Kimberly Grabham, The Riverine Grazier
Linda Goldspink Lord is a name many would know and remember.
Linda and her family used to live in Hay, and left the town when Linda was a teenager.
She still has treasured friends in Hay, and calls Hay home.
She wrote a book, Crawling Through the Darkness.
I actively avoid movies and books I know will make me cry, but I was keen to read this one.
Linda Goldspink Lord was one of the first interviews I was lucky to undertake, and even without reading the book, she is a lady that leaves her mark.
The book flows well, with a writing style making it easy to read.
It details the devastating loss of Linda’s child, Molly, when she was 13 years old. Molly was lost in a four-wheeler motorcycle accident.
It goes on to document the long road through dealing with grief, the incredible lows and healing.
Linda explains in her book that there is no linear line to grief, but there is hope, and life afterwards.
As a mother reading from the perspective of another mother, the admiration I felt is indescribable.
Linda is inherently likeable, and her journey and her analysis of her journey, shared to encourage others in the same situation, is amazing.
For a person and family to experience that magnitude of grief, pain and to then share their journey as a symbol of hope and comfort for others experiencing grief, is truly what life is all about.
Having read this book, it made me feel like I want to mount it on the wall so I can see it every day.
A reminder of when I am lost in the chaos of life and forget that is important.
A sign to remember that if this classy, inspirational woman can make it through something mind bendingly tragic, and to do it with such grace and love, then I can make it through anything.
The book really makes you think.
It raises the issue of society’s fear of death, perception of death as ‘the end’, and the fact that death is a little spoken about thing.
This leaves people with little to no skills and coping mechanisms to deal with death when it comes about.
Nobody escapes that ticking of our clock, the slow winding down.
As that clock ticks for all of us, it reminds me of what is truly important, and what is not.
Reading Linda’s take on people’s perspectives of death, dying and living life woke me up.
She says in her book that as a society, people rarely speak about or think about death and therefore live life as though we are going to live forever.
We get caught up in the trivial ‘small stuff’ in life.
Therefore, the true importance of life gets lost in the chaos.
We don’t see what is truly important; living in the moment, being in the now. Connecting with loved ones and being present in the world.
It’s a book full of light and hope, and a true guide for anyone looking for a new possibility on how to cope with loss, and live a more joyful and intentional life.
Get a copy of Crawling Through the Darkness, it is a read that will truly touch you.
You can pick up your copy at The Riverine Grazier bookshop.
This article appeared in The Riverine Grazier, 17 April 2024.
