A Grief Observed

When author Clive Staples Lewis lost his wife to cancer in the 1960s, he was no different than any of us, finding himself asking the same questions about Gods goodness and love that a lot of us have. Since Lewis had already lived a full life, his loss was deepened by the lack of promises of future happiness a younger person might find some small comfort in. Yet in the wee hours when his grief and anguish were the most poignant, Lewis - an author all the way - took to filling blank pads of paper in his house with the thoughts and feelings that his bereavement brought.

Even though I have not personally experienced anything near the kind of grief that this book deals with, I still found this book to be an amazing read. The deepest grief Ive ever experienced was the loss of a family pet, yet from that small sampling I can just barely grasp what Lewis went through. Indeed any person not accustomed to grief can begin to understand it by reading the beautiful language that fills the pages of this book.

It is a short book, ringing in with only four chapters, and 76 pages. Yet all of them are filled with the balm of Lewiss reflections and introspection, and all of them are able to help a grieving person, if for nothing else than to know that theyre not alone.

For any person who might be undergoing a period of sorrow, I highly recommend this book. It is not a lot of heavy reading, thus possibly making it easier on someone who is already in such pain. The wonderfully poetic, graceful language gives body and soul to the multitude of emotions that wash through a grieving person, especially in dark hours. These emotions, Im sure, are experienced by everyone, but with the comments and insight of one of Christendoms favorite authors, it makes this work a priceless treasure.

If you, or someone you know is going through a difficult time of loss and heartache, buy this book for them. It is a must-read for anyone in pain.