Official Review: The Heart of Grief Relief Journal

[EvaDar]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Heart of Grief Relief Journal" by Richard Ballo.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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More than 6,700 people die every day in the United States. At some point, we all experience the aftermath of losing a loved one. Suddenly life feels empty, purposeless, even terrifying. Richard Ballo lost his wife Lisa to cancer when their boys were just five and six years old. The Heart of Grief Relief Journal is Ballo’s offering to others faced with the devastation of loss. This 2012 award-winning book serves as both a manual for navigating the grief process and an actual journal, designed to be written in.

It wasn’t until Richard Ballo began writing down his thoughts and feelings that he started to believe he would survive the grief. Journaling, in combination with group support, proved essential for his recovery. It turns out scientific research shows that journaling strengthens the immune system and reduces the health impacts of emotional stress. Without journaling, Ballo believes his health would have suffered gravely.

This book begins with the author’s story and some introductory material about the value of journaling as a healing tool. Most of the 208 pages are for journaling. An inspirational quote appears on each page. Walt Whitman, Marianne Williamson, Dr. Phil, Helen Keller, The Beatles, and many more, are represented. The remainder of each page is lined to accommodate journaling. Ballo also includes articles he wrote about coping with grief on special occasions, the impact of death and dying, and the importance of engaging with hospice support. A comprehensive resources section rounds out the book.

Each page of this book is elegant, thoughtful, and intentional. Richard Ballo’s writing style is clear and easy to understand. He draws the reader in right away with his compassion and his personal experience. Having endured several losses, I felt instantly comforted reading Richard’s story and found myself tearing up as elements reflected my own story. The relatively short articles are probably as much reading as a grieving person would want. It seems like the perfect amount of information. I was glad the author stressed several times the importance of receiving grief counseling and other support through a hospice organization. Hospice services now reach far beyond death and dying.

The journal pages are well designed, and I enjoyed the quotations. I can see how they would stimulate the journaling process. I was mildly torn about whether I missed having some additional cues to inspire the journaling. Questions or topics can help focus ideas. I realize, though, that grieving people don’t have much capacity for absorbing new information. So the quotations are probably perfect.

This book was professionally edited. I found only a handful of minor errors, such as a missing period. Not having purchased a physical copy of the book, I can’t adequately assess the format, as it pertains to journaling. I have used journals that are bound, and they can be physically awkward to write in. I couldn’t tell whether this is a spiral or traditionally bound book. The spiral format would better facilitate journaling.

The Heart of Grief Relief Journal won a national award for journals and is one of several books Richard Ballo has written on life, love, and loss. I gladly award this book 4 out of 4 stars. It would be a very loving gift for a grieving friend. Anyone wanting compassionate support after a loss will benefit. In the words of Richard Ballo, “Yes, it seems impossible that you will ever smile again, enjoy life and wake up with a light heart. The sooner you give grief its due, the sooner you will have a life worth living again.”

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The Heart of Grief Relief Journal
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Like Eva Darrington's review? Post a comment saying so!

[Cecilia_L]

I've found journaling to be very therapeutic in dealing with grief and stress. This sounds like an enlightening book that will help others. I enjoyed your excellent review, Eva.

[EvaDar]

I've found journaling to be very therapeutic in dealing with grief and stress. This sounds like an enlightening book that will help others. I enjoyed your excellent review, Eva.

Yes, me too. It seems to facilitate processing difficult emotions, somehow. Thanks so much for sharing a comment.

[Ruba Abu Ali]

Journaling is very helpful in dealing with grief. Your lovely review piqued my interest. I think I will give this book a try. Thanks for the thorough insight.

[kfwilson6]

I like the layout of the book with the various aspects including the journal pages, quotes, and Ballo's story. This seems like an excellent tool for dealing with grief. You make an excellent point that the way the physical book is bound would be important. Some books are bound in such a way they are very difficult to write in. I agree that spiral bound would be perfect! Great review.

[Manang Muyang]

I marvel at the variety of books available on this site. It is my first time to read about a journal being reviewed. Writing is always therapeutic for me, too. Grief can be debilitating; releasing it by journaling is an ideal way to cope.

I wonder if the e-book can be formatted in such a way that it can be written on; that would be awesome!

Thanks for this well-written piece of peace, Eva Darrington.

[EvaDar]

Journaling is very helpful in dealing with grief. Your lovely review piqued my interest. I think I will give this book a try. Thanks for the thorough insight.

Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing a comment.

[EvaDar]

I like the layout of the book with the various aspects including the journal pages, quotes, and Ballo's story. This seems like an excellent tool for dealing with grief. You make an excellent point that the way the physical book is bound would be important. Some books are bound in such a way they are very difficult to write in. I agree that spiral bound would be perfect! Great review.

Thank you for dropping by and sharing your thoughtful comments.

[EvaDar]

I marvel at the variety of books available on this site. It is my first time to read about a journal being reviewed. Writing is always therapeutic for me, too. Grief can be debilitating; releasing it by journaling is an ideal way to cope.

I wonder if the e-book can be formatted in such a way that it can be written on; that would be awesome!

Thanks for this well-written piece of peace, Eva Darrington.

That is a great thought about the e-book. Thanks so much for your lovely comments.

[Allyseria]

It sounds like this book will be a very emotional read. Losing someone is awful and because I'm young, I haven't lost anyone significant yet. I think I'll pass on this book because I don't think I would be able to handle reading something like this yet.

[EvaDar]

It sounds like this book will be a very emotional read. Losing someone is awful and because I'm young, I haven't lost anyone significant yet. I think I'll pass on this book because I don't think I would be able to handle reading something like this yet.

Makes sense. I think it would be a great gift for someone who is experiencing a loss, but you might not need to worry about this kind of thing at this point in your life. I really appreciate you dropping by. Thanks!

[Kibet Hillary]

This is a very useful book indeed. I never knew that journalling had some health benefits but now I know. It is good to see that the author decided to help those who are grieving by writing about his own experiences. Thanks for the review. I enjoyed reading it, would love to read this book too.

[EvaDar]

This is a very useful book indeed. I never knew that journalling had some health benefits but now I know. It is good to see that the author decided to help those who are grieving by writing about his own experiences. Thanks for the review. I enjoyed reading it, would love to read this book too.

Yes, I think this book is a gem. Thank you for stopping by and sharing a comment.

[inaramid]

I agree with the benefits of journaling as discussed here in the review. But I was honestly skeptical at first when I read the title. One point of contention in therapy and counseling was recommending a book to a grieving individual. Based on personal experience, I lean towards the "no, don't do it" side. But then if the purpose was to facilitate the journaling experience, then it could indeed be of therapeutic value to the target audience. Thanks for this review!

[EvaDar]

I agree with the benefits of journaling as discussed here in the review. But I was honestly skeptical at first when I read the title. One point of contention in therapy and counseling was recommending a book to a grieving individual. Based on personal experience, I lean towards the "no, don't do it" side. But then if the purpose was to facilitate the journaling experience, then it could indeed be of therapeutic value to the target audience. Thanks for this review!

I share your experience and agree that book recommendations aren't so helpful for grieving people. I like this book because it is really a journal with some supplemental information in the form of short articles. Also the price is about the same as a good journal. I think that got cut out of my review. I appreciate you stoping in and sharing your thoughts.