Book Details:
Book Title: The Collision of Grief and Gratitude: A Pursuit of Sacred Light
Author: Rosanne Liesveld
Category: Adult Non-fiction, 468 pages
Genre: Self-Help, Death & Grief, Grief & Bereavement
Publisher: Illuminatio Press
Release date: May 16, 2017
Tour dates: July 16 to Aug 10, 2018
Content Rating: PG (The subject of loss is explored and some of the emotions may be too raw for young children.)
Book Description:
Day 209
“And so each day goes; the grief and the gratitude fighting for the bigger spot in my heart. The tug of war between these emotions exhausts me most days. If you see me in the grief mode, you’ll think I’m a wreck. But if you see me in gratitude mode, you’ll think I m doing well. Neither is 100 percent true. I am what I am most days, leaning toward finding more gratitude than grief as the days turn into weeks and the weeks into months.”
After the unexpected death of her husband, Rosanne Liesveld felt a desperate need to communicate gratitude to those who helped her through the shock that death left in its wake. The day of Curt’s funeral, Rosanne wrote a Facebook post expressing how, in the midst of profound grief, she found a space in her heart for gratitude. The next day, she wrote another post; then another.
Rosanne’s daily posts throughout her first year of widowhood attracted hundreds to follow along on her journey. Her words inspired those who were not only grieving in some way, but those who wanted to build stronger relationships or live life with more intention and gratitude. It was messy. It was raw. And it was healing.
Rosanne’s posts have been compiled into this 366-day journey and are accompanied by beautiful photos taken by Curt.
To follow the tour, please visit Rosanne Liesveld’s page on iRead Book Tours.
Q & A With the Author
Rosanne Liesveld is the author of The Collision of Grief and Gratitude. After the unexpected death of her husband, she felt a desperate need to communicate gratitude to those who helped her through the shock his death left in its wake. A few days after Curt’s funeral, Rosanne wrote a Facebook post expressing how, in the midst of profound grief, she found a space in heart for gratitude. The next day she wrote another post, and then another.
Rosanne’s daily posts throughout her first year of widowhood inspired not only those who were grieving in some way, but those who wanted to build stronger relationships and life live with more intention and gratitude. It was messy. It was raw. It was healing.
Today she answers some of our questions.
Q: What was your favorite book as a child?
A: There was a series of biographies under the name Signature Books. I read every single book in the series when I was in elementary school. I actually got the books from my church library. I loved reading the real-life, everyday stories of famous people like Thomas Edison, George Washington Carver, Abraham Lincoln, and Mozart. Looking back, I realize there were very few women in that series. That’s just one example of how it was more difficult for a little girl in the 1950s to discover great role models.
Q: Is this your first book?
A: No. I am co-author of a book published by Gallup Press titled, Teach with Your Strengths. I was asked to write that book because of my extensive work with schools, and in particular, with teachers. For the past forty-two years, I have worked with K-12 school districts across this country with a mission to “be sure there is a teacher in every classroom who cares that every student knows and feels like there is a teacher who cares about them as a real human being.”
Much of my more recent work with Gallup has been focused on how individuals can live out their true potential by developing their unique strengths rather than always trying to fix what is wrong with them.
My late husband also planned to write a book on marriage. Shortly before he died, we wrote down our five-year goals and one of them was to co-author a book.
Q: You didn’t set out to write this book. How did this book come to be?
A: I felt a strong second wave of grief about ten days after my husband died when I realized I just didn’t know how I would ever thank the people who had helped me in those first difficult days. I could hardly remember who they were, much less thank them properly. About the same time, my son suggested that I some point I might want to look at Facebook, where people had posted some powerful words to both my husband’s page and to mine. The thought came that perhaps I could just get on Facebook once to say thank you to some people, so I did that. I also read the beautiful notes of support others had posted.
As I lifted my fingers from writing that first post, I felt a huge sense of relief and peace. So, I decided to write a second day. And a third. And the writing became my therapy and my way to connect with people. My son often said he felt better knowing that even though I alone in my home, I had so many people “out there” supporting me and responding to my posts. After about six months of posting, many people began urging me to put the posts into something more permanent, but it wasn’t until almost a year in that I gave the idea of a book any serious thought. As with so many things, it was with the words and encouragement of some very dear and important people that I made the decision to put the book together so that others might have some way to live life more fully and intentionally.
Q: What kind of reaction have you had to your book?
A: Wow, where do I start? I’ve had young women say they now want to wait for the right man rather than settling. I’ve had grieving spouses say that the book is the best one on grief they’ve read because it’s real, yet it helps them move forward. I’ve heard so many people say how beautiful it is. (The book includes beautiful photos taken by husband.) I’ve heard others say they use it as a daily reading so that it centers them for each day. And obviously, I’ve heard people talk about how it’s helped them look for gratitude in all things.
Q: You mentor children through a horse riding therapy program, and through a program called TeamMates. Why do you value mentoring and how do you view your role as a mentor?
A: I do believe it takes a village to raise children and make a difference. I love to develop one-on-one relationships with young people and have worked with the TeamMates program for five years. I have spent a day a week during the school year with two different high school students who just need another caring adult in their life.
In the Equine Therapy program, I get to work with special needs people and the horses that can have an impact on their physical, emotional, and mental development. I get to see smiles of pride and satisfaction on the faces of young people who may not regularly experience a feeling of accomplishment.
Q: What’s next for you?
A: I am retiring soon and looking forward to having my own business where I can work with people on living that life with more intention, gratitude and with more of an eye on using their God-given strengths. I would love to write another book! Stay tuned!
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Rosanne is available to chat with groups or book clubs either in person or via Zoom. Contact her at roseliesveld@gmail.com.
After the unexpected death of her husband, Curt, Rosanne Liesveld went on a year-long quest to find a glimmer of gratitude each day. She posted her daily journey on Facebook. Those posts become her book, The Collision of Grief and Gratitude: A Pursuit of Sacred Light.
As a coach and teacher for more than thirty years with the Gallup Organization, Rosanne has helped people discover and lean into their strengths. She now speaks to groups about how to build stronger relationships, and live life with more intention and gratitude.
Connect with the author: Facebook
