A Butterfly's Journey
Healing Grief After the Loss of a Child
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About the Book
A Butterfly's Journey offers a unique approach to enduring the loss of a child, with the author’s diverse perspective as a multiple bereaved parent and support group facilitator.
In this gripping memoir that commences with the day she got "the call" alerting her that her 21-year-old son had been seriously injured in a motorcycle accident, Hopkinson bares her soul in moving through a journey of grief that changed her life forever. She also gives families a reason to believe in their child's continued spiritual existence.
With great skill, Hopkinson's approach helps bereaved parents and families understand the variety of ways grief can be felt, expressed and supported. For example, genders grieve differently and infant loss can be as traumatic as the death of an older or adult child. She gently reminds us to be tolerant: we all grieve in our own way and on our own schedule.
Courageously sharing the impact of grief in her own life, Hopkinson reveals that her 30-year-marriage did not survive the untimely death of her adult son. Additionally, while going through a divorce that dramatically altered her lifestyle, her remaining son flunked out of college as a result of the loss of his brother. Like many bereaved parents, Hopkinson briefly contemplated suicide after these and other unexpected events.
In A Butterfly's Journey, she details finding an inner strength she now believes has prepared her to handle any life challenge with greater ease. She also models how she found love, hope and happiness again by turning outward and helping others.
About the Author
Born in Maine, raised in Massachusetts, having attended college and lived several years in New Jersey, Barbara returned to coastal Massachusetts. This is her first full length book, after publishing blogs, articles, and book reviews in the business world . She retired after a successful career in technology sales, including ten years as an IBM executive. One of Barbara’s passions is travel, having visited more than 40 countries so far. Barbara is a multiple bereaved parent, which inspired her to write about her journey to help others. She founded a local chapter of The Compassionate Friends, an international organization whose mission is to support families after the loss of a child. Barbara has a happy family life with her second husband, James Hopkinson, her remaining son Brad and three adult step-children Melanie, Matthew, and Christopher.