This week for the These Dads Are Doing It Right series I want to highlight some dad authors who wrote a book on loss. These are dads sharing their experience on losing a parent or a child. These books cover serious topics, but might help you or others who are grieving a loss. In addition, if there are any other dads that you think we should check out leave their name and info in the comment section below.
Books On Loss
Wayne Decker – Your Dad Misses You
Are you a dad that’s lost a loved one to suicide? This can be a very difficult topic to talk about. Wayne’s book is his personal perspective to losing his daughter to suicide. This book gives dads a voice by showing we grieve too when we lose someone so close. Do you feel alone, scared, stressed, depressed, anxiety, and sadness? The list could go on. What do dads go through? Does anyone care? Wayne wants dads to know they are not alone. It’s good to express your emotions and thoughts. If you are looking for books on loss, you should check this one out. Pick up his book here.
Harold Ivan Smith – Grieving the Death of a Father
Whether a father was beloved or feared, the loss and grief is a process–one that sometimes begins before the physical loss has occurred. Drawing on his own experience of losing a father, as well as on the experiences of others, grief counselor and educator Harold Ivan Smith compassionately guides readers through their grief, from the process of dying through the acts of remembering and honoring a father after his death. This book provides a way forward.
Luke Russert – Look for Me There: Grieving My Father, Finding Myself
“Look for me there” news legend Tim Russert would tell his son, Luke, when confirming a pickup spot at an airport, sporting event, or rock concert. After Tim died unexpectedly, Luke kept looking for his father, following in Tim’s footsteps and carving out a highly successful career at NBC News. After eight years covering politics on television, Luke realized he had no good answer as to why he was chasing his father’s legacy. As the son of two accomplished parents, his mother is journalist Maureen Orth of Vanity Fair, Luke felt the pressure of high expectations but suddenly decided to leave the familiar path behind. Instead, Luke set out on his own to find answers. What began as several open-ended months of travel to decompress and reassess morphed into a three-plus-year odyssey across six continents to discover the world and, ultimately, to find himself.
Barry Gridley – You’ll Get Through This
You’ll Get Through This speaks directly to both the heart and the head, acknowledging the multifaceted nature of human suffering. Through poignant anecdotes and practical wisdom, the author guides you through the gyrations of the head-heart seesaw, offering strategies to slow down the turmoil and emerge from adversity stronger than ever before. He shares how the head-heart seesaw makes you think you are losing your mind. In addition he writes about five ways personal pain distorts your perspective. Plus, he shares what tools you can use to move through suffering, not merely survive it or stay stuck in it. Barry talks about how to look for what God is doing in your life when you are suffering.