Prayers, Texts and Tears

A creative response to grief

by Dai Woolridge

This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.

Buy on Amazon Buy on BN.com Buy on Bookshop.org

*This page contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.

Pub Date Feb 17 2017 | Archive Date Oct 27 2017

Lion Hudson Plc | Monarch Books

Christian | Nonfiction (Adult)

Description

Looking for an honest response to grief and loss that uses accessible language, and real emotion? This soul-bearing book by poet Dai Woolridge gives you the words to articulate loss, and better understand it's impact, whether personally, in the lives of those you know. An invaluable read in growing you sympathy and understanding. How do we respond to God, our family, and our colleagues when our whole world is shattered by the death of a loved one? For Spoken Word artist Dai Woolridge, there were sometimes no words. In this honest and personal story of grief, Dai offers a creative response to God. Working through a timeline of grief, he shares his experience of burn-out, anti-depressants and the question of why doesn't God heal? Using poetry, prayers and scripture, Dai looks back at his cries to God, and His words back to him. This is a book that will give words to those who are going through personal loss, and for those who have grieved, are grieving or have never yet grieved.

Looking for an honest response to grief and loss that uses accessible language, and real emotion? This soul-bearing book by poet Dai Woolridge gives you the words to articulate loss, and better...

A Note From the Publisher

Dai Woolridge is the voice behind ‘Spoken Truth’ an online vehicle for promoting Gospel Truth through Spoken Word. Dai produces short films of his spoken word which are available to watch, share, download, and to be a resource. He lives in Pontypridd, South Wales.

NB: This is an unproofed copy of this text. Changes may be made to the final copy of this book.

Advance Praise

"Dai is a born writer and a brilliant communicator. Not many can cut to the nub of an issue with warmth, humour and accessibility - especially a big subject like grief. Dai has just the right amount of playfulness in his bones to connect with people but make them think...he's got talent in spades and thankfully he's shovelled those spades into this book!"

Paul Karensa, Comedian and Writer (Miranda, Top Gear, Not Going Out).

“Dai’s writing is a rare gift to us all. He has the creative soul of a poet combined with the straightforward honesty of a friend. You’ll feel like you know him, as you share this personal but powerfully uplifting book. These carefully crafted pages and prayers are sure to be a blessing to us all as we all navigate the realities of life and death together.”

Cathy Madavan. Speaker (Spring Harvest planning group) and Author of Digging Up Diamonds.

Available Editions

EDITION	Other Format
ISBN	9780857217776
PRICE	$11.99 (USD)

Additional Information

Average rating from 8 members

See all member reviews

Featured Reviews

Library G, Reviewer

This book was very timely for me and I found Dai's openness very refreshing and healing. Grief isn't necessarily as a result of losing someone but in this case it was.

Dai he didn't have much time between learning about his fathers illness and his death, not that anything can prepare you for losing someone you love. His emotions were all over the place, this saw him questioning his faith, then leaning into it, coping with the diagnosis of depression and accepting these new feelings and working through them.

I liked the Dai Dictionary throughout the book, it was both entertaining and a learning tool but even more I thought it was great that he referred to God's work throughout with bible verses and prayer.

There were two parts of the book that really struck a chord with me, equally so. The first is the Prayers throughout which were done first from Dai and the second prayer he has written from the perspective of God. The moving prayer from the book consisted of Dai's prayer being blank (he was really struggling) and the prayer from God being so intimate and loving.
Dai's Prayer ...
God's Response: I hear you. Every silence. Every pause. Every intake of breath followed with no words. Know I hear them all. I know. I hear. So know that I AM here.

The second part of the book that was moving for me was the chapter written by Dai's wife Cath. From a wife's perspective I see it as a love letter to her husband. I will end with the words that Cath wrote that were perhaps the most intimate in the whole book.
"I have seen beauty in the brokenness like no other beauty I have experienced...I have seen it in Dafs and known it in me. This loss has left us both with a limp but somehow it's a beautiful limp."

Was this review helpful?

Enya N, Reviewer

This book is a beautiful reckoning with grief. The author writes about dealing with the passing of his father, with whom he has had a close relationship. Dai Woolridge does not offer platitudes, or quick fixes, or a seven-step program for healing. He grapples with the realities of pain, mental health and faith. I loved his creative and honest prayers, even if I couldn't connect with many of the "RE: PRAYER" sections of the book where he writes responses to his prayers from God. I like that he included his wife's perspective in the last chapter, in which she talks about the very complex grieving process of those who walk beside grievers.