Putting Out the Fire

The phone rings — your breath falls away — and each moment becomes a lifetime. The death of someone significant in your world can rewrite the scope and breadth of who you are. But in this exact moment, you feel terribly emotional and yet totally numb in the same moment. Decisions, questions, family stress, and legalities are all pulling at you — what do you do first and how do you cope? When author Claire M. Schwartz lost her mother suddenly when she was 24, she experienced this exact crisis. But with all the misinformation out there about Grief & Loss, and without tools that actually made her feel better, she fell apart. After 20+ years on her healing journey, and over two dozen more losses, she brings you the Truths that no one will tell you and the Tools to truly bring you support and clarity in the initial hours and days following a death. In this slim and personal book, you will learn: • How to practice Self-Care during this intense emotional time • The Ten Tall Tales of Grief & Loss ™ — the things we get told that may be well-meaning, but can be so hurtful and destructive — how to respond, plus compassionate ideas that will better support you • Who to trust and who to avoid, in the near-term and the long-term • How to manage funeral arrangements, the legal bits and all those details that can make you nuts, but must be done • Ways to celebrate your loved one, as well as what to do when the deceased was not so loved….. • What to focus on after the first week, and what to expect in the longer term We all experience loss in life — but what is very difficult to find is truthful advice that makes sense in the real world, and practical tools that anyone can use. This book tackles both, with compassion and clear practicality, with heart and with wisdom. There is no other book out there that focuses solely on this first, most-intense and exhausting period. It will support you when you need it most and get your healing journey started on the right foot.