---
title: "Finding Grace in Grief: A Woman Writes Through Loss, Faith and Healing"
description: Dr. Edyth E. Young’s My Story of Grace offers comfort, faith and guided self-reflection for those experiencing grief and seeking emotional wellbeing
author: Dr Marina Nani (Editor-in-Chief)
date: 2025-07-17T17:52:33.000Z
updated: 2026-04-16T14:36:37.758Z
canonical: https://richwoman.co/article/finding-grace-in-grief-a-woman-writes-through-loss-faith-and-healing
image: https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/s9cc2skysjm-1.jpg
categories: Wellbeing
content_type: Book Review
region: Global
publication: Rich Woman Magazine
---

Dr. Edyth E. Young did what many of us did during the pandemic’s darkest moments – she [turned to writing as a way to process heartbreak](https://richwoman.co/article/an-jones-patrons-of-earth-trilogy). But where others might have penned angry social media posts or tearful diary entries, Dr. Young chose to write her way through grief and toward something deeper: a guided reflection on how faith can carry us through our hardest times. Her forthcoming book, *My Story of Grace: A Self-Reflection Handbook*, comes from both personal hardship and hard-won hope.

Dr. Young’s journey mirrors that of countless people who found themselves grappling with loss during the pandemic. She’s someone who understands that faith doesn’t always feel comforting – sometimes it feels like wrestling in the dark.

Dr. Young doesn’t present herself as someone who had all the answers when tragedy struck. She’s refreshingly open about her own pain and spiritual wrestling, sharing how the loss of her cousin Barbara Thompson to COVID-19 in 2020 sent her into deeper reflection about faith, loss and the presence of grace in our darkest moments.

It’s this vulnerability that makes her book feel less like a sermon and more like a conversation with someone who’s been where you are. Dr. Young acknowledges that writing through grief isn’t about finding neat answers or tidy conclusions – it’s about finding companionship in the struggle. Much like [Marie Sumnicht’s honest exploration of grief after losing her daughter](https://richwoman.co/article/living-with-questions-how-marie-sumnicht-found-her-voice-after-losing-her-daughter), Dr. Young’s approach honours the messiness of loss without rushing toward resolution.

## Heart of the Book

Readers opening *My Story of Grace* will find stories spanning Dr. Young’s life journey, from childhood illnesses to adult trials that tested her faith. She doesn’t shy away from the difficult moments, instead using them as entry points to explore how divine grace showed up even when she couldn’t see it clearly.

Throughout the narrative, Dr. Young weaves in biblical scriptures that have anchored her, particularly Jeremiah 29:11 and Micah 6:8. These aren’t just decorative verses – they’re the bones of her theology, the passages she’s returned to again and again when life felt overwhelming. The book shows how these ancient words speak into contemporary pain, offering both comfort and challenge.

What comes through is a picture of faith that’s both deeply personal and universally recognisable – the kind of spirituality that doesn’t pretend suffering doesn’t exist but instead asks how we might find meaning within it. It’s reminiscent of [Linda Gowan’s honest memoir about finding grace in the hardest moments](https://richwoman.co/article/the-reality-of-the-long-road-how-to-find-every-day-warmth-wit-and-grace-in-the-hardest-moment), where real life refuses to be tidied up with platitudes.

## Reflections and Healing

Perhaps the most valuable aspect of Dr. Young’s book is its interactive nature. Each chapter concludes with guided reflection points, inviting readers to [explore their own relationship with faith](https://richwoman.co/article/finding-your-way-forward-how-one-woman-s-story-of-grief-became-a-guiding-light-for-others) and grace. This approach puts it alongside other honest memoirs about working through difficulty, like [Jonnice Cooke’s exploration of mental health and emotional weight](https://richwoman.co/article/quiet-strength-why-unpacking-the-weight-within-feels-like-finally-letting-your-guard-down).

Dr. Young’s hope is clear: ‘I pray that my story will help you see how God’s grace can bring healing and comfort during times of sorrow.’ These aren’t empty words from someone who’s never faced real loss – they’re the hard-earned wisdom of someone who’s walked through grief and found something on the other side.

The reflection exercises aren’t about forcing positivity or rushing through pain. Instead, they create space for readers to sit with their own experiences, to name their losses and to consider how grace might be present even [in the midst of heartbreak](https://richwoman.co/article/gladys-martin-rising-from-the-ashes-with-fierce-honesty-in-i-am-phoenix-rising).

## The Presence of Grace

One of the most striking aspects of Dr. Young’s approach is how she personifies Grace as a lifelong spiritual companion. This isn’t abstract theology – it’s the lived experience of someone who has felt accompanied through life’s hardest passages.

Writing in honour of her cousin Barbara and her own faith journey, Dr. Young explores what it means to believe in presence rather than absence, in companionship rather than isolation. Her book offers a different way of thinking about divine presence – not as something that prevents suffering, but as something that accompanies us through it.

## Who Should Read This Book?

Dr. Young is direct about her intended audience: ‘This book is for all those who have experienced loss, hardship, or pain.’ In other words, it’s for all of us, but particularly for those who find themselves in seasons of grief or spiritual questioning.

The book might be especially valuable for readers who feel caught between wanting to maintain their faith and struggling with doubt in the face of loss. Dr. Young doesn’t offer easy answers, but she does offer honest companionship – the kind that says you don’t have to choose between faith and questions, between spiritual practice and authentic grief.

It’s also for those who’ve found traditional approaches to grief support lacking, particularly if they’re [seeking something that acknowledges the spiritual dimension of loss without being prescriptive](https://richwoman.co/article/katrina-bills-prayed-up-daily-prayer-devotional) about how faith should look or function. Like [Angela Frazier’s ‘Rising from the Abyss’](https://richwoman.co/article/angela-frazier-rising-from-the-abyss), it’s for people who need to hear that there is light to be found, even when you can’t see it yet.

## A Book Born from Love

As Dr. Young prepares for the book’s release in the coming weeks, she describes it as [‘a heartfelt offering’](https://richwoman.co/article/a-grandmother-s-handwritten-gift-of-gentle-wisdom-for-all-musings-for-madie-quotes-to-live-by) that ‘reflects my journey and honours those who have supported me, while also offering encouragement and hope to anyone searching for God’s presence in their life.’

Perhaps what makes this book compelling isn’t its promise of easy comfort, but its recognition that healing often comes through the act of telling our stories – and in discovering we’re not alone in them. For those of us still processing pandemic losses, Dr. Young’s willingness to share her own journey through grief and faith offers something precious: the gift of being witnessed in our pain and the possibility that grace might be present even when we can’t see it clearly.

The book stands as both tribute to Barbara Thompson’s memory and invitation to others walking similar paths. Sometimes the most profound healing comes not from answers, but from the courage to keep asking questions in the company of hope. Much like [Dr. Drusilla Dinka’s work on finding confidence after setbacks](https://richwoman.co/article/finding-confidence-after-setbacks-more-than-a-conqueror), it’s about the long journey toward wholeness, not the quick fix. For some, the journey to healing and faith may begin when they, too, [find strength by letting go of control](https://richwoman.co/article/christina-marullo-found-her-strength-by-letting-go-of-control).