Synopses & Reviews
"Where is the handbook for widows?" Mary Kenyon lamented as she planned a funeral for the beloved husband whose triumph over cancer she chronicled in
Chemo-Therapist: How Cancer Cured a Marriage. During the ensuing weeks, as she attempted to make sense of his untimely death, she filled two journals, blogged, and read the inspirational writings of others who had gone down the road of grief before her--authors like C.S. Lewis and Madeleine L'Engle. She eventually found herself studying grief and bereavement in her quest to unearth answers to alleviating the pain associated with profound loss. In the process, she discovered a strength and emotional reserve she didn't know she had, along with an evolving faith that helped her face the impending loss of an eight-year-old grandson.
"In the midst of the darkness of loss, I found light. Admittedly, in those first weeks, it might have been but a single small spark I sensed deep inside of me, but that spark guided me in the twisted, dark journey of grief. As I stumbled over the roots of hopelessness and despair, that light grew to illuminate my path, a path I sometimes felt very alone on. At some point in the journey I'd turned around, and there was God.
"That is grace."
In beautiful prose, touching metaphors and stories, and actual journal entries, Mary Potter Kenyon provides a balm for the grieving soul.
Review
When we experience grief, what we long for most is the hand of someone who knows the depth of our pain.
Refined by Fire is a friend's hand as you travel your journey of loss. It is the gentle, compassionate voice of someone who's walked in your shoes and who knows the rocks beneath your feet. Mary Kenyon brings practical experience clothed in gentle grace, unflinching truth, and unwavering hope. I recommend this book to pastors, therapists, and anyone who has lost a loved one.
--Shelly Beach, Award-winning author of 10 books, including Precious Lord, Take My Hand, Managing editor, Hope in the Mourning Bible (Zondervan 2013), Co-founder of PTSDPerspectives.org, Caring.com expert, ShellyBeachOnline.org/PTSDPerspectives.com
"Mary Kenyon's Refined by Fire reminds me of my grandmother, Madeleine L'Engle, who taught so many of us that writing can be a form of prayer that leads us to grace. I was moved to read how her influence inspired Mary to write and heal as well. Mary's writing style is extremely accessible, and her voice raw, authentic and brave. By the end I was crying with her. I would definitely recommend her book to anyone who is going through any type of loss."
--Léna Roy, granddaughter of Madeleine L'Engle, author of Edges, and seasoned writing instructor and Program Manager for Writopia Lab, a not-for-profit dedicated to empowering youth through creative writing.
"Not long into the writers' workshop I was teaching on a Midwestern college campus, a woman in the front row of desks began to weep. I didn't know why at the time. But I sensed I was witness to something holy happening in that room. The book you hold in your hands is a result of that holy moment when the God of heaven gave the author permission to write out of the midst of her pain to provide a holding-on place for others in theirs. Mary Potter Kenyon's breathtakingly real thoughts reveal that razor edge where despair dances with hope and the ugly becomes elegant. I'm already creating a list of those laid on my heart to receive the gift of the story of Mary's grief journey."
--Cynthia Ruchti, author of Ragged Hope: Surviving the Fallout of Other People's Choices
Synopsis
• Cecil Murphey will help promote the book to his circle of influence • Women's groups and writer's conferences lectures throughout the country • National blog tour focused on grief needs • National magazine, newspaper, and social media outreach • National advertising in Caregiver publications
Synopsis
Having experienced the loss of a mother, husband, and grandson in the space of three years, author Mary Potter Kenyon, author of Chemo-Therapist: How Cancer Cured a Marriage wrote her way out of the abyss of grief. Refined By Fire: A Journey of Grief and Grace chronicles a personal faith journey that offers hope and encouragement to anyone grieving a loved one.
About the Author
Mary Potter Kenyon graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with a BA in Psychology and is the Director of the Winthrop Public Library. She is widely published in magazines, newspapers, and anthologies. Her essay on the connection between grief and creativity was published in the January/February 2013 issue of Poets and Writers magazine and she wrote several of the devotions included in the NIV Hope in the Mourning Bible released by Zondervan in 2013. Mary writes a weekly couponing column for the Dubuque Telegraph Herald and conducts writing and couponing workshops for women's groups, libraries, and community colleges. Mary's public speaking repertoire includes the topics of couponing, writing, utilizing your talents in your everyday life, and finding hope and healing in grief. This is Mary's third book published by Familius. Coupon Crazy: The Science, the Savings, and the Stories Behind America's Extreme Obsession was published in 2013, and Chemo-Therapist: How Cancer Cured a Marriage was released in April 2014. Mary lives in Manchester, Iowa, with three of her eight children.New York Times bestselling co-author of 90 Minutes in Heaven.
Table of Contents
• Journal Entry: Grief at Ten and a Half Weeks • Chapter 1: A Scene of Domestic Bliss • Chapter 2: Faith of Our Mothers • Chapter 3: Making Sense of It All • Chapter 4: Finding My Way • Chapter 5: Word Study • Chapter 6: Reading Grief • Chapter 7: A Study of Grief • Chapter 8: Glimmers of Hope • Chapter 9: Driving Miss Mary • Chapter 10: Grave Decisions • Blog Posting, Grief at Twenty Weeks • Chapter 11: Tuesdays With Mary • Chapter 12: Be Still • Chapter 13: With This Ring, I Thee Wed • Chapter 14: My World Gets Bigger • Chapter 15: To Heck With the Holidays • Chapter 16: The First Christmas • Chapter 17: A New Year, Another Challenge • Chapter 18: A Season of Illness • Chapter 19: The Ides of March • Chapter 20: A Cursory Anniversary • Chapter 21: The Force Be With You • Journal Entry, July 6, 2013 • Chapter 22: Lights Out • Blog Posting, A Force Stronger Than Death • Chapter 23: A Room of One's Own • Epilogue, December 2013