Grief, Grace and Gratitude Book Launch

Post launch contemplations!

It’s now a few days post launch for Grief, Grace and Gratitude and I am slowly coming down off my book launch high, but am lucky to have many fond memories tugging and circling at my heart.

I was honoured to have such beautiful friends and family to celebrate the night with me. I really feel it was a roaring success. There was so much love and happiness circulating through the room from the 70 or so beautiful people who ventured into the PINK domain at The Maid and Magpie last Friday.

Seriously, to all my friends, family and the In the PINK community YOU are ALL super amazingly awesome. Absolutely fabulously pinked. You are all thoughtful, kind, generous and loving souls.I couldn’t believe the outpouring of warmth, fun and love on the night and over social media when I shared the photos. What a great community made up by all you beautiful people. I’m so very chuffed and grateful.

PLUS the people that attended the launch all looked divinely pretty in the pink additions to their outfits. I had a simple stylish pink bow on my shoulder, a special pink ring passed down from my grandfather, through my mother which used to be a tie pin but got turned into a ring, pink underpants (haha) which were all meant to be topped off with my PINK tiara (Plastic of course) but it got left at home in all the excitement. Oh well, save that till next time.

The night flew by at a crazy pace and I felt happily moved and overwhelmed as I tried to find the time to talk to everyone and sign everyone’s books. There were many beautiful people I didn’t get to spend enough time with and I apologize for that so, let’s do a PINK coffee catch up!

Below are the PINK words from my speech on the night for those who could not make it or those who would like to contemplate them again. (There was also a little mistake I discovered after watching the video, my third book which I am writing titled Loss, Love and Lessons is about Pet grief. I think I omitted the world PET in my speech making it appear I was going to do another grief book.. OOPS that may have confused some… I have already done that one)

MY PINK WORDS FROM THE LAUNCH

Welcome, it’s so fabulous to see everyone here tonight to help celebrate the birth of my second book Grief, Grace and Gratitude. WOW!

I had a long time pipedream I wanted to write a book!

For years I studied, researched, experienced life, spent time in my inner world and then a few years back my dream materialised as I stood at this hotel feeling like Carrie from Sex in the city and launched my first book Heartbreak, Healing and Happiness. Well now with a second book, a blog, a newly built in wardrobe full of fabulous clothes and about 80 pairs of shoes shelved accordingly I really feel like the sex in the city character Carrie. Not the most likely role model but seemingly one of mine.

So to my new book. Grief, Grace and Gratitude is very special to me! It carries with it a depth of sorrow alongside the height of the most beautiful love as I share the road through my grief journey after losing my Dad. Two days ago was the 3rd anniversary of Dad’s passing and I honour him tonight as I officially launch my book to the world.

A lot of you knew my Dad and I was very lucky to have him in my life, he was a perfect father for me and my sisters. He was a great man! I’m not sure if he would be thrilled or horrified that I wrote a book about my story of grief after his passing, but I hope he is sitting up with his angel friends at a card table, knocking his knuckles on the table, listening to Kenny Rogers, drinking scotch and watching us on their big screen feeling proud as punch.

I miss him every day. But three years on there are many more smiles than tears. He left leaving a piece of his heart in mine and equally I sent him off with a piece of my heart in his. So we are always together just in a different form. He continues to send me obvious signs in the form of love, roses and butterflies as I move forward, you can read about these in the book

As Winnie the pooh said
“How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard”

Grief, Grace and Gratitude, like Heartbreak, Healing and Happiness has three parts. Part 1 The raw grief – Part 2 the Grace of the healing journey and – Part 3 The Gratitude’s that are gifted from grief.

Woven through the book is a fictional story, an educational part and my story detailing how to walk to the epicentre of the pain, where it was scorching hot and almost unbearable but, I found once I hit that spot and took the next step, beautiful epiphanies and gifts started to arrive iced with the most beautiful love.

Once I passed the deep raw grief, my heart sent me all sorts of yearnings that led me to a life sabbatical. It took me deep into yoga teacher training where I began to unite the body, mind and heart. Then it led me to the charisma and charm of the cobblestone streets of Italy and through the ancient arches and the sacred doors into the most majestic basilicas where I sat and contemplated my Dad and my grief. Following that I sat to write this book meeting myself intimately and transforming internally.

Grief really takes you on a tumultuous journey directly through the devastation to the beauty of the love. I was placed gently outside the other end feeling a little like I’d been wrung out by the old style clothes wringer my Granny had, all flat and lacking life but I had made it.

During the grief journey an important epiphany arrived. The whole point is LOVE! Under all the raw, hurtful pain is the pure raw love waiting to be exposed. If you shut your heart to grief you shut your heart to love. On the other side of sorrow and loss is joy, contentment and love. LOVE is the point.

There were many more epiphanies and so many gifts and gratitude’s that healed my grief and allowed it to gently assimilate within me. It then flung me into my new life with a burning desire to live it to the richest and fullest in dad’s honour. But you’ll have to read the book to find them out!

By sharing my story I sincerely hope to help others grappling with their own shattering loss to source the beautiful love, and you see by seeing yourself in others journeys it aids in the healing of you own.

