When the Rocks Sing: A Story of Love, Loss, & Learning to Live Again

"Grief is a very uniquely individual experience for each of us. For many, it is a dark, narrow and winding passage through which we must travel to continue the task of living."

"Loss is an inherent, integral part of life. Love and loss are inseparable."

Grief is an organic unstructured experience. There is no schedule or correct time frame for grief. The emotions we have and when we experience them are individualized. Everyone's grief is unique, and any expectation to the contrary is counterproductive to the grieving process and counter-intuitive to anyone who has lost a loved one. This book is mostly about how Marv found the resilience and sense of purpose to begin living his life again. The book addresses a variety of topics that might speak to your experience or desire for healing and moving forward. When we embrace the impermanence of life, we can experience the joy of living every day and can more naturally live with a sense of gratitude.

This book was a unique reading experience I think. It is written by both Marv and his grief counselor who has experience as a hospice social worker. The book covers a broad range of topics from harnessing resiliency, facing grief head on, embracing loss, staying present in the moment, and utilizing healthy coping skills. As someone who recently experienced the loss of a loved one I was interested in this book. I think it provided a lot of insightful moments about experiencing grief and loss and also gave some positive advice from the therapist about strategies and tools.

This book is about how Marv and Marty, his wife, dealt with her cancer diagnosis and how he ultimately dealt with her death. It shows Marv moving forward with his life and choosing to live each day. I think this is the type of book that would be helpful to those who have someone in their life experiencing grief as it provides a lot of tools for how to communicate with and be there for that person. The book provides Marv's story and at the end of each chapter some feedback and insight from the grief counselor. I think this is a helpful tool for some. Personally, I would have enjoyed if they had been in two parts so that I could read all of Marv's story and then when I was ready read the therapist insights.

Overall this book is incredibly helpful and useful for discussing grief or even just gaining some insight into what a loved one might be experiencing. Marv does a marvelous job of covering a lot of topics surrounding grief and showing what worked for him. He doesn't imply that these methods would work for everyone, and the therapist insight provides some lovely ways for those experiencing these thoughts and emotions to cope with them. It's a book that can help a wide range of people and would be great for more people to read.