TitleScent of Water The by Penelope Stan Phillips Swithinbank Reviewed by Wendy H. Jones
The past eighteen months have been strange in the extreme with many people grieving, not just the loss of family or friends, but also the way of life we once knew. Yet, we were, and often still are, going through the grieving process without the support of friends, due to restrictions, but also changing wellworn grieving rituals such as funerals and wakes. Everything has shifted. Despite this, grief is not something talked about or acknowledged, which is why I welcome this book and felt it was important to review. this sent her into a downward spiral of grief and depression alongside PTSD. It was a dark period in her life, and it was at least two years before she could write, or even read books, again. When she did start to write it was a slow process, but I feel the book is all the better for it. She has poured her own feelings into every word and acknowledges the difficulty and the pian. She does not shy away from this and encourages readers to acknowledge their own pain whilst instilling hope in them.
The author, Penelope Swithinbank, writes from a place of her own grief. Eleven years ago, she watched her elderly, yet still fit and active, mother being killed in a tragic accident involving a runaway car. In the book, Penelope acknowledges that
This is a book which has the potential to be depressing, but Swithinbank has risen above that instead focussing on areas which can help one to heal. With a mixture of devotions and prayer, with accompanying bible verses, the book is aimed squarely at the Christian market. I particularly like the first section which deals with key dates after the death such as the deceased’s birthday, the readers own birthday, Christmas, Easter etc. All the times when you would - 76 -