Grief, Grace and Gratitude has been selected to be a part of the American Author Academy Awards and if I am selected as a finalist I will need to venture to Ohio USA to be part of the celebrations. Nicole has graciously agreed to accompany me on this trip. Part of the selection is done by votes so please vote for me on my website if you would like to help get the book out there.

As RUMI the 13th century French poet says
“Grief can be the garden of compassion. If you keep your heart open through everything, your pain can become your greatest ally in your life’s search for love and wisdom.”

So, Life in the Pink continues to grow as does my deep ingrained passion for self inquiry, development, study, and sharing it with others through my self expression. My two sister books are looking to welcome another sibling in the next year Loss, Love and Lessons! This book is based on another topic close to my heart, helping people through pet grief.

Alongside my books I love teaching Yoga at Yoga in the PINK, it has changed my life and I hope to help others benefit from a peaceful hatha practice.

If me the A+ Virgo and Type A personality can benefit so can anyone. To discover a little special space filled with silence and stillness where you feel sheltered from your busy chaotic world is actually not that difficult if you know where to look. And you only need to look inside. Instead of running away from ourselves we run to ourselves. We all hold a space where the body, mind and soul can unite and return to its truest and purest form free from its stresses and human conditioning and instead breathing deeply and receiving the peace and joy inside.

I believe each small change we make for ourselves vibrates outwards to the ones close to us and has a further reach without even our knowledge. Life in the PINK teaches me to strive to live the best life possible treating myself and others with love, kindness and compassion.

We only get one life and it’s not a dress rehearsal so we need to make it count, we all need to be the best author and write our own extraordinary life novel.

LIFE IN THE PINK – Yoga in the PINK – EQUATION houses my three intrinsic values

Live with the LOVE – Be who you love, do what you love, love what you do, love your mind, body and soul, be with the ones you love! Basically just LOVE!
Live with the TRUTH – be authentically YOU despite how eccentric, quirky or individual you are, just be true to your heart..
Live with the PURPOSE – Find your passion, follow your dreams, unearth the reason you are here and then just go do it.

AND ONE EXTRA! LOVE all our furry creatures! I asked myself this question that I now ask you to contemplate. What is the one impact you want to make in this world? If you know me you could probably guess to make all the animals happy and free from suffering. So watch this space as PAWS IN THE PINK evolves.

So following this equation equals a beautiful Life in the PINK.(The saying coined in the 16th century and today means to live in perfect health physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually). Plus I love pink you would know if you saw my front door!

So as Kahil Gibran an American/Lebanese poet says
“When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.”

There is plenty more to come from a Life in the PINK so stay in touch and join me on the journey!

Thank you all for coming tonight, a special thank you to

Alex my editor who has flown interstate to be here in the celebrations and without her these books would never have come to fruition. She got me started when all I had were 100,000 words floating around on pieces of paper
Dail my adorable sister for your beautiful words tonight
Mum for your daily love and support and help today
Nicole, Chloe and Pat for helping with the books this evening
Sona from Real Moments Photography for the door prizes
Donna from the Maid and Magpie the best event coordinator
Saran who is taking the photos tonight
All my friends and family.
And lastly the biggest thank you to my beautiful DAD.

To wind up I don’t wish you a life free from grief because that would mean it would be free from love. Instead I wish you a life in the PINK that is rich and full. So, when grief knocks at your door and it will – open it gently – let it in – let it swish around and do what it needs to do – because when you walk through the pain the love will follow soon after shining brightly once again and your loved one will be with you always locked deeply and forever in your heart ready to offer you love whenever and wherever you are.

Big PINK thank you’s with Pink love and light LARA xx

Congrats to Bec, Onyx, Shannon, Alex and Chloe for winning the door prizes. YAY!

How can I help?

If you would like to know how else you can help me to get the word out about Grief, Grace and Gratitude here are a few things you could do to help others who may benefit from reading it:

Buy the book: Online at Amazon or Book depository or in local stores around Adelaide (Dillons Norwood, Dymocks Adelaide city, Dymocks Glenelg, Harry Hartog Burnside, Matilda bookshop Stirling, Booked at North Adelaide and more to come)

Write a review: Review online are very important especially for a self published author like me. It doesn’t take long and you only need to leave a rating and a few sentences. You can do this directly on Amazon or Book depository or send me an email.

Vote for my book: Grief, Grace and Gratitude has been accepted as part of the prestigious American Author Academy Awards. All I need from you is a little help by voting for my book. BIG Thank you to all those who have already voted, its very much appreciated.
It’s really simple
1 Follow this link VOTE HERE
2 Scroll to the bottom of the page
3 Click on my book cover (about page 13/15) which will register as a vote.

Social Media:
Visit Facebook and like or share my page
Visit Instagram comment or like my page

Photos: I would love to see any other photos of my books adventures around the world

Want a look inside? You can download a sneak peek here and receive a free chapter.

Pink love and light………
Lara and the gorgeous Suzy and Miss Chelsea
xx

Book cover photography courtesy of Sona Sood at Real Moments photography
Bring your book to life with Alex Fullerton at Author Support Services
Donna Lester Event Manager at Maid and Magpie Hotel