From the acclaimed author of The Hard Way on Purpose comes a vibrant, heartfelt memoir about confronting mortality, surviving loss, finding resilience in one's roots and seeking a father's wisdom through an unusual woodworking project -- constructing his own coffin. With wisdom and humor, Giffels grapples with the hard questions as he and his father saw, hammer, and sand their way through a year bowed by loss. When Giffels enlisted his dad to help him build his own casket, he thought of it mostly as an opportunity to sharpen his woodworking skills and to spend time together. But the unexpected deaths of his mother and a friend led to a harsh confrontation with mortality and loss. Over the course of several seasons, he returned to his father's barn in rural Ohio, to continue a pursuit that grew into a meditation on grief and optimism, a quest for enlightenment, and a way to cherish time with an aging parent. -- adapted from book jacket.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.