MSI Press Blog

  In observance of poetry month, MSI Press would like to share with its readers and fans books from two authors worth reading: One will bring a comforting smile to an unbidden tear. The other will bring an outright laugh page after page. Time spent with comforting and/or happy thoughts is time well spent indeed. Marti Wells-Smith's  Lamentations of the Heart Mingled with Peace and Joy  combines prose and poetry in a comforting missive for bereaved parents. Through its pages, one finds not only the resilience of the author but sources for anyone to develop needed resilience in the face of devastating life circumstances. When it came out, it quickly became one of Amazon's "hot, new releases." Lamentations of the Heart soulfully combines contemporary free verse poetry and nonfictional prose to tell the story of one mother's grief following the death of her only child. The author interweaves scriptural passages with the inevitable struggles to accept and make sense of...

  Cancer, like other debilitating illnesses, require immense effort from those taking care of the cancer-stricken patient. This effort can be redoubled and accompanied by a range of personally invested emotions when the caregiver is a relative, particularly a spouse. Cleveland Clinic says"  Caregiver burnout is a state of physical, emotional and mental exhaustion that happens while you’re taking care of someone else. Stressed caregivers may experience fatigue, anxiety and depression.      To that, I would add anger -- followed by remorse. In waves and cycles. Never feeling good about yourself. And then feeling guilty from the sense of relief after the cancer-stricken relative dies. Being able to understand oneself and forgive oneself can lead to stabilization and at least some aspect of comfort (unfortunately, often months after the patient has died). This article can help wtih the understanding and forgiving part:  Caregiver Burnout: What It Is, Signs Yo...

Kelly James, author of the newly released, popular book  The Book That Almost Got Me Fired , was recently a guest on the Coffee, Grief, and Gratitude podcast in the episode, Grief Affects All of Me . From the website:  Kelly talks about her range of grief from divorce, to the death of her kids’ father, her dad’s death and more. In this engaging, funny, tender conversation Kelly offers fabulous suggestions, like instead of asking someone “How are you?” she asks, “How are you right this second?” Read the rest at the website:  Coffee, Grief, And Gratitude: “Grief Affects All of Me” with Kelly James on Apple Podcasts CURRENTLY #3 ON AMAZON'S LIST OF HOT NEW RELEASES. Book description: You're 52. Divorced. Single mom to a teenaged son and a tween daughter. Happily self-employed but worried about the cost of health insurance, the inevitable impact of perimenopause on your body, and whether you should keep dating a sexy plumber who's sweet and funny but lives an hour away ...

  Today's book excerpt comes from Widow: How to Survive (and Thrive!) in Your 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Years  by Joanna Romer. Year Two Carving Out a Place for Yourself Nothing in my previous experience prepared me for being a widow, not my 40 years of job experience, ranging from Cosmopolitan Magazine to St. John’s University; not my 25 years of marriage to my beloved husband, Jack; not even my five years of worrying about Jack as he slowly become fatally ill. The widow experience is, as I’m sure you’ll agree, unprecedented. We can’t sugarcoat being a widow. After a year of widowhood, you’ve probably figured that out. It’s hard, it’s a struggle, it’s not something that goes away like the flu. And, unless you get married again, you’re going to be a widow from now on. Yet, believe it or not, you can get used to it. I feel pretty good about my widow status now, although it’s taken me awhile the reach that plateau---4 ½ years. The first year was a killer, wasn’t it? The depression...

  The following post is from Pat Young, co-author of Life after Losing a Child . The holidays conjure up visions of families enjoying the festive atmosphere of Christmas. But it’s not so festive for everyone. One woman I interviewed while working on a book lost her son a few months before Christmas. The family kept him with them during the holidays by putting his photograph under the Christmas tree.                 “We had him with us for Christmas,” the grieving mother said.                 Another family kept their son’s memory alive by including his beloved dog in festivities. The dog had acquired many mannerisms from its late companion. Even questionable “dog manners” like begging at the dinner table were accepted with a smile and fond memories of the boy who would slip treats to the dog while eating dinner.    ...