How would you respond in coping with the most painful experience of your life?
That was Steven Ferrara's agonizing question when his son, Christopher, died in a car accident at age twenty-three. Amid intense grieving and anger, Steven was shattered. He knew he had to find a healthier way of dealing with Chris's death for himself and his family.
Daily journaling proved therapeutic. At first, he expressed only raw emotions, but over time, Steven's writing became a new way of communicating with Chris, like learning a new language. One day's entry turned on a light. Steven asked, "What if I look at this from Chris's side of the experience?"
Steven had always supported Chris in his pursuits while he was alive. "What if," Steven asked, "I could see this experience as an ongoing journey--and Chris as a spiritual partner?" Revisiting those journals became the core of Grief to Gratitude, where he could recognize the clear lessons he had learned about being more conscious. Steven shares those vulnerable entries opening each chapter in this book and asks these profound questions:
- What if we could look at death with curiosity instead of fear?
- What if we could look at death from our loved one's side instead of ours?
- What if we had the mindset of "What can be?" instead of "What could have been?" after someone dies?
- What if we could have a grateful heart for the experience?
Steven finds a path from grief to gratitude--and offers the same for readers struggling to awaken from the death of a loved one or other unimaginable loss or tragedy.
Ferrara, Steven A.: -
Steven Ferrara has been a lifelong student seeking the inner pathway to peace and awakening while helping others on their journeys.
For more than two decades, he taught a course in universal and spiritual principles for the Concept-Therapy Institute as part of a nationally recognized teaching team with his father and sister.
Influenced by A Course in Miracles and the works of Eckhart Tolle, David Hawkins, and Michael Singer, Steven has developed a deep understanding of the healing potential of forgiveness and gratitude. His dedication to meditation, which started when he took a transcendental meditation class as a teenager, has helped him embrace the power in the present moment and to continue to know that inner peace.
As a business leader, Steven built a small family insurance business into a large financial services company, serving as CEO for twenty-five years before selling the company in 2020 to focus entirely on his spiritual journey. He was a sought-after speaker at national conferences, where he led countless workshops on business and life coaching.
The tragic loss of his twenty-three-year-old son, Christopher, and later the death of his beloved wife, Alie, profoundly challenged Steven's spiritual understanding. This led him to explore grief and seek a new perspective on death and life, embarking on a journey toward the transformative healing power of gratitude and a pathway to inner peace.
Steven is devoted to his family with two daughters, Dani and Alex, their growing families, and his fiancée, Jeanne. He has always made family and his commitment to personal growth and awakening his utmost priority. He lives in Delray Beach, Florida, and enjoys staying active, riding motorcycles, and engaging in deep, meaningful conversations.
