Description
This book is an honest faith-based look at the grieving process, including the 5 stages of grief, and lesser-covered aspects of grief, such as crisis of faith, strain on marriage, pressure to “move on,” and how one real family found light as they navigated the experience. While the circumstances surrounding the narrative are specifically related to child loss, Joy Comes in the Mourning offers hope for people enduring grief of any kind.
This is the eBook version. Upon purchase, you will be given a download link and password to use to download the file. Follow link to purchase the paperback copy of Joy Comes in the Mourning.
About the Author
Jessica has been a teacher, musician, entrepreneur, wife, and mother. She discovered a passion for telling true stories following the passing of her son and blogs on grief and marriage at www.heartfullypresent.com. Jessica and her husband share their hearts with four miracle children, and on any given day can be found working together at the kitchen table or living at the local baseball fields. This memoir is Jessica’s debut book, written in celebration of her son LJ’s 10th birthday.
Michelle Wandell –
Wow! This book has pulled at my heart strings! Reading this book has opened my eyes in so many ways. I have not lost a child, but I lost my nephew. This not only helped me go through grief for myself, it gave me and in-depth perspective of what my dear sister experienced, and still experiences. I would recommend this to anyone who is dealing with loss of any kind. And truly, to family members, so we can get a realization of how to help. You can tell that the things Jessica wrote in this book are things that anyone would feel, but things that are too hard to talk about. Thank you for opening your heart and pouring it out for us. I have truly been touched by LJ’s story.
Karen Beckmann –
This is an amazing book for anyone going through grief any kind of grief!!
I’m sure we have all experienced in one form or fashion…loss of a loved one, job, medical situation or a relationship. Plus I’m sure we have all said the wrong thing to someone going through their grieving process thinking we were going to say something profound , but, we don’t. We just upset them more unknowingly and unintentionally.
After reading this book it has helped me with my own grieving process and understanding that each step is personal and the time it takes to get through each step is just as personal.
I think sometimes we feel we need to be 100% to everyone and feel guilty when we aren’t. That we are suppose to be strong all the time. ( it’s hard when you are the one going through something and you have to be the strong one for all those around you-family and friends that just can’t handle or help in the situation)
So, this book is a must read.. real and emotional and gives you
“permission “ to grieve in your own time!
Jessica thank you for sharing such a powerful message through this book.
Your strength, faithfulness and love are a blessing to all that know you and will be a blessing to all those who read and reread this book
Susan –
So much gratitude for this book, which tugs at the heartstrings on so many levels. Joy Comes in the Mourning teaches us that what we feel when we are grieving, all of it…. is okay.
Jessica Allen’s writing gives hope, even in the darkest hour. This book is for anyone who has experienced loss, or knows someone who has. It is heart wrenching, uplifting, beautiful, and joyous.
Julie –
This is the book I desperately needed after going through my own loss. Through a simple and honest sharing of her own experiences, Jessica manages to infuse hope into a seemingly hopeless and painful time. She invites the reader into her home and her heart, offering other Moms the chance to feel normal and not so alone as they attempt to make sense of a senseless event. Joy Comes in the Mourning is not only a literary hug and a shoulder to cry on but also a practical guide for navigating the emotional devastation of losing a child.
revginny –
As an ordained minister, I am always seeking resources that help people through the paralyzing pain of grief. I am so grateful to now have this fine resource to recommend. Each day since I’ve read this book, I think of another person who will be touched and relate to this story. I’m going to enter the link to JUSTJOY.SHOP on a note in my phone so I can forward it to everyone who will be helped by it, as they come to mind.
Jessica Allen “just talks” to her readers. She writes beautifully to create a stage for us to visualize the story. The choice of words draw in your emotions as you walk through the pain with her. The format has page-turning intrigue. It is so captivating that I was almost late to a meeting because I just couldn’t get to a stopping place! In nearly every paragraph I found wisdom and insight into the realities that we all share when it comes to grief. Jessica shares her personal journey and how she approached each phase – in her own time, in her own way – just as you will with your grief.
If you know anyone who has had a miscarriage, an abortion, lost a preemie, had a child die an untimely death – this book is for that person no matter how long ago it was.
It is common for the death of a child to strain a marriage. Without Jess placing blame on either of them, Jess & Jack found their love again. You know someone who needs this passage.
And if you have lost anyone in your life – ever, this book will help you, touch you, minister to you, and help you do and say appropriate things for people who are hurting. It will help you see God’s goodness & grace beyond the grief & pain. In that, there is great hope and that is how Jessica got to the place of JOY in the mourning.
Above all, this story is about a journey with God. Jessica makes it clear that God never left her alone but walked her through this journey THROUGH the grief. It isn’t over. That’s how grief is.
She models coping skills, accepting and reaccepting, and re-centering on God to mute the pain and enhance the memories honoring this huge, but tiny life that changes all of us forever who know of his existence.
Thank you, Jessica for sharing your story. Thank you, Jack for your support. And thank you to LJ for being a larger-than-life-person who touches, changes and ministers to us all, even a decade after he left us.
Rev. Ginny Phillips Allen (Regretfully – no Allen relation.)
Stephanie Lamb –
An emotional and real account of losing a child. I would imagine there is no greater pain in this world and Jessica portrays both the heartache and the hope one can find in the grief journey. A must read for all those who have experienced a great loss and guidance for their loved ones on how to be a support in the process.
Denise Davis-Dorsey –
In life we are taught how to do almost everything — however how to grieve is not one of them. The reason may be as simple as no two people grieve in the same way. In normal life moments we “believe” we can “fix” almost anything — but real life thrusts loss and grief upon us with little to no preparation. Jessica’s book Joy Comes in the Mourning walks you through one of life’s most difficult losses — the loss of a child. This book is for anyone who has dealt with or is dealing with loss of any kind. It can help you navigate the grieving process.
