Chasing Time

Lena Marocco Paulauskas

Description

Will you walk through grief with me?
In these poems
You will find:
Honesty,
Solidarity,
Understanding.
Grief can feel so lonely,
You are not alone.

Grief can feel so lonely.

You are not alone.



After her father died, Lena Marocco Paulauskas found healing in sharing her story with others walking through loss. Now in a debut collection of poetry, Chasing Time candidly explores the grief journey through the eyes of a woman who understands the pain, the sorrow, and the healing that accompanies loss.



When you lose someone you love,

Your life is changed

Forever.

Life seems so different.

Empty.

Even the good memories

Are plagued with sadness,

Knowing you can’t

Make any new memories with them.



Will you walk through grief with me?



I can’t promise Joy.

You won’t find empty platitudes.

You will find:

Honesty,

Solidarity,

Understanding.



“Lena’s collection of poetry gives voice to grief in breathtaking ways. She holds space for vulnerable emotion and honest hope and reminds us to live and love well. Chasing Time is a gift—for your own grieving heart, and for those you love.”

—ANGELA DONADIO, Ministry Leader, Author, Host of the Make Life Matter Podcast



“If you’re looking for a sense of purpose or a moment of understanding, Lena’s words will surround you in a much-needed embrace.”

—DANIELLA MASON, Singer, Songwriter

Sujets

• Santé et bien-être
• Santé mentale & traumatisme
• Inspirational
• Themes
• Subjects
• Religious
• Bienestar social
• Comfort
• Poetry
• Hope
• Death

Informations

• Publié par: WestBow Press
• Date de parution: 13 juillet 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781664299764
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

CHASING Time
A Journey Through Grief
LENA MAROCCO PAULAUSKAS


Copyright © 2023 Lena Marocco Paulauskas.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
WestBow Press
A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan
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Bloomington, IN 47403
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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the Holy Bible, King James Version (Authorized Version). First published in 1611. Quoted from the KJV Classic Reference Bible, Copyright © 1983 by The Zondervan Corporation.
Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™
Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture quotations marked “NKJV” are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked “CEV” are from the Contemporary English Version Copyright © 1991, 1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Scripture quotations marked “ESV” are from the ESV Bible® (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked “ASV” are taken from the American Standard Version Bible (Public Domain).
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked “NASB” are taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations marked “MSG” or “The Message” are taken from The Message. Copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
Scripture taken from “The Voice”™. Copyright © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-6642-9974-0 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6642-9975-7 (hc)
ISBN: 978-1-6642-9976-4 (e)
Library of Congress Control Number: 2023908754
 
WestBow Press rev. date: 07/12/2023
Contents
A Note About the Photos
 
Ode to My Father
Numb
Birthday Card
Fog
Time
Mission Statement
Empathy
Chaotic, Lovely Mess
The Box
I’m Trying, Daddy
Knickknacks
Headstone
Stuck
The Symphony
Waymaker
Experience the Rain
Peace
Champion
It’s Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be
Yesterday
Best Dream
The Grass Is Not Always Greener
Those Days
Dad’s Car
Running Out of Time
Safe
Red Winter Vest
Legacy
Everything Redeemed
Foolish Things
Tonight
Tick, Tick, Tick
Stuck at Forty-Two Seconds
The Map
The Mantle
Uncertainty
Beautiful
Stop and Smell the Roses
Will I Go
Shadow of Grief
Even If
Spacious
With Us
Unfinished
Resurrected
 
