Heartbroken Open – Kristine Carlson

Rarely have I picked up a book about grieving that has been as touching and riveting a read as this true-life account by Kristine Carlson.

Kristine Carlson lived an idyllic life as loving mother to two daughters, and life partner of Richard Carlson. Richard was the man behind the bestselling self-help book “Don’t sweat the small stuff’. Kristine’s life was shattered when her husband Richard unexpectedly suffered a pulmonary embolism on a typical flight to New York.

The sudden loss catapulted Kristine into heartbreak and uncertainly. This book , which she describes as a ” memoir through loss to self-discovery” is a look back at her journey into the underworld of mourning.

How do you pick up the pieces of life when death robs you of a loved one?

After the loss Kristine discovered she not only had to deal with her own personal grief but she had to learn to be a single parent, learn to love herself and allow herself to love deeply again. And she had to do all this as she struggled to rebuild a sense of self confidence that collapsed after her loss.

This is a courageous, honest and wise book with a central message -that loss too is a passage in life that one can emerge from with new life-lessons.

For Kristine, the mantra, “surrender, trust, accept” became a guiding light.

This lyrical book reads like a personal diary, and has an important message of inspiration for anyone who has suffered any loss of any kind.

If you have lost someone you love and want to hear from someone who has emerged from the other side of grief that feels it has blown a hole in your heart forever, pick up this book by Kristine Carlson who has learnt to survive and thrive through grief no one wishes on anyone else.

Meet Mitch Albom

Meet the man behind Tuesday’s with Morrie, Mitch Albom who is back in the news with his non-fiction debut Have a little faith. 

Mitch Albom will meet fans and sign books at Prologue@ Level 4 ION Orchard on Friday 26 Feb 2010, from 1-3 pm.

Catch my interview with Mitch Albom on Friday 26 feb at 6.40 pm in Talking Books on 938LIVE

Notes Left Behind

BE Bigger, better, bolder, faster. Keep up, move on. These are words we say to ourselves everyday. Then comes a book a like  this,  that reminds us about the truly important things in life.

I was so moved by this book which is written by the parents of six year old child Elena Desserich. Elena lost the battle with cancer but was a winner every step of the way.

The dying six-year- old left messages of love tucked  in secret places all around her home for her parents.

The notes are simple.  Elena scrawled purple hearts on post it notes, inside the hearts she wrote, DAD or MOM  or the name of her sister in unsteady handwriting.  Through the notes, Elena found a way to show her love well after her passing. Her parents found the notes in unexpected places - tucked in books or hidden behind shelves- long after Elena had left. Notes that were a tender hug from beyond.

Elena Desserich wanted to be a teacher, but a rare form of cancer lead to an abbreviated life. Her legacy though is a reminder of some  of life’s most important lessons. Appreciate what you have everyday and treasure the time you have with your loved ones.

This is a book that will shake you out of any rut you could have possibly dug for yourself.

Read more about the book here http://www.notesleftbehind.com/