What buyers are saying about A Different Season:
"Extremely helpful for grieving people who do not have a long attention span because of their grieving. The meditations are meaningful, and the information very useful."
Phyllis Thompson
St. Andrew's Bookstore, Jackson, MS
"The finest qualities of A Different Season are its unique approach in dealing with death, its practicality and superb organization."
Leslie Krauledis
Carmelite Gift Shop, Darien, IL
"Consumers have told me A Different Season is a practical book which provides crucial grief information, comfort and, quite frankly, is like no other grief book written."
Johnnie Summers
Bakers Bookstore, Los Angeles, CA
"A Different Season contains essential elements for helping one understand and endure the grief process. It helps those weathering the storm find words to express the depth of their pain, yet, it is also faithful to offer them a glimpse of light, no false hope, to which they may cling until the skies begin to clear."
Brent Powell
Director Chaplain Services
St. Jude Children's Hospital, Memphis, TN
What reviewers are saying about A Different Season:
"Pfeiffer tackles anger, guilt, control, sex, time, memory and other issues that trail in death's wake. The seasons of the year help illustrate the journey facing survivors. It's a concise book which gives readers comfort, concrete information and hope."
Mary Powers
The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, TN
"One of the best qualities of this book is its organization. The author knows grief through his own losses and is able to express clearly the aching experienced by the bereaved."
Mary Etta Keifer
The Message, Indiana
"A remarkable book that offers an innovative approach to grief. A very good book for the bereaved who will allow themselves to measure their own needs as they read what they feel helps them at the moment. Everything is brief. That's a gift in this book. Helpful to counselors, caregivers, support groups, libraries and an outstanding gift item."
Rev. Richard B. Gilbert
Director, World Pastoral Care Center
"This book is more of a practical help book. That's what we like about it. These types of books have proven to be supportive and very well utilized by families."
Alliance Hospice, Methodist Healthcare, Memphis, TN
"Provides readers practical tips on grieving along with prayers for meditation and spiritual comfort. The book is an easy read that readers may want to use for daily meditations. Its short length is deceiving, as readers may find themselves led to longer periods of reflection."
Gary Loncki
Lake Shore Visitor, Erie, PA
"A Different Season, in a gentle way, brings up issues a grieving person might not even realize. It's one of the best approaches to dealing with death I've seen in a long time. The book reassures the reader that there is no right or wrong way to grieve. Pfeiffer has woven reflections on the seasons, reminding readers that time is of the greatest assistance when facing the death of a loved one."
Barbara Stinson Lee
Intermountain Catholic
"When faced with the death of a loved one, people are often comforted by reflecting on nature. The cycle of life causes trees to drop their leaves only to sprout new ones after a few months. A Different Season is a personal guide to grieving, and it uses the rhythm of seasonal change to guide those left behind through their mourning.
A Different Season is organized into four parts; each is paired with a particular season. The seasons are arranged to reflect the order of emotions a mourner will likely encounter. The first section, "Chilling Visions of Wintertime," describes the sense of bleakness that frequently accompanies the first moments of grief. Next, "Evolving Landscapes of Autumn" focuses on how life will feel changed and in transition after losing a loved one. The third section, "Reaping the Harvests of Summer," describes the confusing moments when life seems to contain joy and hope through grief is still present.
Pfeiffer's tone is well-matched to the purpose of the book: to comfort and to guide. His reflections on what the reader may be feeling are both accurate and insightful. But while the book contains a range of helpful advice for coping with loss, it reads like the generic pamphlets found in a funeral home. And A Different Season addresses a limited audience since much of the mediation included for comfort requires a belief in God.
The most effective feature of the book is the "Healthy Thought" items that are included on almost every page. These thoughts cut to the chase of how to cope with loss by reminding the reader of what they are too distracted to acknowledge. For example, he notes, "the most loving tribute you can give to the one you lost is to love and care for yourself" and "the intensity of what you are feeling will eventually diminish." While in the midst of grief, it is easy to forget to take care of oneself and it is easy to think that the pain will never go away. The daily affirmations contained in A Different Season can protect mourners from ever reaching the depths of true dispair."
Grieving can be a messy business. Those who have suffered pain and loss know that the path that leads us toward coping with and integrating those realities into our lives is not straight. At times we may feel that we have our emotions under control, that we can "handle it," and then, suddenly, grief seems to loop around and we are hit by overwhelming feelings of sadness. Recently, there have been several articles written to remind us that grieving is not limited by time. There has been some rethinking about the stages of grief that Elizabeth Kubler-Ross wrote about in Death and Dying. This book is not messy. I lent it to a colleague who was researching what books were available on grief - there are many - and what ones might be most helpful to parishioners seeking her counsel. What appealed to her was the refreshing directness of this book. While the writing and meditations are concise and to the point, I think the directness is a reflection of the way it is organized, as well.
It is divided into the four seasons beginning with "Chilling Visions of Wintertime" and (going "backwards") ending with "Surprising Moments of Springtime." Although the book is divided the way it is, it does not adhere to a timeline and there is nothing to stop the reader from going back and forth and finding whatever meditations and thoughts seem to help. The one page readings are down to earth. A good example is one in the middle of the book about expectations that, among other things, advises readers to be realistic, accept their humanity and live each day in the present moment without trying to solve all their problems and predict the future. At the end of each "season" is a self-assessment inventory which is simple, but could well trigger some soul-searching. Under "How Am I Coping?", the 10 to 1 scale goes from "Appropriately Healthy" to "Inappropriately Destructive." "What Intensity of Anger Do I Have?" has a scale from "None" to "Furious." There are two appendices and an index, all helpful. A page near the end directs the readers to say to themselves, "I will attend to my grief as long as I need to."
This book is small enough to carry around and that is a plus. I think that if I were using this book for myself, I would read other books to supplement it, but this would be the one I would make notes in, scribble in and stick in my purse or pocket. In addition to getting this book for yourself, it is possible to order this book from the author who will sign it, enclose a handwritten message from you, and send to whomever you wish - a thoughtful gift for someone who needs the support this book would provide.
Rev. Suzanne Hope Graham, M.Div., BCC
For ordering information, please contact us or feel free to order directly from our Ordering page.