Poignant, extremely heartfelt, wrenching and beautiful — these are the first words that came to mind. Beautifully written, poignantly told — in a gut wrenching real raw and relatable way. Heartfelt from a mother’s point of view — I believe everyone wants to matter and to make a difference.
Grieving is something that’s almost taboo. We don’t really want to discuss it — much less see or experience it first hand — as she states we are doers and fixers and grief is extremely personal and it is absolutely something that cannot be “fixed”! Thank you for being brave enough to share your journey through this life.
Sometimes the strongest people begin from their greatest weakness. Finally, she reminds us that sometimes being a real friend is just showing up and learning to be quiet (that’s harder for some of us than others). Thank you!!!! Thank you for writing it and Thank you for allowing me to read it — you’ve already enriched my life!
Shannon –
I loved the convenience of having this eBook! This gifted author manages to take life’s most challenging experiences, and put words to her (and our) most deeply felt emotions. Whether one’s grief is infant loss, or another kind of loss, one quickly ‘hears’ the truth on these pages. No longer feeling the isolation of the grief experience, the reader immediately connects with this journey that is so exquisitely tied to this author’s amazing faith………a hope and joy that we all desire!
Lisa C –
You will benefit from this book as a friend and family member or someone going through any kind of loss. I wish I had this resource years ago to be more helpful to my sister. The author gives specific ways we can help in actions and words, and also things that are NOT helpful. Her stories are not sugar-coated…the book is real life – heartbreaking and heartwarming. All the emotions are in this book (including some comic relief every now and then) and it is written so well. I will be reading her book again and I know I will get something different from it each time. I am buying copies for a few friends who have also experienced incredible loss, but not necessarily the same kind. I think that her grief journey is relatable to many different kinds of loss. The book is small enough to fit in my purse and the chapters are short enough to read even just on a quick wait to pick up my kids.
Kendra Foster –
What a fantastic read! I am struggling to find the words to express why you should read this book. Read it because it’s well written. Read it because it will touch your soul. Read it to learn how to deal with loss. Read it for the “what to do’s” and “what not to do’s” when someone loses someone special. You will cry, you will laugh, you will fall in love with the author and her story. Oh, and you’ll cry. Joy Comes in the Mourning is a true story of love and loss that will pull at your heart strings. Read it, love it and recommend it to everyone. Thank you, Jessica, for sharing your story.
Lori Phillips –
Oh, Sweet Jessica. While we in your universe were praying and crying and praying even more for you, Jack, and LJ, we now read about the crippling pain you endured as well as your endeavor to work through that pain in your daily lives. Your beautiful words are invaluable for anyone that struggles with moving forward after the loss of a loved one.
Thank you for sharing your story with the world.
Charlsie Gomez (verified owner) –
Everyone needs to read this book. Everyone! Whether you have experienced a heartbreaking loss like the author’s family, or you are supporting a grieving family member or friend (at some point, this is every single one of us), this book is for you. Jessica is raw and authentic and real, and following this journey via her blog and now this book is a true privilege. She has a true gift for storytelling, and reading this book is like getting great advice from an old friend. You will laugh, you will cry, and most importantly, you will be better equipped to deal with anything life throws your way.
Ann –
This is a truly powerful book. The author is a skilled storyteller, addressing some of the most difficult issues we can face as human beings. Her descriptive word choices make one feel as though they’re walking this journey alongside her. What a courageous account of a heart ripped to shreds, only to rise through the devastation to exemplify how faith, hope, bravery, and sheer determination come into play in rescuing the broken spirit.
Linda Feld –
Jessica and Jack’s story is a profoundly moving journey through the bone-crushing grief of losing a child. It is written with a moving and articulate grace that winsomely calls out from the deepest darkness in a voice too beautiful to resist! No matter what form your loss takes, this very personal account holds much Godly wisdom and encouragement that will grip your soul. “No matter how far I sank, His hand never faltered. It never moved me either. I know now that wasn’t His job. When I was paralyzed, He stayed with me, unshakable. And when I was finally ready to move on, He moved too!” Having experienced deep loss, these words rang so true as I struggled to make sense of what God had permitted to happen in my own life. Her advice to ..”put on your own oxygen mask first” …is but one of many observations that helps clear the fog of devastating loss. Thank you both for allowing us all to travel with you and LJ toward the Light!
Jennifer Wilder Morgan –
Profound. Real. Devastating. Healing. Joyful. These are just some of the words that describe Jessica Allen’s story. In her Foreword, Jessica states, “I realize now that there really isn’t an “other side.” Rather, real people with real grief simply find a path moving forward and choose to walk it one step at a time.” Joy Comes in the Mourning is a beautiful and moving chronicle of how she did just that…on step at a time…one breath at a time. If we allow ourselves to be immersed in her journey, we will better learn how to live within our own grief experiences, as well as how to walk alongside others who are navigating through the shadows of death, grief and loss. The turning of each page brings with it the faithful whisper of God’s ever-present patience and love. What a blessing. Please share this with the people you love.
Jennifer Wilder Morgan
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Susan –
Written from a deeply personal place, this book should be wrapped under the Christmas tree of anyone who has experienced loss. Jessica Allen has used her heartbreaking journey to enrich the lives of those who have suffered, or will suffer- in short, the book is for everyone.
She writes beautifully and has a rare gift, even among published authors. Her words resonate with real life.
This book will change lives. Thank you for using your gifts and your journey to help others navigate a challenging path.