There is nothing more devastating than the death of a loved one. And whether it comes suddenly and unexpectedly, or at the end of a long and painful illness, every death is experienced anew, a shocking loss that takes our breath away and leaves us disoriented and lost.

Grief is mysterious, misunderstood, and experienced differently from individual to individual, yet there are certain universal elements. In this compassionate epistolary handbook on grief, a pastor offers comfort and understanding to a man suffering a profound loss, showing grief as a healthy process that God can use to...