WHEN WILL IT STOP HURTING?

“When will it stop hurting?”: One man’s journey through grief
by Glenn Cameron
GENRE: Memoir

BLURB:
Crystle was the love of his life. For thirty-six years they had done everything together. As retirement approached all he could think of was spending even more time with his beautiful wife, growing old together. Just three years earlier they had sold their home in the Toronto area and moved to Niagara in preparation for retirement. Then on her 58th birthday, Crystle was diagnosed with stage four brain cancer. A terminal diagnosis that Glenn never allowed himself to accept. But just eight months later she had succumbed to her illness and Glenn was thrust into a time filled with uncontrolled grief that seemed to almost suffocate him. This is his real life story. He shares the raw emotions and the dark places he visited in his mind. His story will make you laugh and cry. It will makes you cherish your loved ones. You will be uplifted as you follow his path in overcoming grief. His inspirational story will provide comfort and hope to others struggling with grief.

EXCERPT

I lived in my own little bubble. I didn’t know what compassion really meant. Oh sure, I could speak the word, but I was not compassionate. I was caring and helped others, but compassion escaped me. I am not sure I could have even empathized with others, much less shown compassion. True compassion, I would have thought, must surely be for men like my father. I am not trying to be self-deprecating; it is sadly the fact of who I was, and to a larger extent, a reflection of our society. We are taught to strive for a happy marriage with happy children. To have a good job, a nice car, a beautiful home, and take vacations every year. We are not taught to look out for those among us who are hurting. I was simply a product of our culture.

So at the very moment Crystle passed, my path in life resulted in me being a man with no faith. No belief in an afterlife. My deep agnosticism left me without any hope. I didn’t for a moment consider my religious roots as an outlet for comfort; in fact, I shunned religion. I would have quite possibly reacted in anger had someone other than family suggested prayer. I didn’t want or need any prayers. Once Crystle’s body was gone, the urn containing her ashes was all that I had. I believed Crystle was gone forever. I clung to the urn in desperation and never thought of burying those precious ashes in the first weeks after Crystle left us.

It was a perfect storm. I was thrust into a world of grief for which I was not prepared, with no beliefs to support me, and therefore no hope in my future.

It has been over a year now. My photograph has been lying on the shelf. You can pick it up and blow from it the dust that has collected. At first you may not discern it was snapped just a few moments after the love of my life had died. Would you be able to see the hurt I was feeling? Could you see the hopelessness in my eyes? Not likely unless you really knew me. Perhaps if you had the photo album of my life you might notice something wasn’t right with my smile. Maybe my shoulders were slouching. Whether the observer could see it or not, my photograph that day showed a man who was forever changed. A man who felt he had no hope. I am reminded of two lines I once read from a short verse, author unknown:

Our tomorrow never came,

Nothing in my life is the same.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

I grew up in Canada’s east coast and moved to Toronto in my late teens. I was ready to sow my wild oats in the big city. But I met Crystle on a blind date and everything changed. I knew she was the love of my life. I have a business degree from the University of New Brunswick and I have worked in the information technology sector much of my working career. That hardly is credentials for an author, but life makes us all experts, even in areas we may prefer not to hold that title. When Crystle passed my life was forever changed. My grief was so overwhelming I felt I needed to share my story and if even one person is inspired to defeat grief then my writing career will be a success.

Website – https://glenncam.com/
Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/626464.Glenn_Cameron

Buy Links:
Amazon.com https://amazon.com/dp/0228816297
Amazon.ca https://amazon.ca/dp/0228816297
Kindle https://amazon.com/dp/B07VT8XL2D
Bookshop https://bookshop.org/books/when-will-it-stop-hurting-one-man-s-journey-through-grief/9780228816294
Indigo https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/when-will-it-stop-hurting/9780228816317-item.html
Barnes and Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/when-will-it-stop-hurting-glenn-cameron/1132729314
Book Depository https://www.bookdepository.com/When-will-it-stop-hurting-Glenn-Cameron/9780228816294
Kobo https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/when-will-it-stop-hurting
Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/951219
Apple iBooks https://books.apple.com/us/book/when-will-it-stop-hurting-one-mans-journey-through-grief/id1476754545

GIVEAWAY

Glenn Cameron will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway