David Knapp, formerly of Redding and a Mount Ayr graduate, will be speaking on the subject of grief at the United Baptist Presbyterian
Church in Mount Ayr on Friday, July 24, at 6:30 p.m.Knapp has recently authored a book entitled, "I Didn't Know What To Say: Being a Better Friend to
Those Who Experience a Loss."
The book is a peek into his personal conversations helping family and friends experiencing a loss: conversations covering a
40-year span. This book is written so friends learn what to say to help grievers in their time of sorrow.
"This book can be used as a handbook," Knapp said.
"Stand-alone chapters focus on varying types of loss and provide insights related to the dynamics of comforting those grieving. For the bottom-lined
individual, the list at the end of each chapter - "What to Say/What NOT to Say" - will be especially appreciated."
The author's lessons on grieving were
forged in the crucibles of losing not just one wife to cancer, but two. In those years, he raised four children, blended a family of eight teen-agers, and
shouldered his responsibilities with respect and admiration by his family and colleagues.
Some of the conversations reveal unintential hurts, while others
give the reader the "opportunity to be embraced by the wisdom and affirmation of our humanity in and through the process of loss," as Dr. Bill Sleinke, Hospice
Chaplain noted.
"David Knapp hits a nerve with [this] book," said Dr. Steve Vandegriff, professor at Liberty University. "David takes a candid and vulnerable
walk through all the dynamics of grief and loss. It's a book that every person who works with the public on a daily basis should have in his/her library. It's a
book for the person who simply wants to be a better friend to those experiencing grief."
The book is currently available for pre-order on Amazon.com. Readers
can reserve their digital copy and receive a preview of the introduction and the first two chapters, plus pick up two bonus features.
Photograph courtesy of Mount Ayr Record-News
Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, October of 2015
David Knapp, formerly of Redding and a Mount Ayr graduate, will be speaking on the subject of grief at the United Baptist Presbyterian
Church in Mount Ayr on Friday, July 24, at 6:30 p.m.
