The Cure for Sorrow: A Book of Blessings for Times of Grief

Though some of these poems are specific for loss of a spouse, they resonate with me in the loss of my child.

Jan Richardson has a way with words that is both deep and personal. Her blessings touch your heart and soul. I’ve given this book as a gift several times.

I have yet to find a book of poetry and thoughts that have met my need for comfort for my grief. This is the first book I have read in the dozen I have invested in that met that need. This book had so many thoughts that were comforting for those whose hearts are breaking or broken. I truly found it helpful for my hurting heart.

Since 2016 I have ordered this book eight times for others and I literally cannot keep it on my shelf without finding another person to give it away to. Richardson's poem "Blessing for the Brokenhearted" is one I often share with grieving family members as a hospice chaplain. I should probably just order a bulk shipment to keep on hand. This book touched me deeply when I first read it, as I was in the midst of postpartum depression after the birth of my first child. Every person I have given this book to has responded with gratitude at how Richardson's words provided validation and comfort in some of the worst moments of their lives.

A friend who's a spiritual director recommended this book to me recently when I lost my beloved mother. I have been awed by the honesty, beauty, lyricism and power of Jan Richardson's poetic "blessings." While I have also found solace in other poems related to grief and loss, this profound collection is the one that takes my breath away again and again. I have wept with it, prayed with it, found hope in it. I've already recommended it to several friends. Jan Richardson unexpectedly lost her beloved husband, and should my husband predecease me someday, I'm sure I'll again find comfort in this book. But love is love, and grief is grief, and I highly recommend this book to anyone walking through painful loss of whatever kind.

If you have not gotten Jan Richardson's latest book of blessings (The Cure for Sorrow), you should. It is powerful, poignant, rich with meaning and emotion. It grabs your heart and gives you a gentle, all-encompassing embrace at the same time. It can be a beautiful gift for the widowed, whether newly or not so new. Or it can be for you, dear one, to remember than pain can come from many different places, every day, and get under our skin and affect us when we least expect it. I am aware as I process the Las Vegas shooting (I am in California and had friends at at concert who survived) that I am experiencing old grief and overwhelming grief at the state of our country and our dialogue. The love and the caring that has emerged from the stories of the ones who survived and the companions of those who didn't, in the midst of such a horrific event, is like the waves crashing on a ragged shore, both comforting and disturbing. I am so grateful that Jan has written this book, bared her soul and offered up these blessings that, as she says, are timeless. Buy two...or more. You won't regret a moment.

If you are trying to hold/be with your grief and sadness instead of numb or dismiss it, then this book will support you in that task. You don’t have to be dramatically bereaved to find it’s words powerful or like a healing balm to your soul. This author has given a gift to the world - a world that does not know how to lament - through her own loss and it is an incredibly tender and generous gift. I cannot recommend it enough.

I stumbled across a blessing of this book on social media during a really dark season which was filled with grief and immediately knew I had to buy this book. I didn't know then that these blessings would be for more than just dark times - I have written Jan's words (blessings) in cards, shared them on social media, and read them aloud to friends. There is so much in this book and you won't regret buying it. I'd recommend the physical copy because books like this need to be carried around and opened at the dinner table.

This collection of blessings is one I will return to again and again. It is wise, deep, heart-felt and beautifully written. If you're grieving, or know someone who is, I really recommend this book.

Poignant - the writer holds the reader in such a way as to allow an encounter with grief that gently reveals new vistas. I would recommend to those whose loss has shattered their heart.

Beautifully written

An excellent book delivered very quickly.....thank you!