Sometimes I Cry: My Path to Healing: A Memoir

This marvelous little book really is a delight to read. The author is not only blessed with literary talent, but also knows how to tell a story that keeps you interested and offers you unsuspected insights into yourself on many levels. I don't know how the author manages to combine elements of simplicity, honesty, intimacy, poetry, profound awareness of her deepest self with the gentle power of a spiritual teacher/healer, but she does all this and more. Stop to pick up Sometimes I Cry and give yourself the gift of a beautiful true story told by a beautiful woman. It may just make you cry happy tears.

This is an incredible book - revealing a personal journey in steps and insights; with poetry and rich allegories that make the reader think about their own life experiences.This worthwhile book is intense and introspective, with the author creating vivid imagery. There is the chilling atmosphere of the coldness and rigidity and demand for rule-following endured as a little girl; and the self-imposed control instituted in order to cope. There is the journey through blackness and despair; and attempts to understand the rage. There is the gripping imagery of letting go and loosening - the dissolving, thawing, shifting - with rigid perfectly pointed snowflakes melting and flowing; with boulders shifting and rolling in the waters as the sands give way. A favorite piece is "The Dig", where Mole was excavating layer by layer, inch by inch and uncovering so many long buried mental and emotional "artifacts" / experiences / pieces of memories.The book’s most poignant feature is the the author’s relationship with a special, wonderful dog - a loving, ongoing experience of connection and acceptance. Anyone who has ever loved a dog will relive their own joy-filled memories - and the heartbreak they remember when the dog passes.I

This book imparted valuable wisdom from the life experiences conveyed by the author. It dealt with universal feelings that many people can relate to. Even though the specific issues might be different, we can all find comfort in the fact that we are not alone in our struggles..

Although the writing was clean and the text moved along, this book was difficult to read. The pain lay on the surface so it could not be avoided. But there are messages fo us all.

In Sometimes I Cry, Jean D. Stouffer invites us to accompany her on a journey of healing. A successful, professional woman who could always be depended on by family and friends, Jean realized she was not living an authentic life. Her inner self was crying out for release from the prison of judgement, fear, and distrust passed down by her alcoholic mother. The struggle to grow manifested as insomnia which urged Jean to explore the inner world of feelings she had locked away for so long.Her tale is well-written and easy to take in since it’s told with a creative mix of personal story, poetry, charming fables of forest creatures as well as inanimate objects, and the inner thoughts of Jean’s beloved dog, Molly. As we chuckle over the adventures of a mouse, a rabbit, and a tumbling stone, we learn how Jean dealt with her interior barriers and fears. Learning to face the dark places and release pent-up emotion is a circuitous journey for anyone. Jean’s use of metaphor and humor to illustrate her journey out of frozen correctness into a life of loving spontaneity is a joy to read.I was fortunate to read this book in manuscript and encouraged Jean to publish it because we need stories of people with the courage to face the darkness within and transform it into the light of love.I highly recommend this book for anyone seeking inspiration and guidance in their personal healing journey.

Beautiful metaphors and lovely poetry made this book a real treat to read. At the same time, it touched me deeply. Jean Stouffer has done every woman a huge favor by putting into words the struggles so many of us have shared to one degree or another. Thank you, Jean, for your gift to womankind. ❤️

This is an incredible story of Jean's struggles to deal with life, after being raised by an alcoholic Mother. Jean was only 5 when her Father died and her Mother turned to drinking to help with her sorrow. The metaphors that Jean uses to explain her fears, are very creative. You can almost feel it yourself. She was not only brave enough to face her demons and change her life, but she was courageous enough to share her insights, so that others might benefit from them.

The author took us through her path to healing. Her story is expressed mainly through poetry, and she is a very good poet.