Seasons of Solace by Janelle Shantz Hertzler with a Back Cover Review

I would like to give a copy of this book to someone who needs it (or who knows someone who needs it)...please leave a comment on this post if you would like it - I'm sorry, no overseas entrants please. One person will be selected to receive a copy.

Tomorrow: an interview with the author, Janelle Shantz Hertzler!

Janelle has the heart of a warrior and the voice of a poet. Seasons of Solace is the story of her battle with grief and journey to healing. Each picture is poignant and haunting. They give voice to the paradox of life and death coexisting in nature’s beauty and heartache. Our five-year-old described the photographs as “heavenly.”

Janelle’s achingly honest words told in what I would define as free verse (my favorite kind of poetry! I seldom like the rhyming stuff) get straight to the heart of hurt. In these pages are laid out one woman’s experience with loss and her struggle to comprehend God’s purpose in it all. And in her singular experience there is the commonality of our individual pain. Her poetry played a chord not only with my own experiences with unexpected loss, but also with the resulting anger that I felt towards God during those seasons (my grandma’s horrible death with emphysema, a miscarriage…).

I think that one of the most freeing understandings in my life was when I realized that it’s okay to be angry with God. He’s big enough, He can take it, and my anger does not catch Him by surprise. Ultimately, I wrestled to the conclusion that God is not the author or cause of pain and suffering, but my Comforter, my Healer and the Redeemer of everything – but I had to allow Him to carry me through the dark path of suffering to arrive in a place of wholeness on the other side.

Are these words to tell a friend when they’re in the middle of the pain? I don’t think so. It is better to listen, to just say “I’m sorry for your loss” and hug them and cry with them or to let them hear the words of someone shouting out in pain with them…that could be the best way to comfort them…

Seasons of Solace:

In shock after her husband was killed by a drunk driver while living in Thailand, Janelle Shantz Hertzler began searching for a way through the pain. Her struggle to make sense of her loss and find peace resulted in this moving collection. Told through heart-felt poetry and inspiring photography, Seasons of Solace expresses the spiritual journey of a grieving woman moving toward acceptance.

Though written from one person's perspective, Hertzler's poems and photographs reflect the universal experience of losing a loved one. Within the narrative lie broader truths of life and death, love and sorrow, allowing each reader to find his or her own story in its pages.

Janelle Shantz Hertzler:

Janelle was born in Alberta, Canada. She spent eight years living in Thailand, teaching English and working in leadership development. She is currently earning her master's in conflict transformation. A self-employed consultant, retreat leader, and spiritual director, she lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, with her son, Micah. You can learn more about Hertzler and Seasons of Solace at http://www.journey-through-grief.com/.

Paula D'Arcy, author of When People Grieve says this about Janelle's book, "Janelle Hertzler's spare words take you to deep worlds. Brushing aside all unnecessary syllables, she unveils grief as the blow that it is, and the gift it can be. Through her images, she invites the reader to stand with her before the unchangeable, and learn not to turn away. A beautiful telling."

Website

Janelle has also created a website for people who are working through grief. On the Seasons of Solace. section of the site, you will find more information about the book.

Janelle offers moving Seasons of Solace poetry readings to churches, book clubs and support groups.

http://www.journey-through-grief.com/