ABCs of Healthy Grieving: A Companion for Everyday Coping

For more than twenty-five years, ABCs of Healthy Grieving by best-selling author, counselor, and grief educator Harold Ivan Smith has been a trusted companion for tens of thousands of people searching for light in the darkness of loss.

This simple and comforting guide offers short, easy-to-read reflections—each just one or two pages long—filled with real-life stories, thoughtful quotes, and practical wisdom on living with grief. Every reflection ends with an encouraging “I can . . . ” statement, a small but powerful reminder that healing is possible and that, in time, we who grieve will be okay.

Smith’s timeless insights

• Allow for individual differences in grieving within families.
• Befriend the silence.
• Create a cherishable memory.
• Discourage hasty decisions.
• Explore new end-of-day and bedtime rituals.
• Forgive.
• Go late, leave early.
• Jettison the “five stages” of grief.
• Name the name.
• Overlook the easy answers.
• Ritualize.
• Trust your loved one to God’s keeping.
• Write thank-you notes on your schedule.

 This updated edition of the beloved classic acknowledges how grief continues to evolve in a changing world—shaped by technology, shifting family dynamics, pop culture, and new funeral practices. It includes a new introduction and closing thoughts by the author, updated cultural references and quotes, and a refreshed bibliography.