Colors of Loss and Healing: An Adult Coloring Book for Getting Through Tough times by Deborah S. Derman, Phd with Lisa Powell Braun (illustrator)

Many people have asked me about how my mom is doing since my dad died in July. I think for a woman who suddenly lost her husband of 52 years, she is doing incredibly well. But then again, she has always been a pull-yourself-up-by-your bootstraps kind of woman. After my dad died, she said her first trip to Gelson’s Supermarket was hard. She found herself crying in the banana aisle. The reason for her  tears: she never ever liked bananas but habitually put them in her shopping cart for five decades because my dad loved them. As strong as my mom is, I find myself looking for ways to support and help her. At Christmas time I found myself surfing Amazon and looking for an appropriate Christmas gift for a new widow. I found this book: “Colors of Loss and Healing” by Deborah S. Derman and Lisa Powell Braun. Unfortunately I ordered this book late at night, after wine, without my reading glasses on. This combination can lead to disastrous results like the time I accidentally ordered more high intensity sports bras than a girl could use in a decade. But luckily I only ordered two copies of this book instead of one. So I took it as a sign that I should keep one for myself and learn to color again. So I did. This is a beautiful book written by a woman who is no stranger to loss. Derman lost her parents in a small plane crash, her husband young to a sudden heart attack and then was hit with her own mortality when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She is a testament to the fact that you can be hit with a truckload of pain and still survive. I started coloring this book last week and it felt hard. The next day felt a little less hard. And a week later, I started to see the benefits of coloring a simple piece of paper. I hope it will get easier over time for me, like the mourning process itself. My mom has not started to color her book yet, but I hope in time she will and be able to find the joy, too. To purchase this book on Amazon click here.