Too Soon to Say Goodbye by Osborn, Kosman & Gordon

My Review
This book is a wonderful book for those that are grieving the lose of friend or loved one due to suicide, or for someone who wants to help those grieving. The authors share stories of those that have survived and are moving on with their life. There is also helpful insight from a counseling professional. Grieving is different for everyone. The poems, stories, letters and reflecting questions found in this book will help the survivor to find hope and healing in the midst of sorrow. Comfort, healing and peace can be found in God alone, but it sure helps to have friends when we find ourselves traveling the road of sorrow. This book helps the reader gain courage to go on and hope to be free to live again. There are resource pages with 800 #'s and web sites for national and international help. A suicide facts list is also included in the book. Others have found hope and redemption and you can too. You'll find that there is hope, you can accept your loss, let go, move on and find a new normal in life. Learn from those that have been there. This book is a wonderful resource.

For this giveaway I'm just asking that you be a follower or a subscriber. If you are both then you'll have two tries to win this book. Please US residents only. I will draw a winner on June 30th. Be sure to leave a way of contact.

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For more information about this book click here.

A copy of this book was provided for review by

Interview with author Cecil Murphey

1. The first sentence of your book reads, "I felt helpless." Tell us about that feeling.

Because her doctor put Shirley into the high-risk category, I felt helpless. To me, helpless means hating the situation, wanting to make it better, but admitting there was nothing I could do for her.

2. On that same page you also write, "One thing we learned: God was with us and strengthened us through the many weeks of uncertainty and pain." How did you get from feeling helpless to that assurance?

Shirley and I sat down one day and I put my arm around her. "The only way I know how I can handle this," I said, "is to talk about it." Shirley knows that's my way of working through puzzling issues. "Let's consider every possibility." If her surgeon decided she did not have breast cancer, how would we react? We talked of our reaction if he said, "There is a tumor and it's obviously benign. Finally, I was able to say, with tears in my eyes, "How do we react if he says the cancer is advanced and you have only a short time to live?" By the time we talked answered that question, I was crying. Shirley had tears in her eyes, but remained quite calm. "I'm ready to go whenever God wants to take me," she said. She is too honest not to have meant those words. As I searched her face, I saw calmness and peace. I held her tightly and we prayed together. After that I felt calm. Since then, one of the first things I do when I awaken is to thank God that Shirley and I have at least one more day together.

3. When most people hear the word cancer applied to someone they love, they have strong emotional reactions. What are some of them? What was your reaction when your wife was diagnosed with breast cancer?

As a pastor, a volunteer chaplain, and a friend I've encountered virtually every emotional reaction. Some refuse to accept what they hear. Some go inward and are unable to talk. Others start making telephone calls to talk to friends.

Me? I went numb, absolutely numb. That was my old way of dealing with overwhelming emotions. I heard everything but I couldn't feel anything. It took me almost two weeks before I was able to feel--and to face the possibility that the person I loved most in the world might die.

4. "What can I do for my loved one with cancer?" That's a good question for us to ask ourselves. How can we be supportive and helpful?

Many think they need to do big things; they don't. Express your concern and your love.

Be available to talk when the other person needs it--and be even more willing to be silent if your loved one doesn't want to talk. Don't ask what you can do; do what you see needs doing. To express loving support in your own way (and we all express love differently) is the best gift you can offer.

5. Why do you urge people not to say, "I know exactly how you feel"?

No one knows how you feel. They may remember how they felt at a certain time. Even if they did know, what help is that to the person with cancer? It's like saying, "Stop feeling sorry for yourself. I know what it's like and I'm fine now."

Instead, focus on how the loved one feels. Let him or her tell you.

6. Those with cancer suffer physically and spiritually. You mention God's silence as a form of spiritual suffering. They pray and don't seem to sense God. What can you do to help them?

God is sometimes silent but that doesn't mean God is absent. In my upcoming book, When God Turns off the Lights, I tell what it was like for me when God stopped communicating for about 18 months.

I didn't like it and I was angry. I didn't doubt God's existence, but I didn't understand the silence. I read Psalms and Lamentations in various translations. I prayed and I did everything I could, but nothing changed.

After a couple of months, I realized that I needed to accept the situation and wait for God to turn on the lights again. Each day I quoted Psalm 13:1: "O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way?" (NLT)

I learned many invaluable lessons about myself--and I could have learned them only in the darkness. When God turns off the lights (and the sounds) I finally realized that instead of God being angry, it was God's loving way to draw me closer.

7. Guilt troubles many friends and loved ones of caregivers because they feel they failed or didn't do enough. What can you say to help them?

We probably fail our loved ones in some ways. No one is perfect. If you feel that kind of guilt, I suggest 3 things:

(1) Tell the loved one and ask forgiveness.

(2) Talk to God and ask God to forgive you and give you strength not to repeat your failures.

(3) Forgive yourself. And one way to do that is to say, "At the time, I thought I did the right thing. I was wrong and I forgive myself."

