Remembering Lives

Grief is frequently thought of as an ordeal we must simply survive. This book offers a fresh approach to the negotiation of death and grief. It is founded in principles of constructive conversation that focus on "remembering" lives, in contrast to processes of forgetting or dismembering those who have died. Re-membering is about a comforting, life enhancing, and sustaining approach to death that does not dwell on the pain of loss and is much more than wistful reminiscing. It is about the deliberate construction of stories that continue to include the dead in the membership of our lives.

Lorraine Hedtke, John Winslade

Chapter One Why Remember? Chapter Two Death and Grief in the Modern World Chapter Three Constructing Death Chapter Four Death Doesn't Mean Saying Goodbye Chapter Five Who Will Carry My Stories? Chapter Six How Can We Stay Close? Chapter Seven Keeping a Plate Set for Grandma Chapter Eight Narratives or Spirituality Chapter Nine Troubling Memories Chapter Ten The Beginning References Index