Within days after my wife’s death I began to journal my thoughts and observations. They eventually became reflections that I created and shared with others in various newsletters as a contributing writer. After I founded a grief support group, sudSSpirit, I included these reflections in a quarterly newsletter I created. I have been asked by many attendees of the group where they could find all of what I have written over the years and there just wasn’t one resource to view all of them until now. About 75% of the book are these reflections. Also included after each section are entries from my personal journal.

I never knew what a journal was. But after journaling all these years since the death of my wife, I can’t do without. Putting thoughts to paper was very helpful for me as I dealt with extreme emotions and thoughts while grieving and doing it daily can help yourself deal with life’s anxieties. Self care and grief support are crucial to your grief experience. I highly recommend seeking professional counseling, therapy, and bereavement support groups to help you cope with it all and keep you focused on healing. 

Miss Your FOREVER is referring to myself missing all the experiences and events with my wife that would surround me had she not died. It would be like I am saying that I am missing her future (forever) with me and all that will never be as a couple living a life together as one. The gardenia was one of her favorite flowers.

Although the subtitle is Reflections After the Death of a Spouse, this could be beneficial for anyone who has lost any significant other or any loved one. People working in social services, bereavement, hospice, funeral industry, and those that facilitate grief support groups may also find the book helpful. There are many similarities in the grief journey that we all go through no matter who the loved one was and I would like to think that my thoughts, reflections, and memories may conjure up the same kind of emotions and feelings that others are also experiencing. It is my hope that reading Miss Your FOREVER will help to validate their grieving experience and provide comfort and peace. I feel confident that the audience this book is meant for will find it, read it, and be better for what it provides to them.