Pockets of Grace

Gessner’s world was turned upside down when her beloved, yet complicated, father was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer during her heartbreaking divorce. Struggling with despair, she received an unexpected visit from a mysterious, benevolent guest with the important message: You are not alone! That moment changed the course of her life and her career. At the threshold of death, she found connection, meaning, and depth which led her to work with dying and bereaved people, so they wouldn’t feel alone, either. This book is a result of what she experienced working as an end-of-life professional for nearly 20 years. Gessner shows us we aren’t left on our own on this earth; rather, the divine is woven into all we do, in ways we don’t often imagine. With the pandemic subsiding, many express not wanting to go back to the way things were. From hospital beds, to the beaches of Cape Cod, and the hills of Santa Fe, and with guidance and inspiration from patients, poets, saints, even birds, Heidi leads the reader to a new way forward. This book is for anyone wrestling with spirituality and/or grief as Gessner addresses issues about what it means to be human, to grieve, and to grow.