A Message From
Granger Westberg
Author of Good Grief:
A Constructive Approach To The Problem Of Loss
When I first preached my sermon on grief about forty years ago, I was amazed
by the response. As a professor at the University of Chicago, I preached
at the Rockefeller Chapel on occasion. The service was broadcast over WGN,
a well-known Chicago radio station.
On a typical Sunday when I preached, I would get anywhere from ten to
twenty-five letters asking for copies of the sermon. That is, until the
Sunday I preached on grief. For that sermon we received almost one
thousand letters! I couldn't believe what happened. I figured I had
suddenly become a great preacher. So I worked hard on my next sermon
(not related to grief) and awaited the avalance of letters. I got about
twelve.
Eventually I rewrote my sermon on grief into a book form, which
Fortress Press published in 1961. [In 1997] they published the thirty-fifth
anniversary edition. Obviously, grief is a condition few people escape.
I appreciate the quality of the
workbook
that Cecil Fike
has written. I am glad he used the ten stages [of grief] which I
feel are important to the essence of my book. The workbook helps
people grasp the concept of grief and relate it in a meaningful way
to their personal grief.
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