The word ‘bereaved’ comes from an old word meaning ‘robbed.’ All you have to do is live long enough and you will lose someone. It will feel as though they didn’t live long enough. Whether you are going through grief yourself or helping someone who is, you will need comfort way beyond words, which somehow this book provides. - Anthony Delaney (Author, speaker and Team Leader of Ivy Church, Manchester). For a few months after my Mum died, I felt as though I was in some kind of protective bubble. But soon after that, grief hit me like a bus. Emotionally speaking, I fell to the floor and wasn’t sure how to get up. Everything looked and felt unfamiliar, frightening and worthless. My confidence left me and any hope for my future seemed unstable. I felt as though I had lost myself and was not sure where to start looking. This book tells the journey of my slow but steady ascent back onto my feet. ‘Good grief’ is not just about my bereavement, but also shares the stories of other people who have lost their health, their mental capacity and even their trust in God. Running through each chapter is the truth that we have a heavenly Father who holds onto us, without ever letting go, through every season of our lives. He champions us, wills us on and won’t stop cheering until we accomplish all he plans. My prayer is that if you are grieving right now, this book will throw arms of love around you and hug you tight. I have learnt that it IS possible for grief to be good and I hope that what I share here enables that to be your experience too. Ems Hancock has the perspective of a poet, the mind of a philosopher, and the heart of an angel. I can think of no one better to be our personal tour guide into the recesses and sunlit pathways of a life lived in truth and beauty, with a bit of wry humour sprinkled on. Follow her in these pages. You will be glad you did. - Bob Hamp (Author, Executive Pastor of Pastoral Care Gateway Church, Sout