8. Do you have some final words of wisdom for those giving care to a loved one with cancer?

Be available. You can't take away the cancer but you can alleviate the sense of aloneness. Don't ever try to explain the reason the person has cancer. We don't know the reason and even if we did, would it really help the other person?

Be careful about what you say. Too often visitors and friends speak from their own discomfort and forget about the pain of the one with cancer. Don't tell them about your cancer or other disease; don't tell them horror stories about others. Above all, don't give them false words of comfort. Be natural. Be yourself. Behave as loving as you can.

When Someone You

Love Has Cancer

Author: Cecil Murphey

Harvest House Publishers

ISBN: 978-0-7369-2428-3

Retail: $10.99

Read more about this book here.
Read author's bonus articles here.
Read my review about this book here.

This blog tour is through:

Author Cecil Murphey speaks....

Something Extra!

Cec designed the appendix to be the most practical part of the book. He's witnessed too many situations where genuinely caring people had no idea what to do, so he has tried to give a few general guidelines.

1. Before you offer help. Learn about the disease before you visit. Determine to accept their feelings, no matter how negative. Pray for your loved one before you visit. Don't throw religious slogans at them, such as, "This is God's will" or "God knew you were strong enough to handle this."

2. What you can do now. As the first question, don't ask, "How are you?" Instead, ask, "Do you feel like talking." Don't offer advice. Be willing to sit in silence. If you need to cry, do so. Be natural. If appropriate, hug your loved one. Human touch is powerful.

3. Long-term caregiving. The overarching principle is to let the seriousness of the disease determine the amount of time and commitment you offer. This can be a time for you to help them spiritually. Think about tangible things you can do that say you care. Plan celebrations for every anniversary of being cancer free.

Ask them reflective questions such as:

* What have you discovered about yourself through this experience?
* What have you learned about relationships?
* How has your faith in God changed?

When Someone You

Love Has Cancer

Author: Cecil Murphey

Harvest House Publishers

ISBN: 978-0-7369-2428-3

Retail: $10.99

Read more about this book here

A Word from The Man Behind the Words
by Cecil Murphey

When Shirley walked in from the garage, she didn't have to say a word: I read the diagnosis in her eyes. I grabbed her and held her tightly for several seconds. When I released her, she didn't cry. The unshed tears glistened, but that was all.

I felt emotionally paralyzed and helpless, and I couldn't understand my reaction. After all, I was a professional. As a former pastor and volunteer hospital chaplain I had been around many cancer patients. I'd seen people at their lowest and most vulnerable. As a writing instructor, I helped one woman write her cancer-survival book. Shirley and I had been caregivers for Shirley's older sister for months before she died of colon cancer.

All of that happened before cancer became personal to me--before my wife learned she needed a mastectomy. To make it worse, Shirley was in the high-risk category because most of her blood relatives had died of some form of cancer. Years earlier, she had jokingly said, "In our family we grow things."

In the days after the diagnosis and before her surgery, I went to a local bookstore and to the public library. I found dozens of accounts, usually by women, about their battle and survival. I pushed aside the novels that ended in a person's death. A few books contained medical or technical information. I searched on-line and garnered useful information--but I found nothing that spoke to me on how to cope with the possible loss of the person I loved most in this world.

Our story ends happily: Shirley has started her tenth year as a cancer survivor. Not only am I grateful, but I remember my pain and confusion during those days. That concerns me enough to reach out to others who also feel helpless as they watch a loved one face the serious diagnosis of cancer.

That's why I wrote When Someone You Love Has Cancer. I want to encourage relatives and friends and also to offer practical suggestions as they stay at the side of those they love.

The appendix offers specific things for them to do and not to do--and much of that information came about because of the way people reacted around us.

It's a terrible situation for anyone to have cancer; it's a heavy burden for us who deeply love those with cancer.

Read my Review here.
Check out more information on the book here.
author interview here

This blog tour is through:

When Someone you Love has Cancer by Cecil Murphey

About the Book:

The World Health Organization reported that by the year 2010 cancer will be the number one killer worldwide. More than 12.4 million people in the world suffer from cancer. 7.6 million people are expected to die from some form of cancer. That's a lot of people, but the number of loved ones of cancer sufferers is far greater. What do they do when a special person in their life is diagnosed with this devastating disease?

Murphey brings his experiences as a loved one and many years of wisdom gained from being a pastor and hospital chaplain to his newest book When Someone You Love Has Cancer: Comfort and Encouragement for Caregivers and Loved Ones (Harvest House Publishers). His honest I've-been-there admissions and practical helps are combined with artist Michal Sparks' soothing watercolor paintings.

Readers of When Someone You Love Has Cancer will receive:

* Inspiration to seek peace and understanding in their loved one's situation
* Help in learning the importance of active listening
* Guidance in exploring their own feelings of confusion and unrest
* Suggestions on how to handle anxiety and apprehension
* Honest answers to questions dealing with emotions, exhaustion, and helplessness
* Spirit-lifting thoughts for celebrating the gift of life in the midst of troubles

Murphey explains why this is a much-needed book: "Most books about cancer address survivors. I want to speak to the mates, families, and friends who love those with cancer. I offer a number of simple, practical things people can do for those with cancer."


