Grief. Whether through the death of a loved one, a shattering divorce, a mass tragedy, or other life-altering loss, grief is a common experience of humankind. When Sally Miller became a 24-year-old widow with two young children, she did not know where to turn. Confused, angry, and devastated, she soon realized that she was not alone, that many others had comparable responses to their different losses. And that talking with each other helped. This led her to develop a Grief Support Group. Decades later, using Sally's topics and experience, many similar groups are located around the country, where anyone who is grieving can find techniques and tools, friendship and support, no matter what their age or circumstance.

Mourning and Dancing: The Group offers a valuable curriculum to help others set up a group in their community that will enable grieving people to begin their journey toward healing through proven methods and suggestions on how to deal with the realities of grief while shaping positive thought processes that can carry them into the days and years to come.

When we allow ourselves to mourn, we celebrate the dance, and, in our hearts, life keeps beating.

Everyone grieves-some of us more than others, few of us well. Burying a spouse, a child, a parent, a sibling, or any person you love-under any circumstance-changes almost everything. Most survivors grow tired of pretending that this is not so.

This moving story is the thirty-year chronicle of a young widow with two small children who grieved by blocking out pain, plowing ahead, and, yes, pretending she was fine. She told herself if she was able to carve out a successful career, everything else would be okay. Years later, she discovered that others were dealing with grief in their own, also cumbersome, ways. None of them-her included-were doing as fine as they claimed. Finally, through research, listening, and learning, she discovered some truths about personal healing that helped her find healthy resilience. Since then, she has assisted countless others in finding their own path along the challenging journey of grief, and has helped establish numerous support groups around the country.

For 25 years, readers have embraced Mourning and Dancing with gratitude for its gentle guidance and sincere comfort. If you are seeking healing and resilience after any loss-regardless of how many years have passed-this book is for you. It is also for friends and loved ones who might be grieving, too. If you would like to join or start a support group based on the knowledge and experience the author has compiled, look for the companion book Mourning and Dancing: The Group, available in stores and online in print and ebook formats.

When we allow ourselves to mourn, we celebrate the dance, and, in our hearts, life keeps beating.

Robert Downham died on Wednesday, August 23, 1967, of Reticulum Cell Sarcoma. Three weeks before he died, he did not know he was sick. Nine days after diagnosis, he was dead. This is his story, and the story of Sally, his young wife and mother of his two young children, and all the others whose lives touched his life - and who had to go on living. It is about life and death and grief and the lessons that the survivors learned. This inspiring work chronicles Sally Miller's thirty-year journey of grief and recovery. A professional educator, Dr. Miller has constructed a book that leads readers through their grief as they read about hers. Along with her own moving story, Miller provides a framework that readers can use to identify and process their own grief. Mourning and Dancing is designed for people who are trying to cope with any loss, even if years have passed since the loss or losses occurred. Its format includes true-life stories of the author's family and individuals with whom she has walked through grief.

The vignette style of presentation allows the newly aggrieved to read the book in small doses, a key ingredient for healing. Written after thirty years of learning, this touching book will show readers how to incorporate loss into their lives, how to live with the pain, and how to have hope and heal as a result of that brave endeavor.