Written Work

The HOPE Papers

The HOPE Papers If you are suffering from despair about the state of the world, please download this document.  It’s all too easy to get depressed by what we see on the news and what we read about on social media. But that is emphatically not the full story. This paper began to take shape as I was researching and preparing for talks on the subject “Cultivating a Spirit of Hope.”  Currently it is a 20-page downloadable document listing really wonderful and inspirational things going on right now all over the world. And, believe it or not, it’s just the tip of a really amazing iceberg. This document will continue to grow as I uncover more and more acts of compassion, ingenuity, and just all-around good news. It’s out there; it just takes a little bit of motivation to find it,  intention to focus on it. I believe we absolutely need Hope in order to believe that the future we want is possible. May The HOPE Papers lift your spirits and fortify you for the very important task of co-creating the beautiful world we all want.  Please folks, dream big! To download The HOPE Papers, please make a donation of $1 (or more) to support the work of spreading this news. Thank you!
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Grief and Grace: Stories at the Intersection of Life and Death

If you’ve ever loved someone who was lingering at the intersection between life and death… If you’ve ever cared for someone who was very ill or steadily declining for weeks or months or years… If you’ve ever mourned the loss of someone very special, then please read this book. It may be a balm to your weary soul. The author, a former hospice chaplain immersed in the care of both parents, experienced three years filled with the deaths of loved ones. She speaks with heart-wrenching honesty of not just the exhaustion and despair but the luminous instances of love, beauty, and grace which kept her going. This book is sad and beautiful, uplifting and thought-provoking all at once. Most of all, this book helps us remember that we are never alone and that life and love continue after death.
 
 
“I just read your whole book! I had many ‘silent tears.’ It is so beautiful!” ~ M.E.S.
“I’m reading your book Grief and Grace and it is helping me so much…. I cried every chapter but it’s really good. (It’s) giving me great peace. Thank you.” ~ D.O.S.
“I just want to say THANK YOU! Your book was … inspiring, timely, comforting, educational and SUPER. I wanted MORE of your book.” ~D.B.S.
 
Book Cover

Grief and Grace:
Essays on Love and Beauty in the Midst of Dying  by Cynthia Greb

This book was begun five years ago when I suddenly found myself in the midst of a spate of deaths.  Within one three-year period I lost both parents, a beloved niece, several clients, three uncles, and a couple former boyfriends.  Caring for both parents as they neared the end of their life was especially challenging and brought forth a whole host of emotions, the most pronounced of which were pure exhaustion and overwhelm.  Being blessed with strong faith and having a background as a hospice chaplain helped a little, for sure, but one can’t just bypass the feelings that arise.

Then, Grace happened.  Over and over I found that during periods of darkness and despair, moments of exquisite beauty and sweetness would break through.  I began to realize that life and death are intertwined.  Beauty and pain, love and loss — they are all commingled.

Ultimately then, this book is about, not loss, but transcendent love.

How to Order:

Directly from Cynthia

Amazon

 
Grief and Grace Book Cover

“In this loving and sensitive series of stories, Cynthia Greb touches upon experiences and feelings that we all must journey through at some point in our finite lives. She teaches us the value of love in all its many forms and shows us that even on the darkest days we can be wrapped in grace if we keep our minds and hearts open.” — Robin L. Reichert, author of Earth Divine: Adventures of an Everyday Mystic

“I loved the honesty of this book. As a fellow hospice chaplain, I appreciated Cynthia’s willingness to show the underbelly of not knowing. Regardless of our professional roles or training, losing those most dear to us is an experience that offers no free pass. We humans are all on an equal playing field when it comes to death and dying. The experience can be confusing, painful, meaningful, profound and sometimes amazingly beautiful. Cynthia has a way of bringing us into her heart as she navigates the impossible…making it okay for those we love to leave us. I highly recommend this book for caregivers, family members and professionals alike. Well done!” — Rev, Helen Burke, pastoral counselor

Pilgrimage through Native Lands: A White Woman's Journey of Discovery and Remembrance

After receiving an unmistakable intuitive call, the author embarked upon a pilgrimage in 2018.  Traditional pilgrimages entail traveling to one specific holy destination. Cynthia Greb’s journey would be different; she would be visiting several sacred and meaningful places in northern California, southern Oregon, and northwestern Montana. Where there was nature’s beauty, she would stop to rest and reflect.  Where there were places of pain and suffering, she would stop to offer prayer.
Having only limited funds, she decided to simply travel until she ran out of money.  The important thing was to answer Spirit’s call.  The important thing was to say “Yes!”
Along the way she was surprised to have several serendipitous encounters with native places, people, and spirits. This book focuses on those experiences.

Pilgrimage through Native Lands: A White Woman’s Journey of Discovery and Remembrance

Available for order now.  Choose a hard copy version for $10 (signed, if requested) or e-book version for $3. The book is 8 1/2 x 11 and  37 pages.

Order directly from Cynthia.

Thank you!

Pilgrimage Book Cover

The Art of Vegetarian Cooking: Over 55 Easy Recipes to Help You Get Started by Cynthia Greb (and friends)

This cookbook was inspired by my brother who, at the time, was new to vegetarianism.  Created for both the novice as well as those who simply want to eat better but don’t have a whole lot of time to prepare elaborate meals, this friendly book is chock full of nutritional tips and time-saving ideas.  You will also find ample suggestions for soups, salads, breakfast, lunch, side dishes, and dinner entrees. Everyone is guaranteed to find something they like.  When you get home at the end of the day tired, hungry, and cranky, this book will come in very handy.

The Art of Vegetarian Cooking is available in Book or Kindle format.

Directly from Cynthia

Amazon 

Stay tuned.  Now that I’ve managed to birth two books into the world, more will  follow.  After years of gestating multiple projects, these babies are lining up ready to burst forth!

Book cover

Future Projects

 

Walk in Beauty: Seeing Our Planet through the Eyes of Love, by Cynthia Greb

This book is a photographic essay which celebrates the glory of the natural world.  It was created at the urging of several friends who marvel at the beauty I have been blessed to witness these past several years.  Interspersed throughout are poetic snippets of spiritual encouragement.  The reader is encouraged to celebrate, be in gratitude, rest, and be at peace.  Walk in Beauty is ideal as a gift for a friend or oneself.

DOA: Death, Oneness, and the Afterlife, by Cynthia Greb

This book was inspired by a talk I gave in March 2016 called “Death, Dreams, and the Afterlife.” It was born from my experiences with the death of both parents, plus several friends, relatives, and clients over the course of just a few years. As I was processing all this death, I found that my interest in the afterlife grew tremendously. I began reading everything I could get my hands on, I collected stories from friends and acquaintances and I even met with a couple mediums for the first time ever. The result of all this is a melange of real-life experience with one of life’s greatest transitions, many mystical experiences and sacred dreams after loved ones have left this plane, and information about how death is handled in other traditions around the world.  This compelling book will, no doubt, pique your own curiosity about the age-old frontier of death and the afterlife.

If you have personally experienced some profound mystical encounter or sacred dream during or after the dying process of a close friend or relative, I would love to hear about it!  I believe these experiences help us all to lose our fear of death and to realize that we are all connected.  Death can never overpower love!