About the Author:

Cecil Murphey is an international speaker and bestselling author who has written more than 100 books, including the New York Times bestseller 90 Minutes in Heaven (with Don Piper). No stranger himself to loss and grieving, Cecil has served as a pastor and hospital chaplain for many years, and through his ministry and books he has brought hope and encouragement to countless people around the world. For more information, visit http://www.themanbehindthewords.com/


Read my review of the book here.

Bonus materials from Author here.

author interview here.

Now for the Give away. The contents contain the following:

GRAND PRIZE

The Grand Prize Winner Will Receive:

When Someone You Love Has Cancer
90 Minutes in Heaven (hard cover)
Heaven Is Real (hard cover)
Daily Devotions Inspired by 90 Minutes in Heaven (hard cover)
90 Minutes in Heaven, gift edition (selections)
90 Minutes in Heaven, audio (5 CD set)
Heaven Is Real, audio (6 CDs)
Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story
Think Big
Everybody Loved Roger Harden
Everybody Wanted Room 623
Everybody Called Her a Saint
Committed But Flawed
Immortality of Influence (hard cover)
Touchdown Alexander (hard cover)
Aging Is an Attitude
My Parents, My Children: Spiritual Help for Caregivers

How to enter:

Leave a comment telling me if you know of someone that has had cancer. If my blog has the most comments I will get to draw one winner to receive the Grand Prize. Start leaving comments; lets see if I can be the host to draw a person to win this Grand Prize. Drawing open til July 31st. Mr. Murphey is willing to ship anywhere in the world so come on and post.
Please note: I'm away at church camp this week so your comments won't appear til I approve them; therefore, it'll probably be next Monday before any comments appear but be assured if you post a comment and it is approved it will appear in time for the drawing. Sorry for the inconvenience. I am looking to be busy reading comments on Monday morning. Abi

Get Bonuses:

Want extra bonuses if my blog gets the most comments and I get to pick a winner for the basket you can have extra chances to win, be sure to post each extra bonus in a separate comment for your bonuses: Ways to get bonus ~

1 extra bonus - if you have a blog and blog about this give away sending them to this page. Then come back and tell me and give me the link where you posted your message.
1 extra bonus - if you are a follower or become a new follower be sure to tell me in a new comment. To get the bonus you must comment separately.
1 extra bonus - if you followed another link to get to this giveaway page. Tell me the link or if you heard about it from a friend. Remember Be sure to tell in a separate comment.
1 extra bonus - if you live outside the US: tell me where you live but be sure it is in a separate comment so you get the bonus.

Another way to get bonuses Word of Mouth -
don't have a blog. Well, then e-mail a friend or tell them by mouth and come back and let me know that you told someone. The more you post a comment the more bonuses you get. the better chances I have of being able to pick a winner for this gift basket and you being the winner.

Remember the bonuses must be separate comments by themselves to count as extra bonuses.

To: Anonymous: CJ

True Random Number Generator Min:1 Max:36 Result: 19

My site was the one who was able to choose the grand prize winner of Cecil Murphey's When Someone you love has Cancer gift basket

This blog tour is through:

My review of When Someone you Love has Cancer

This book is more for the person that has a loved one or friend that has been diagnosed with cancer. It is to help them know how to help the person. The appendix is full of practical things you can do to help your loved one or friend. The author speaks from experience. He isn't just apathetic. He's been through it with his wife.

I couldn't make my wife better or take away the cancer all I could do was - Pray. ~ Cecil Murphey

When a loved one or friend is going through their cancer journey they just need love & encouragement, reassurance, someone to listen. This book is an inspirational book. Little gift size nice to set on the coffee table. The chapters are short and easy to read. I read the whole book in less than two hours. The watercolor illustrations help to make this book what it is; very beautifully done.

Be sure to return tomorrow (we will start a wonderful gift basket giveway- Thanks to the author), and return each day through Friday of this week I will have new things posted about this book each day, special articles from the author, an interview and a give away worth a value of $300. There will be many ways to add your name to the pot to win this basket. Be sure to come back tomorrow and find out how to win.

sneak preview of what is in the basket:
When Someone You Love Has Cancer
90 Minutes in Heaven (hard cover)
Heaven Is Real (hard cover)
Daily Devotions Inspired by 90 Minutes in Heaven (hard cover)
90 Minutes in Heaven, gift edition (selections)
90 Minutes in Heaven, audio (5 CD set)
Heaven Is Real, audio (6 CDs)
Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story
Think Big
Everybody Loved Roger Harden
Everybody Wanted Room 623
Everybody Called Her a Saint
Committed But Flawed
Immortality of Influence (hard cover)
Touchdown Alexander (hard cover)
Aging Is an Attitude
My Parents, My Children: Spiritual Help for Caregivers

More information on this book here.

Author speak from the heart here.

Author interview here.

This blog tour is through: