Awakening from Grief: Finding the Way Back to Joy

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John Welshons is an amazing author. His first book, Awakening from Grief, has brought so much peace and healing to my family, friends and myself. With every turn of a page, I felt more and more blessed to have met John and been touched by his gift of healing the soul.
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~ Written on 2008-06-21

"This book offers us a unique and precious opportunity to open our hearts to the fullness of our human predicament. John Welshons' approach is both incredibly loving, and - at times - breathtakingly honest. He is an extraordinarily gifted writer, a wonderful meditation teacher, and a wise and compassionate counselor. He seems to have a basic trust in our inherent inner strength and wisdom. He skillfully guides us to finding a place of quiet, loving contentment within ourselves in spite of all of the curve-balls life often throws at us. Through sharing some amazing experiences of loss and disappointment in his own life, he demonstrates - repeatedly - how to find real and lasting joy in spite of life's uncertainties. This book is a wonderfully accessible expression of the very same wisdom shared by Stephen Levine, Pema Chodron, and Elisabeth Kubler-Ross . . . in a somewhat less esoteric and more immediately comprehensible form. Awakening from Grief has changed my life. I hope you will allow it to work its magic on you! "
~ Written on 2007-09-15

"It's been six years since I first read Awakening from Grief. I went through it slowly to savor all the support and advice and to write notes in the column. I hadn't lost anyone in that period, but still found the book gripping and useful. When my friend's brother died, I felt helpless, and rushed to the bookstore to buy and send a copy of this book to her. She read it in one day and was inspired to write a poem, which she shared at her brother's service.

Since then, I've made it a point to purchase a copy of this book for loved ones going through loss. When my father died last year, I re-read passages, and two entries were read at his services. So many people remarked how moving they found John Welshons' words. My brothers and I are donating two copies to the hospice ward, where our father spent the last moments of his life with us. The hospice social worker Xeroxed a copy of the poem ("... And no relationship created in love can ever die.") to display in the "family room" as she found it a true comfort.

This book sits on my bookshelf and is read over and over again. Another copy is in my lending library for anyone in need to borrow. I, and so many others, are grateful for the comfort found within these pages, which help us to find comfort within our hearts.
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~ Written on 2007-02-04

"I found this book incredibly helpful when I was dealing with the death of my husband on 9/11. Even over 5 years later, I still refer to it for inspiration and have found the words to still ring true. I have found my way back to joy and this book offered me the light at the end of the tunnel during my long journey. I am forever indebted to John for his words."
~ Written on 2007-01-20

"A friend who lost her husband was helped quite a lot by this book, so I can't be too critical here. And judging by many rave reviews it has helped folks. However, I found very little unique material. If you've read a number of "self-help" books such as works by Pema Chodron, Eckhart Tolle, S. Levine, you know what deep, moving and inspiring books are like. This seemed too obvious, comprised of near-platitudes. I hope that anyone who is grieving and looking for help might do a little more research, or maybe just get this one from the library before buying. "
~ Written on 2007-01-04