Sally Downham Miller

Mourning and Dancing: A Memoir of Loss, Grief, and Resilience

25th Anniversary Edition with new Introduction and Updates

Paperback, $22.00

Published June 2024

When we allow ourselves to mourn, we celebrate the dance, and, in our hearts, life keeps beating.

Everyone grieves-some of us more than others, few of us well. Burying a spouse, a child, a parent, a sibling, or any person you love-under any circumstance-changes almost everything. Most survivors grow tired of pretending that this is not so.

This moving story is the thirty-year chronicle of a young widow with two small children who grieved by blocking out pain, plowing ahead, and, yes, pretending she was fine. She told herself if she was able to carve out a successful career, everything else would be okay. Years later, she discovered that others were dealing with grief in their own, also cumbersome, ways. None of them-her included-were doing as “fine” as they claimed. Finally, through research, listening, and learning, she discovered some truths about personal healing that helped her find healthy resilience. Since then, she has assisted countless others in finding their own path along the challenging journey of grief, and has helped establish numerous support groups around the country.

For 25 years, readers have embraced Mourning and Dancing with gratitude for its gentle guidance and sincere comfort. If you are seeking healing and resilience after any loss-regardless of how many years have passed-this book is for you. It is also for friends and loved ones who might be grieving, too. If you would like to join or start a support group based on the knowledge and experience the author has compiled, look for the companion book Mourning and Dancing: The Group, available in stores and online in print and ebook formats.