Books Who Found Me In Solitude and Grief

Solitude provided me the opportunity to spend time with people who lived and learned and some who died;  all shared what they learned, and I needed to know. Embracing solitude opened doors to me. Because I had no fear and wanted what they had to teach, I walked through the openings or at least peeked inside.  Lucky for me.

I believe it is mostly true that books find you, you don't find books. Books are the most patient of all living things. Books have heart and soul. They live, they love, they give. Yes, books are alive.

Here is my list of books who found me. The list is by author in no particular order other than the order I want to list them.

Thomas Merton: No Man Is An Island. Thoughts in Solitude. Love and Living. New Seeds of Contemplation. The New Man.

C.S. Lewis: The Problem of Pain. Miracles.

Eckhart Tolle: The Power of Now. A New Earth. Stillness Speaks.

Robert J. Miller: Grief Quest, men coping with loss.

Viktor E. Frankl: Man's Search For Meaning.

John C. Robinson, Ph. D: Death of A Hero, Birth of The Soul.

Jeffrey Hopkins, Ph. D: How to Expand Love, His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Dennis Klass, Phyllis Silverman, Steven Nickman:  Continuing Bonds, New Understandings of Grief

Anne McCracken, Mary Semel: A Broken Heart Still Beats after your child dies

The Bible

There are more books on the shelf which were read and made a difference in my life since May 10, 2005. These are the ones that struck me as having been the most significant in guiding me to answer the question, "Now that this has happened, what are you going to do about you?" Far from perfect and more of a man than ever, it's enough to begin and end my day with hope and gratitude for one day of progress, not perfection.

Today I had one day and it was good.