My heart aches whenever someone I care about loses a loved one. I’m always looking for a gift that might bring a bit of comfort, beyond the usual sympathy card with a handwritten note or donation to a worthy cause. Lately, I’ve been giving a small book that stands apart from most books on grief.
Joanne Fink’s 4” x 6” illustrated book spoke to me. As is the case with most grief books, the author writes from the heart of her own despair. She lost her husband of 29 years unexpectedly from a heart attack in 2011, two days before their son’s 12th birthday. Unlike most authors, Fink brings to this effort her emotive calligraphy and illustrations.
After a ~300-word forward, you turn the page to the first idea, presented in black and white lettering on a minimalist landscape background: “When you lose someone you love you are forever changed.” Each subsequent page carries you forward on a gentle journey. Fonts and backgrounds match the realizations and feelings, transforming platitudes into comforting humanity.
Three-quarters through the book, a few brushstrokes of color grace the background. The transition is subtle and easily missed until a few pages later, when you realize the illustrations are now full color. Purples, greens and oranges plant seeds of hope—hope that “after awhile, it [the pain] does get easier to bear.”
While gifting this book to those suffering from a grieving heart, I’m praying it helps them feel understood, cared about, and hopeful.
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