because grief hits hard this time of year.

Not to be a downer during the holiday season, but we do need to remember that there are a lot of people out there dealing with the loss of loved ones, and whether it’s been a week, a year or ten, that grief is especially hard to handle this time of year. Christina Rasmussen’s Second Firsts: Live, Laugh, and Love Again is the perfect resource for those of you who are experiencing the pain of loss. Rasmussen's five stages of "Life Re-entry" are: Get Real, Plug In, Shift, Discover, and Re-enter Life. She virtually holds your hand and walks with you through these different stages, leading the way for you, helping you regain your life. This author is not only trained on the topic, but she experienced her own personal loss when her husband died of cancer in her early thirties. So if you’re hurting, if your days have been long and dismal, consider this book fate stepping.