Love Is Never Lost

Book excerpt: Grief is an intimate, personal pain that is often hard to discuss, even years after loss. For some of us, grief begins before a loved one passes as we watch their health deteriorate before our eyes. For Tori Parris, grief grew in waves that hit suddenly and hard. It began with a little nagging feeling that something was wrong one evening when her daddy didn’t finish his spaghetti, his favorite meal. His strawberry cheesecake sat untouched. He reassured Tori that he was fine, that he just didn’t have much of an appetite, but over the next few weeks, he hardly ate a thing. Her momma finally demanded that they go to the doctor’s office. After some tests, they heard the dreaded “c” word. Pancreatic cancer. And it had spread to other organs. In Love Is Never Lost: Standing Strong in Faith While Grieving, Tori shares her profound journey of holding on to faith while dealing with loss. “My faith was challenged, deconstructed, and rebuilt stronger,” she says. Tori offers words of comfort to those who are preparing for a loss, experiencing loss, or seeking to better understand the pain a loved one is going through. She provides suggestions for coping with grief as well as prayers that guide one spiritually through the grieving process. “One day, we will all come face to face with the certainty of our mortality,” Tori writes. “It is my sincerest hope that by reading the pages of this book, you receive hope for the journey.”