Kathleen A. Paris

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courtesy Kathleen A. Paris

A close-up of Kathleen A. Paris.

Kathleen A. Paris

media release: PLEASE NOTE: While this is a free event, RSVPs are encouraged. Seating is limited and will be first come, first served.

Can’t make it in person? Watch the livestream here »

We tend to think of grief as an emotional state, but grief affects our entire bodies, our entire selves, head to toe,” says author Kathleen A. Paris, Ph.D. Her latest book is Gentle Comforts: For Women Grieving the Loss of a Beloved Life Companion. Paris takes a systemic—mind, spirit, and body--approach in her book providing 52 practical reflections on grief, journaling opportunities, and easy, healthy recipes. (Available March 31, 2024, from ACTA Publications.)

The reflections in Gentle Comforts follow a griever from the first weeks of loss onward. The topics are tailored to what a woman might need along her grief journey. For example, dealing with the barrage of mail and eating nourishing meals and hydration are essential issues in those first weeks. Clarifying bedrock values or reaching out to other grievers can come later.

Writing in a journal is a documented therapeutic tool for healing from trauma. Gentle Comforts includes appealing writing prompts or questions with each reflection. Readers are encouraged to journal right in the book.

“A real plus of journaling,” Paris says, “is that we can look back later and see how far we have come.”

Another unique feature is healthy recipes for one person. Research confirms that nutrition is a universal problem for grieving people and that poor nutrition inevitably contributes to illnesses. Her easy recipes feature fresh fruits, vegetables, and lean meats to tempt flagging appetites. “Not one canned soup recipe was allowed in,” she says and notes that the very act of preparing food and cooking can help with depression.

Topics include Sleep, Grief Fog, Time Alone, Confidence Lost, Holidays, Dark Thoughts, Money Matters, Grief Ambush, Living in the Present and more. The author’s compassionate voice encourages women who have lost a mate to give themselves time to heal in their own way and at their own pace. She says, “We cannot expect ourselves to do all the things we did before grief took us out at the knees.”

Paris lost her husband of 25 years in 2018. She retired after a 30-year career as a management consultant in Madison, WI.

A book signing and conversation with Mare Chapman about grief will be held, 6:00 p.m. Wednesday, April 17, 2024, at Mystery to Me Bookstore, 1863 Monroe Street, Madison, WI.