Paula D’Arcy is a writer, playwright, retreat leader, and conference and seminar speaker. In 2001 she established the Red Bird Foundation, which supports the growth and spiritual development of those in need throughout the world, including men and women in prison. The foundation has sponsored two international gatherings of women known as WOMENSPEAK that have honored the woman’s voice as a force of peace and healing for the world. A former psychotherapist, Paula survived the deaths of her husband and young daughter in an accident in 1975. She was three months pregnant at the time.
In this prayerbook for the grieving, Paula D'Arcy shares her excruciating experiences of loss and points the way for others out of the darkness and into the light. She doesn't sugarcoat moments of anger at God, feelings of desperation, pain over the shattering of her dreams, and deep sadness over the realization that her loved ones will never return.
But the path of grief also includes hints of grace and intimations of hope. She prays to God: "I've denied so much about what life really is. Give me new eyes. I'm like a stone you're wearing smooth. Help me surrender the old me so that my soul will open up." D'Arcy feels her heart opening once again with a new awareness that her life is not over, just the life she had in the past. Glints of happiness shine through all the darkness, and she experiences a new appreciation of God's presence and love for her during this period of grief. Last but not least, D'Arcy has moments of freedom and hope which she takes as signs of renewal.
Rivers of Sorrow, Currents of Hope will speak to anyone immobilized by loss.
