How do we live as our parents
grow older and die?
Fayegail Mandell Bisaccia
ponders this and other questions in her candid and insightful journal.
With her own honesty, she encourages us to look deeper, to be aware of
our impact on those we love. She encourages us to start conversations
now which will open our hearts to healing communication with our
parents and with our children as we ask these questions of ourselves.
Dancing in My Mother’s Slippers
begins as Fayegail’s mother is diagnosed with ovarian cancer. We follow
Fayegail through the shock, the plans, the final months, weeks, and
days of her mother’s life. We see first hand what she experiences at
the loss of her mother with whom she shared a rich and caring
friendship.
We witness the death, the Jewish bereavement
practices, the dawning of grief as a new sense of reality sets in.
The story continues as Fayegail
experiences the ebb and flow of grief. We watch, through her eyes, as
the family begins to heal and supports their father in his grief, his
gradual healing, his return to a more active life, and ultimately
through his final illness and death. We come to know that grief is not
something one gets over, but rather something that one integrates into
one’s life, into oneself.
Fayegail shares the spiritual
practices upon which she relies to sustain her in her grief and in all
the parts of her life. We see a profound integration of the various
aspects of herself as she perseveres in living a life of mindfulness
and wellbeing.
Dancing in My Mother’s Slippers
presents us with a model for family relationships, for healing and for
living.
Conversations
about
Dancing in My Mother's Slippers
Fayegail invites readers to participate in discussions
of Dancing in My Mother’s Slippers
as a way to explore personal spirituality in the context of grief and
healing. A book
group guide can be found on this website and also at the back of
the book.
If you would like to invite Fayegail to speak with your book group – in
person or online via Skype – or if you would like to organize a
discussion group in your community, write to Fayegail@GriefandHealing.net.
