Gratitude

In 2004, George Goens lost his daughter during the birth of his second grandchild. How does your heart and soul respond to the simultaneous crash of life and death? The convergence of two very disparate events - one celebrating the beginning of life, one grieving the loss of another - with distinctly different emotions colliding into a confused muddle. Joy and sorrow. Hope and despair. Happiness and grief.

In "The Promise of Living," Goens wrestles with his conflicting emotions over the shocking and devastating loss of his daughter and the birth of his grandson. He examines his beliefs, his relationships, his perceptions, his values, his fears, and his dreams of the future. He came to realize that while living in a community with family and friends, everyone must ultimately face loss alone in the quiet of their own hearts and souls.

""Life's only script consists of birth and death. We fill in what comes between. Life is not a mechanical exercise that follows an orderly path. Whimsy and mystery, serendipity and surprise fill our lives. The cliched story of a main character succumbing to tragedy, falling into a funk, having an epiphany, and seeing the light and then proceeding back into normalcy doesn't really happen. Not for me anyway. Things don't settle back into 'before' and we don't find a substitute for what is gone and absent. Finding peace takes time and is a creative process of small steps, plateaus, and setbacks."" ─George Goens

Woven throughout the book is Goens' poetry, in equal measures stirring, contemplative, and inspiring.

In spite of heart-wrenching circumstances, Goens and his family find a way to heal through acceptance and forgiveness, and he honors the life of his daughter by living his own to its full potential. Readers who have experienced their own devastating loss will find comfort and inspiration in his story.