When Larada Horner-Miller’s father died in 1996, her mother told her, Everyone grieves in their own way.

AWARDS:

2018 New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards Finalist in 2 categories: E-book Nonfiction and E-book Cover 2018 Book Excellence Awards Finalist in the Memoir category 2018 Independent Press Awards Distinguished Favorites in the Memoir category 2017 New Apple Book Awards for Excellence in Independent Publishing Official Selection in the BiographyAutobiographyMemoir category. 2017 New Mexico-Arizona book awards Finalist in 2 categories: Biography (Other) and E-book Nonfiction.

Horner-Miller took these words to heart when her mother passed away in 2013. She discovered that writing poetry was the best way of working through her fresh grief. Eventually she penned dozens of intimate, heartfelt poems about her parents’ lives and legacies and her deep sorrow and gradual recovery. Now she has gathered those verses into her first collection, A Time to Grow Up.

Horner-Miller discusses the emotional challenges of caring for her parents at the end of their lives. Her words will strike a chord with any worried caretaker or child watching over ailing but fiercely independent loved ones.

As Horner-Miller explores the nuances of bereavement through her poetry, she provides inspiration and comfort for readers coping with the same burdens. While many of her poems explore the depths of her anguish, others exude humor and warmth-a reminder that there is still always light in the world.

In addition to her poems, Horner-Miller includes biographical sketches about her mother and her father, as well as appendices that provide coping tips, suggested activities, and resources for others dealing with intense bereavement.

REVIEWS:

The author’s words are so descriptive that I felt her pain, her love and her loss as she described her experiences. I felt the deep bond between mother and daughter and how much a mother can influence a daughter’s life. Gale Askren

Reading Horner-Miller’s book has helped me deal with my own grief over losing my parents. Her poems touched my heart and helped me realize that I’m not alone in my grief. I highly recommend this book for anyone who has just lost a parent (or both parents), or is the primary care giver for an ailing/dying parent. Horner-Miller put to words what I’ve been feeling in my heart. Kathleen Pitt

The author Larada Horner-Miller utilizes the power of poetry to share about the loss of her parents. She pours from her heart, and one can feel the love Larada has for her parents, and how they impacted her life. This was a beautiful experience to read this heartfelt book. T R Will

Horner-Miller’s prose is beautifully written. You get the feeling she is sitting right next to you talking to you. Her open sharing of her grief is inspiring. Mary Jane

If you are grieving the loss of a parent, LOOK INSIDE this book. It may help ease your pain!