When the author’s twenty-eight-year-old daughter, Kelsey, was killed in a bicycle-bus accident in Boston, she yearned to find a way to continue their conversation. Although most of Barbara’s religious beliefs were destroyed the moment she learned of Kelsey’s death, she soon realized grief could be a form of spiritual practice and embarked on an inward pilgrimage that included mindfulness meditation, Jewish methods for interpreting sacred texts, Quaker ways of listening for the inner guide, and Shamanic drumming. The beaches and forests on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State provided daily inspiration as she learned to balance a never-ending sense of loss with ever-increasing joy. Dialogue with Kelsey: Before and After My Daughter’s Death will speak to those who have lost a child or a close loved one and also to those who, for whatever reason, are trying to balance sorrow and pain with joy.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

After a long career in education—teacher, school psychologist, administrator, and consultant—Barbara retired (with her husband) to a very small island in the Salish Sea, where she taught occasional workshops on the impact of emotional trauma and spent time gardening, walking on the beach, writing, drumming, visiting friends, and taking part in her Quaker Meeting. She and her husband moved from their island home back to Seattle in order to be closer to their sons,  daughters-in-law, and three young grandchildren. Kelsey, who died in 2012, is an ever-present part of their lives. Two essays adapted from her memoir have been published in The Friends Journal
and What Canst Thou Say.