SIBBS Newsletter, Winter 2020

SIBBS Newsletter, Winter 2020 | www.tcf.org.uk 10 My discovery of Cathy Rentzenbrink has been nothing short of serendipitous. Some months ago, an author published an article in The Sunday Times that referenced A Manual for Heartache . A friend of mine also saw this and sent it to me. At this time, I knew nothing about Cathy or Matty or their story. Very recently, I started a career I set out to begin 10 years ago, my supervisor then led me to TCF, which consequently led me to Cathy and her talk. After doing some initial research following my discovery, I found that Cathy was also a bereaved sibling, and not only did she have the above-mentioned book, but she also had a book called The Last Act of Love . The title grabbed me immediately. Certain parts of my beloved brother’s passing, one in particular made me feel as there was only one last thing I could do for him, constituting my own last act of love. I don’t try to compare grief, I don’t think I could possibly understand what another is going through in its entirety. However, In my journey I discovered that I have looked for things that can help me through, help me find my purpose in what happened, or understand the event that has destroyed my world and changed me. In reading Cathy’s book, I felt it would either annihilate me, or help me with no in between. Both happened, but the primary thing this book and subsequent talk gave me was the comfort in making me feel not quite so alone whilst going through something that is undeniably isolating. Having listened to Cathy’s talk this week, I hung on to every word she said. Some of the sentiments echoed so deeply with me. Review of Cathy Rentzenbrink online event hosted by TCF By Lily Cooke