"Losing my mom at 38-years-old is the most crushing blow I’ve yet to endure, and writing this book has been my lifeline. While I immediately distracted myself with my duty and privilege to honor my mom by writing her obituary, and giving her eulogy, the heaviest grief took some months to take hold. After the dust had settled I found myself pouring through notebooks with words I had written while enduring the darkest, most uncertain times: hospital visits; awaiting diagnosis; learning what diagnosis really means; finding a way to carry on and live my life knowing she might only have months to live. Upon reading those words I knew I had to write this book."

Since each of us will lose those we love dearly, it feels like it’s about time we better learn to nurture ourselves in grief, so we may more readily comfort and guide others in their time of need. Thunder, lightning, and hard rains will have their way with each of us, but that doesn’t mean we have to navigate these storms feeling like we are alone.

The guidebook for helping someone grieve looks a lot like the guidebook for being a good friend: look, listen, live, and learn what someone needs. Each of us has the opportunity to lighten the load and road for another, and grief is a great teacher, offering some of life’s most elegant curriculum.

"I spent many of the last 365 days writing a book about you, and with a little help it will be published by your 72nd birthday next month. It comes as little surprise that your story will continue to inspire, encourage, and comfort others even after you set sail into the mystic, because the most beautiful things are eternal, and some songs were never meant to stop playing."