GREAT FALLS - Dealing with grief is never easy.
“I didn’t know how to do it," Jen Weir said about dealing with the grief of losing her husband and a son in a car crash in 2021.
Not knowing how to deal with the grief she felt, Weir turned to books.
“(I) tried to read books and there wasn’t a lot out there," said Weir.
That led her to eventually create “The Down and Dirty Workbook on Grief.”
“When I finally got to a good spot, I just felt like I should kind of share what I learned because it’s really not a fun road to be on," Weir said. “Since the wreck what I think, I say. There’s not a lot of filter there. I was just very honest with it. There’s a lot of my own story in there as well. I was just very honest with what I went through and what helped me. You’re never going to get over it, but I think you can get to a point where you can live with it. Obviously, I’m pregnant so I’m still moving forward with my life, but it took a long time to get to that point.” - author Jen Weir
She plans to distribute copies of the book to places where people may be dealing with grief, such as hospitals and funeral homes.
She also has a second book coming out.
“It’s more about the wreck itself and then, like I said, our physical and emotional recovery," Weir explained.
As for the Down and Dirty Workbook on Grief, she hopes people take away a message of hope and perseverance.
“Life can still be good. I know that people have been through way worse than I have been, but I consider losing my husband and son to be a very catastrophic loss. If I can get through that and my kids, they’re thriving and they’re happy. So if we can get through this, I feel like most people can get through their losses if they want to," Weir said.
She encourages others dealing with grief to write as well.
"That's one of my things in (The Down and Dirty Workbook On Grief) is to write or talk to somebody because it is a very therapeutic way to move through the grief process and get those feelings and emotions out of you. Then, good ones can take their place again," said Weir.
She wants to thank the community for all the support shown to her family and says she might write more books in the future.
