By David Taylor / Managing Editor
Peggy Bell, an award-winning author, certified grief and life coach, and retired educator, has released her latest book, “Hope After Heartache: Moving Through the Storm of Grief.” The book is designed to help anyone who is grieving the loss of a loved one or supporting someone through grief, drawing on Bell’s decades of experience as both a teacher and a writer.
Bell, who has written eight books over her career, shared that her journey into grief writing began after the loss of her husband in 2009.
“I wanted to do something. I didn’t want his death to be in vain. I just felt a calling to help widows,” Bell explained. Her first grief-focused book, “Life After Loss for Widows,” led to the creation of a large online support group for widows, and her work has since expanded to help anyone experiencing loss.
Bell moved to Crosby in 2017, the same weekend as when Hurricane Harvey hit the area.
Like most writers, Bell’s books are born out of her own journey.
“I lost my husband in 2009, and that period was incredibly challenging for me,” Bell shared. “All of my family lived out of state, so we were the only ones in Texas. At the same time, my eldest daughter was preparing for her wedding in four months, and my youngest was getting ready to leave for college. I had just recovered from surgery, so I was dealing with an empty nest, planning a funeral, and organizing a wedding all at once. My youngest was leaving home, and I felt deeply lonely. After being married for 30 years, I found myself questioning my identity and my role in life. I was no longer the caretaker, my children didn’t need me as much, and I didn’t know who I was anymore. It was a very isolating experience, and I promised myself that if I could help even one widow feel less alone, it would be worth sharing my story.”
In “Hope After Heartache,” Bell addresses the emotional challenges of grief, including disbelief, sadness, anger, and loneliness, as well as the secondary losses that often accompany bereavement.
“Grief is brutal, and it does not discriminate. The grief journey can bring with it a range of emotions… If that wasn’t difficult enough, it also delivers secondary losses which grievers may not have anticipated but are now forced to handle,” Bell writes in her book.
Bell emphasizes that while grief is a universal experience, suffering through it for a lifetime is not inevitable.
“Death is a mandatory life event for us all. We need to face our grief from the start. It is not something we can ignore. However, suffering painfully through grief for the rest of our lives is optional,” she notes.
The book covers topics such as the grief journey timeline, guilt and regret, secondary losses, and how grief evolves over time. Bell also includes practical advice for those supporting grievers, recognizing that many people feel abandoned simply because others don’t know what to say or do.
“Our society is grief illiterate when it comes to knowing what to say, what to do for people who are grieving. That’s why they feel so lonely, because people have abandoned them, because people really don’t know what to do,” Bell said.
“Hope After Heartache” is available on Amazon, and Bell periodically hosts sessions at The Collaboratory in Crosby and one coming up on Nov. 1 at The Collaboratory in Crosby at 2 p.m. To get on her mailing list and inquire about sessions and books, contact her at info@peggymbell.com.
Leave a Comment