. During the interview, I'll talk with host Kristy Villa about the story of our grand-daughter Alexandra, the role of rituals in reinforcing our memories. I really hope you'll tune in to the show.

By the way, look for more information about watch parties, book signings, and other special events as I get them scheduled.