Grieving Room: Making Space for All the Hard Things after Death and Loss

Leanne Friesen

Feb 2024 · Christian Audio · Narrated by Sarah Zimmerman

About this audiobook

When we lose someone we love, we are forever changed. When our person dies, our grief needs room. Leanne Friesen thought she knew a lot about bereavement. She had studied it in school and preached at memorial services. But only when her own sister died from cancer did she learn, in her very bones, what grieving people don't need-and what they do. In Grieving Room, Friesen writes with vulnerability, wisdom, and somehow even wit about the stark and sacred lessons learned at deathbeds and funerals. When someone dies, we need room for imperfect goodbyes, she writes, and room for a changing faith. We need room for regret and room to rage at the world. Room for hard holidays and room in our schedules. We need room for redemption and room for resurrection-and we also need room to never "get over it." In this poignant account of a sister's mourning and a pastor's journey, Friesen pushes back against a world that wants to minimize our sorrow and avoid our despair. She helps those of us walking with the grieving figure out what to say and what not to say, and she offers practical ways to create ample space for every emotion and experience. Reflection questions, practices, and prayers at the end of the book offer guidance and ideas for individuals and groups.

About the author

Leanne Friesen is an author, speaker, grief educator, ordained minister, and curator of the popular Grieving Room Instagram account. She has pastored for twenty years and serves as a conference and retreat speaker across Canada. She lives with her husband and two children in Hamilton, Ontario.

Sarah Zimmerman is an Audie Award-nominated narrator, having recorded over 100 books to date, and has an extensive theater career. She has performed on Broadway, in regional theaters across America, and in numerous guest-starring TV roles. Sarah is a graduate of The Boston Conservatory and the Old Globe/USD.