Author Gaylene Guillemin鈥檚 world was shattered in 2014. Her husband, Merv, died after having an illness for four years.
鈥淗e was my world.鈥�
In dealing with her grief and working through the loss of her husband, Guillemin learned many life lessons as she went through her journey. In doing so, she realized that she could help others who are going through a similar loss. The local author鈥檚 new book, Beyond Shattered Dreams, is meant to help people by telling them her story.
Relying on her husband for many years, Guillemin had to do things on her own for the first time, tasks that intimidated her like driving in the city on her own. But she worked through them, and in doing so did things she would have never done before, such as going to Colorado on her own to get a Death and Grief Studies certificate, and learning how to do Angel Card readings.
鈥淲hen I look at those scary steps I鈥檝e taken... I鈥檝e gone so many miles one scary step at a time.鈥�
After Merv died, Guillemin began to get interested in mediums, and she eventually went to one three months after. That person told Guillemin that she would eventually write a book, something Guillemin didn鈥檛 believe at the time.
鈥淪he said the only one who is going to stop you, is you... Then I realized, I stopped myself all through my life.鈥�
Writing a book was a natural step, because writing a journal was one of the ways that Guillemin worked to deal with her grief.
Guillemin believes people need to talk about grief more, and through public speaking and her book, she hopes she will be able to get people to talk about grief more, especially as it鈥檚 inevitable that people will lose someone important to them in their life.
鈥淲e as a society don鈥檛 handle grief very well. We think people are doing well if they keep it hidden. One thing I鈥檝e learned is to embrace my grief... It鈥檚 really important to allow yourself to feel whatever it is you鈥檙e feeling.鈥�
While grief is a common experience, Guillemin emphasizes that everyone deals with it differently and she can鈥檛 tell people how they鈥檙e supposed to feel in the situation. She believes telling people her experience is valuable, because it can still help.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not telling people how they feel, but telling them my story, and how it made me feel... It鈥檚 really important for people to be able to tell their story without judgement... There鈥檚 no right way or wrong way, it鈥檚 just surviving.鈥�
People having difficulty dealing with grief not only applies to people going through it, but also friends and family.
鈥淲hen people came to visit me, they were afraid to mention Merv鈥檚 name, while I just craved to hear Merv鈥檚 words. In my experience, when I went through my grief, all I wanted to do was talk about my loved one,鈥� said Guillemin.
As she continues on her path, she admits it鈥檚 still hard to be on her own, but she鈥檚 grateful that she has been able to turn it into an empowering journey.
鈥淢erv gave so much to me, it was hard losing him, but I understand that I had to learn to spread my wings and fly.鈥�
Guillemin will be at Coles in the Parkland Mall on Nov. 16 for a book signing.