Acknowledgments
Notes

Praise for Chasing Time
Lena’s collection of poetry gives voice to grief in breathtaking ways. She holds space for vulnerable emotion and honest hope and reminds us to live and love well. Chasing Time is a gift—for your own grieving heart, and for those you love.
—Angela Donadio
Ministry Leader, Author
Host of the Make Life Matter Podcast
As a professional in the death care industry for thirty-seven years, I am touched by Lena’s willingness to be transparent in her own grief. Chasing Time is a soothing read. It’s comforting to know that others are dealing with the same emotions as you.
—Mark and Sylvia Dean
Owners of Guerrero-Dean Funeral Home
In the months after my mom died, I found that poetry, which had always been a mystery, suddenly opened itself up to me. The words of Mary Oliver and David Whyte suddenly spoke to me. They were a balm to my overwhelming grief. Lena’s work speaks to me in the same way. She gives voice to all the specific little moments that make up a life: the tenderness of a father’s touch, the faithfulness of his prayers. Her poems both break my heart, and also help me heal. They speak to a deep and mysterious truth in me and point me toward a greater love than I can imagine. Lena’s poems become my own prayer and give voice to my own longings so that I too join my voice to hers when she writes, “I want a front row seat to the rainbow after the flood…”
—Shane McRae
Stage, Film, Television Actor
Silo, Sneaky Pete, Paradise Lost, The Help
This truly inspiring work will both fill you with hope and take you on a faith-filled journey through some of life’s most challenging experiences. I found myself profoundly impacted by the author’s delightful wisdom, uncanny wit, and transparent way of capturing the joy of new beginnings that sometimes come in unexpected larger than life packages. I highly recommend this book of poetry to everyone seeking a renewed sense of faith, hope, and love which is available to all in an endless supply.
—Tommy A. Casarez, PhD
Associate Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology
Associate Dean, Division of Theology
Vanguard University
Grief is something we all experience but something we experience in different ways. One of the beautiful points that Lena makes in this collection of poems is that we are not alone in our journey through grief. The words creating the themes throughout this beautiful collection will serve as gentle reminders of the peace and comfort offered to each of us by our grace-filled Father. It is my prayer that Lena’s example to us through her journey will inspire others to help someone else along the way.
—Toby Slough
Founder of Goby International Ministries
beagoby.com
The grief club is not one you ever want to be in. It’s not something you sign up for or wish on your worst enemy. But when you find yourself there and you realize you’re not the only member, you’re grateful. Grateful not to be alone. This feeling is exactly what Lena accomplishes with this book. She makes you realize you’re not the only one. Someone else out there feels what you feel. And she just so happens to be a poet, putting words to the unspoken things and making beauty out of pain. So if you’re looking for a sense of purpose or a moment of understanding, Lena’s words will surround you in a much-needed embrace.
—Daniella Mason
Singer, Songwriter
Aging has so many rewards: wisdom, experience, treasured memories come to mind. But a dreaded result of aging is grief. Most notably the grief of watching our aging loved ones decline whether physically, mentally, or in many cases, both. As a survivor of mental illness, I realize now that the root of my illness was in large part denying and avoiding properly facing and handling my grief. Ms. Lena Paulauskas offers guidance and comfort by sharing her journey in confronting grief. The precise wording accompanied by sweet pictures of her journey and memories serve as a tool to those currently encountering grief. While I venture to say we never completely overcome grief, with the proper steps (I suggest this book is such a helpful step), we learn to cope and eventually turn the pain to comfort and even JOY. I wish I would have had this resource to serve as a comforting map throughout my journey.
—Barry Yandell
Actor, Educator
Mental Illness Survivor
Lena’s book is so insightful, covering the myriad of emotions during the grieving process. There is certainly no easy way to walk through the loss of a loved one. The honest expressions of anger, sorrow, fear and dread entices the reader to also acknowledge and own their feelings that threaten to suffocate them. Her words bring exposure of the chaos and opens the door to hope. Each person has their own journey through sorrow, but walking heart to heart with one that has forged the path brings healing.
—Colleen Marocco
Global Senior Pastor
King’s Cathedral
“Chaotic Lovely Mess”, a poem dedicated to her Aunt Debbie, encapsulates what human beings are when grieving, chaotic lovely messes. Paulauskas tells us it is not only okay, it is human. Having lost my father in 2001, Chasing Time was like a balm, but it also evoked some of the saddest and ugliest times in my life. Paulauskas’ intimate work is a life lesson in grief as she shares moment after moment in her life—both with her father and without him. The true stories are relatable and will no doubt have you revisiting memories of your own. Paulauskas reminds us how grief shapes us, unravels us, squeezes us so tight we cannot breathe, gives us a swift kick in the pants, whispers, roars and at times, even tickles us. Paulauskas is all at once our mentor, our confidante and our parent who gently but firmly and lovingly clutches our hand as she guides us down th