A blessing meets us in the place of our deepest loss.
In that place, it gives us a glimpse of wholeness
and claims that wholeness here and now.
—from the Introduction
O my friends. I never hoped to write this book. But here it is, about to make its way into the world this fall.
The Cure for Sorrow is a book of blessings for times of grief. It is infused with everything that has been present to me in the wake of Gary’s death nearly three years ago now. The aching sorrow, the stubborn hope, the anger and bewilderment, the beauty, the wild grace, the unrelenting love: all of it intertwines on every page.
This book acknowledges that mourning is hardly a tidy process. Rather than an orderly, predictable progression of stages, grief is a horribly messy undoing of us. If we can allow ourselves to pay attention to it, grief holds the power to remake us in ways we never imagined. With blessings that speak to the rending of grief, the presence of solace, and the tenacity of hope, The Cure for Sorrow is a companion on that journey.
Most of all, this book is a gift from my broken and hopeful heart to yours. I would love to share it with you.
The Cure for Sorrow will release on November 15. You can pre-order it on Amazon by clicking the cover above or this link: The Cure for Sorrow. It’s available for pre-order in hardcover and on Kindle. On November 15, it will be available also on my website at janrichardson.com, where you will be able to order inscribed copies.
I am so grateful for the ways you continue to be a blessing on my path. Deep peace to you.
September 21, 2016 at 11:28 AM |
thanks Jan, for this act of sharing what grief has brought you; I have so appreciated your poems…
September 21, 2016 at 5:21 PM |
Rosalie, thank you so much! Sending much gratitude and many blessings to you.
September 21, 2016 at 11:57 AM |
Dear Jan,
I am awed that in the midst of your grief you have maintained an outward stance of love and openness to the world. Grief makes me turn inwards and downwards, yet you seem to hold in tension the in and out, the up and down. So thank you for the generosity of inviting the world into your grief and companioning us through our own.
September 21, 2016 at 5:23 PM |
Anne, thank you for your words, which are such a gift and a blessing to me. Wishing you deep peace on your path.
September 21, 2016 at 1:21 PM |
Dear Jan,
I am 72 years old. My beloved Tony died 36 years ago yet I find myself experiencing a resurgence of my grief overwhelming me some days. Your writings are a help and comfort to me in ways that I wish I had known when he first died but I had 2 little girls to raise and that seemed most important at the time. I look forward to your book and thank you in advance for sharing your journey in anticipation of help and hope.
September 21, 2016 at 5:27 PM |
Martha, thank you so much. I am so sorry about the death of your beloved Tony and that this grief visited you and your daughters so young. I pray that you will be met with what you need as you experience the resurgence of grief—that there are people you can turn to, and places of solace where you can pay attention to the grief in the ways it’s inviting you to do. I wish you deep peace and so many blessings.
September 21, 2016 at 1:25 PM |
👏🏻💜👍🏻💙🙏🏻❤️✅💕😘
September 21, 2016 at 5:27 PM |
Thanks, dear Carolyn! And also with you! ❤️❤️❤️
September 21, 2016 at 3:27 PM |
I am so looking forward to you new book The Cure for Sorrow. It is just coming up to two years since I lost my husband. Our Vicar used to be such a wonderful help to me but she is no longer our vicar and I feel lost and empty. However it was her who told me about you and that was a Blessing in itself and you are so thoughtful to so many in your own time of Grief , I am sure that we all thank you so very much for your generosity with all your Blessings.Jill.
September 21, 2016 at 5:31 PM |
Jill, thank you for the gift of your words. I am so sorry you know this grief in your life, and I’m sending blessings as you approach the second anniversary of your husband’s death. I pray that as you live with feeling lost and empty, there will be surprising graces that visit your path, and that there will be people and places that you can turn to as you search for new grounding in your life. I send you so many blessings and much gratitude.
September 23, 2016 at 3:14 AM |
Dear Jan, I am a former hospice founder-director, and long-time bereavement counselor. I have walked (stumbled through) my own grief journeys. Your raw honesty and generosity of spirit ~ so beautifully articulated ~ touches a deep place in my heart. I have shared your blessings with grieving clients. Your words help remove the sense of isolation experienced by many who are in the grip of grief. I look forward to purchasing your new book, and wish you grace, peace, and contentment. Trust the process.
September 23, 2016 at 5:29 AM |
Jan, I so look forward to your book! I never planned to become a student of grief but when my dear son took his life at the age of 41, I was thrust into its depth. It became a threshold opening into the grief of so many others who come to my door for spiritual direction. And you, dear one, have been my teacher. Your faithfulness to mining the treasures of grief have produced “the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God” (Philippians 1:11). With deep gratitude and love, Ellen
September 25, 2016 at 11:01 AM |
Jan I am amazed at your recent blessings which you shared with us. Amazed at how your experience intersects with mine in the loss of me sweetheart and soul mate Dirk just three years ago. As so unexpected as that was equally unexpected are the similar blessings you shared.
I am looking forward to your book and see how a sister in Christ travels the road of love, loss, love.
Thank you for giving to the world from your fragile heart.
January 9, 2017 at 9:38 AM |
Dear Jan,
I lost my beloved husband of 32 years 8 months ago today. I am astounded by the layers and layers of grief in all its expressions AND I am also surprised by the times I know lives in me and I in him. I am dearly and deeply loved by him and so many other souls here in Santa Fe. I would love to do some in person work with you. love, patricia
November 13, 2019 at 3:21 PM |
I loved your book in the sanctuary of women, Jan, but your poem “Blessing for the Broken hearted” did not arrive at my door until a couple of weeks ago. Went looking for the poem and found you published a book in 2016 about your journey of grief. Reading your poetry I found myself revisiting my own journey of grief and recognizing myself in each and every one of the poems. Such a gift you have to put into poetic words the deepest journey of the soul. It has been 14 years since my beloved husband left me, we were together for 37 years, and only last year I truly felt like I had completed fully taking in his death at all levels and the remaining losses that still were ungrieved from my childhood that were ready to be addressed when he left this world and left me behind. I am 73 years old and now ready to begin a new chapter in my life. Thank you for your spiritual gifts and beautiful soul.