THE CRITICS ALL AGREE! Lynn Kelly's book is a smash hit! “…an extraordinarily helpful little book by Lynn Kelly.” Jane Brody,New York Times “Consolation is where inadequacy meets fear. It happens to all of us all too often. And Lynn Kelly can help.” Eric Zorn, Chicago Tribune "It's a great little book. Very helpful." The Today Show “Lynn Kelly has done the impossible. She has filled that verbal void that we all enter like a black hole when confronted with the bereaved.” Darlene McCarthy, WRKO, Boston “…a little book packed with a lot of emotion and sound advice we all could use…contains a lot of heartfelt common sense designed to help us all get through troubling times together.” Tom Walker, Books Editor, The Denver Post “The longer we live, the more we encounter the deaths of others. And yet, all too often, no one teaches us how to deal with it, how to comfort friends, what to say and, just as important, what not to say. Enter Lynn Kelly’s modest but profound book." James B. Meadow, Denver Rocky Mountain News “The book offers a number of thoughtful gestures that speak volumes to grieving friends.” Rick Nathanson, The Albuquerque Journal “This is a book that touched me, enraged me, made me laugh, cry and remember. I remembered those who have gone before and those I could not bear to lose. The truth is here, in a way that provides better advice and more insight than a hundred grief therapy books. It is the human experience…shared.” Greg Moody, Author/Reporter, KCNC TV “This small book fills a large void in helping friends figure out how to show their support to those who have lost a loved one. Full of practical advice culled from interviews with survivors of all ages, the book suggests things to say and do and what not to say or do —an invaluable guide for friends of survivors.” Tom Auer, Publisher, Bloomsbury Review “Immediate first reaction: IT’S ABOUT TIME! A much-needed addition for anyone and everyone who has faced separation through death. I wish I had this resource a long time ago. Copies will be kept on hand for instantaneous gifts when needed.” Holly Bartges, Quest Magazine Coping with death is never easy. It comes at all the wrong times to all the wrong people -- it may be expected or sudden, through every imaginable illness or by suicide, murder, terrible accident or diseases like Covid. When the bereaved is a good friend, it can be very difficult to know what to say or do to bring him or her some measure of comfort. I was widowed at a relatively young age (34), left with three small children, and have since lost my father, mother and many other family members and friends. This little book began as a guide to help friends know what to say and do to help a friend who has lost a loved one. I have come to believe that the people best qualified to make suggestions are those who have themselves lost an immediate family member. With that in mind, I conducted in-depth interviews with survivors who had lost husbands, wives, children, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, grandmothers, and grandfathers. They talked about what friends did, in the first few weeks after the death and over time, that helped them. They also talked about what did not help. The people I spoke with ranged in age from 17 to 90, lived across the United States and Canada, in tiny rural towns and major metropolitan areas. Their incomes ranged from near nothing to extreme wealth (billions). They represented a variety of ethnicities and races. They were religious people and those who practiced no faith. From farmers to executives, teachers to soldiers. Lawyers, doctors, nurses, entrepreneurs, and on and on. What is instantly clear is how kind friends are to one another. They were our neighbors, our friends.