Published Books – Page 2

My Self-Publishing Adventure Continues – The Books Have Arrived!

MY BOOKS HAVE ARRIVED! Those who wish to purchase a copy, please message, phone or e-mail me and I will make arrangements to get a signed copy to you. My book, “10 – A Story of Love, Life, and Loss” is an inspirational memoir/cancer journey/love story, and is available at this time as a paperback, $17 CAN, plus shipping if I need to send it to you.

Books are still available on-line: hard cover, paperback, E-book at amazon.ca, chapters.indigo.ca, bookstore.balboapress.com, barnesandnoble.com, amazon.com.

Reader response so far has been good. Check out this review from Sharon Sinclair, poetryspeaker.com:

“Barbara Heagyʼs exquisite story of love, life and loss is perfectly titled. Through her poignant recollection of ten precious years, many of lifeʼs dramatic themes unfold: birth..death, joy..sadness, hope…despair, denial..acceptance, loss…gain. By inviting readers to participate in the delicate balance between these polarities, we are privileged to share an intimate glimpse into loveʼs extraordinary bonds.

Barbaraʼs gifts as a story teller are readily evident in the skillful way she wraps her audience into her journals with a warm embrace. You will laugh and weep and rejoice in the human spiritʼs victory over death.

For a reader who has confronted cancer, or any other hideous illness, Barbaraʼs poetic account of her own journey will resonate with a healing energy that uplifts and inspires.

With sensitivity and wisdom, Barbara offers advice on how to cultivate a state of grace and gratitude for every aspect of our remarkable lives. Represented by the numeral that has such symbolic meaning for this talented author, Barbara Heagyʼs work scores a perfect 10!”

Also, check out my writer page at www.facebook.com/barbaraheagywriter. If you like what you see, click “Like” at the top of the page or leave a comment. I would love to hear from you.

My New Book – 10 – A Story of Love, Life, and Loss

I am very pleased and excited to announce that my new book is now available.

It can be ordered on-line at amazon.ca, amazon.com, chapters.indigo.ca, barnesandnoble.com, bookstore.balboapress.com in paperback, hard cover or E-book form.

10 – A Story of Love, Life, and Loss is the true story of a couple in midlife who found each other and then, after receiving a cancer diagnosis, learned to face losing each other. Over the course of ten years, Tom and Barb developed from long-time friends to lovers to committed spouses. In their tenth year, when Tom was given a terminal diagnosis of small cell lung cancer, he faced it head-on, saying, “I wasn’t given a death sentence. I was given a life sentence.” The couple’s love for life and for each other carried them through a seven-month cancer journey with courage, perseverance, persistence, and gratitude. This raw, emotional story is based on the author’s journals. Its honesty and intimacy may inspire and uplift you as you trace their journey. Their story is a reminder to all of us to live life with gratitude and zest, fulfilling all our hearts’ desires in the time we are given.

“10—A Story of Love, Life, and Loss is a heartfelt story of courage and love. When you are faced with the impossible, what do you do? Barb generously shares her intimate journey, seamlessly flowing between raw journal entries and emails to and from supporting family, friends and community. Woven in are endearing flashbacks of her and Tom’s love story, as he—her soulmate—slips away from her. An inspiring story which can be a comfort for anyone facing a devastating challenge. Beautifully, honestly and passionately written.”

Gloria Nye, Spiral Press.

Lay Me Down

Karen and I met for tea today. She is deeply grieving her beloved husband who passed away just weeks ago. Every day she visits the grave site still fresh with dirt and flowers.

“I can’t go on. Today I just wanted to lay down right there in the grass and mud and die beside him,” she sobbed.

I told her, “Then you should have. It’s okay to feel what you are feeling, and think what you are thinking. You have had a great loss. If you wanted to lie down right then and there, then you should have just done it. There’s no wrong here. It’s okay to meet the grief head-on and yield to it and your feelings.”

What I didn’t say is this . . .

“As you’re lying there in the dirt, maybe, after a while, you will realize that you’re still alive, and it’s cold on the ground, and you are hungry, and the kids need to be picked up. And because you are still alive, there are things you must do to keep living.

“And when you stand up, you will still be sad and filled with grief at the loss of your husband, but you will go on. Not with him walking beside you, but in a new way.”

Cheryl Strayed, writer, has said, “If it is impossible for you to go on as you were before, so you must go on as you never have.”

Give yourself permission, the right to grieve as long as you need to and whatever way you need to. Rest, pause, from life for a time but then get up, brush yourself off and go on.

“Ah, but the sweetness is gone out of life,” you cry.

You are surrounded by sweetness – the sun beaming down from a blue sky, a child’s bubble of laughter, a fragrant flower. When you are ready to look up, you will see it. Today you are blinded by grief and the painful reminders that you will never have yesterday’s sweetness again. But tomorrow’s sweetness is waiting patiently for you – just up ahead.

(A revised copy of this entry is in “Good Grief People”, authors Barbara Heagy, Alan Anderson, Glynis M. Belec, Ruth Smith-Meyer, Donna Mann, Carolyn Wilker.)