“A journey of loss and grief that leads to a place of wonder.”
Isabel Allende, author of The House of the Spirits
“This beautiful book offers inspiration and hope to anyone who has suffered
loss and seeks to return to a life of love and compassion, thereby creating peace.”
Thich Nhat Hanh, author of Being Peace
“All the sounds of our humanity are here—oceans of tears and millions of stars. This is a wise book.”
Jack Kornfield, author of A Path With Heart
“With the voice of a poet, Edie Churchill Hartshorne’s memoir brings us…beauty and joy beyond, and even amidst, unimaginable loss and grief.”
Daniel Ellsberg, author of Secrets: A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers
“How inspiring that a human heart has the possibility in the middle of overwhelming personal grief to lift itself up, working to heal the world.”
Sylvia Boorstein, author of Pay Attention, for Goodness’ Sake
“This luminous gem of a book will bring hope to all who wrestle with the great angel of loss.”
Jalaja Bonheim, author of Aphrodite’s Daughters
Hartshorne’s work reveals…mature spiritual understanding…a fierce capacity for self-reflection, a penetrating intelligence and a widely literate culture.”
Anita Barrows, author of Rilke’s Book of Hours: Love Poems to God
“Hartshorne shows us a way not only to survive but also to flourish. I recommend this delicate and beautiful work to inspire health professionals and help their patients deal with grief.”
Dr. David Werdegar, Professor Emeritus, University of California Medical School; Former Health Director, City of San Francisco.
Peter Levitt, author of Fingerpainting on the Moon
Edie Churchill Hartshorne’s memoir “Light in Blue Shadows” overflows with gracious tenderness, courage, and mercy. It is at once a testament to a mother’s love for her family, and for life; an openly told, deep, and plainly spoken tale of loss; and a generous gift of witness.
With delicate, incisive, and astute attention, Hartshorne unfolds her story with forthright grace, honesty, and a pure poetry. Her willingness to express sorrow in its acute, daily, form -with great respect for both the process and the reader- allows us to face pain – hers and our own – with sincere gentleness.
When, in time, Hartshorne invites us to walk into the simplicity and intimacy of her garden of self-reflection, we can do so with equal respect, tapping into wells of universal kindness and compassion in the midst, and aftermath, of intense grief.
These are lessons that no one can borrow from another. Yet here we are gifted with so many life-giving images and truths that the heart breaks open time and again: First with tears of fear, empathy, and recognition. Then, with the prized tears of clarity, understanding, gratitude, and joy.
In her beautiful portrait of love and family, Edie Churchill Hartshorne gives us the gift of transformation. This is a book to be cherished and shared with all who seek hope, solace, and courage in the face of death and loss.
Judith-Kate Friedman, Musician
