Sad but inspirational, this memoir is a well-written, well organized, and deeply emotional page turner that I highly recommend. Jayson Greene’s memoir comes right from the heart and tenderly enfolds the reader into his personal journey through the grieving process. Once More We Saw Stars is about unthinkable loss, the will to survive and the endurance of the human spirit. They worked so hard to be whole, and eventually found the courage to become parents once more. Their unbreakable bond and commitment to each other flowed steadily throughout the book. They leaned on each other for strength and support, grieving together through impossible depths of sadness. For Jayson and Stacy, the pain of their loss seemed to intensify their love for each other rather than drive them apart. Many marriages do not survive the loss of a child. The most tragic situation was also a beautiful story of love, strength and resilience. I’m sure it goes without saying that Jayson and Stacy Greene are exceptional people on so many levels. No parent ever gets over losing a child, but they did seem to come to an acceptance as they incorporated Greta into their lives in a spiritual way. They also travel to New Mexico and participate in a grief retreat, where they connect even more deeply with Greta’s spirit. Daddy and Mommy want to be OK for you, because you loved us happy.” This was an important step in their healing. At the seminar, Jayson tells Greta: “Hi sweetie,”…. Together, Jayson and Stacy attend a grief support seminar, where they work with a medium. The child remains in their lives, but in a different way. If parents can connect with them spiritually, then they are not completely gone. Perhaps this is the key to surviving the loss of a child. As grief weighs heavily upon them, they work so hard to connect spiritually with Greta in order to keep her in their lives. Through their grieving process there is, of course, insurmountable pain – but their love for one another and determination to survive are also evident. Jayson spends his lunch hours walking to a nearby empty field, a place where he can be alone to cry, to talk to Greta, to express his pain and anger, and to scream out loud. They try desperately for some sense of normalcy, and return back to work just two weeks after coming home while still in shock. Jayson is reminded of Greta everywhere he goes. The next part of the book takes us through the services and the grieving process – numbness, anger, grief, sadness, wondering what would have been, if only. It wasn’t enough, was it?” Later, wanting Greta’s life to have meaning, they made the decision to donate her organs. Sobbing, they held Greta’s little hands and sang her lullabies “Hi monkey,” my wife says. She would not survive.ĭevastated, Jayson and Stacy were faced with only one heart-wrenching option – they had to say goodbye to their daughter. When her terrified parents arrived, they were given the worst possible news – Greta had suffered an extensive brain injury. She was rushed to the hospital where she underwent emergency surgery. It fell hard and fast, cruelly landing on Greta’s head. They stopped for a rest on a bench, enjoying a conversation about a show they had seen the night before, and completely unaware that eight stories above them, a windowsill was crumbling. Susan (Stacy’s mother) was babysitting her granddaughter, Greta. It started out as a lovely day in the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Once More We Saw Stars, Jayson Greene, is the true story of a couple’s life-altering loss, excruciating grieving process, and finding the strength to carry on. Jayson and Stacy Greene lived through this unimaginable tragedy on the day they lost their two year old daughter, Greta, in a horrible accident. Ask any parent to tell you their worst nightmare, and the universal response is always the same – losing a child.
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