2023 Silver Nautilus Book Award winner! 10.16.93. DREAM Jim goes to the sink and looks at his reflection in the mirror. He says to himself: “I feel that I am on the edge of something very mysterious.” I reach for him, turn him around, beg for a hug. He gives me a wonderful, warm, full-body one, then kisses me on the lips. “I’m going to build you a house in the clouds,” he says. This remarkable, unconventional—even adventurous—account of the author’s loss of her husband and her fierce determination to find him again beyond death, blazes a new trail in books about recovery from heartbreak. Through poetry, quotations, and powerful storytelling, this book bypasses the typical psychological stages of grief model. Instead, it offers a new and compelling exploration of the three spiritual challenges every bereaved person must meet: Body: Will grief kill me? Soul: Who am I without my beloved? Spirit: What is my source of strength? As Rondi Lightmark charts her journey to healing over the course of her first year alone, it is a time filled with hope and dreams, amazing synchronicities, and contact from her husband via a very unique messenger from the natural world both joyful and humorous--and so extraordinary, it defines her new path in life for decades to come. "There are some stories that need to be told because they provide us with a much-needed map to navigate the painful parts of life. Rondi has written such a story. In this beautiful memoir, she explores love, loss and the eternal nature of our existence, showing us that we are bound together beyond space, time, and death. Her book is heartbreakingly honest and vulnerable and. . .hard to put down." -- Cheryl Richardson , NY Times bestselling author of The Art of Extreme Self-Care and Waking Up in Winter: In Search of What Really Matters at Midlife "Exquisitely written, this book is a testament to the power and expansiveness of the human spirit. Ostensibly, this is a memoir of Rondi Lightmark's personal journey through the pain and grief of her husband's death to engage with the reality of the post-mortem world. Beyond her story, though, she has crafted a compelling exploration of the spiritual depths within each of us which can open to the miracle and wonder of Life all around us, Life that knows no end and has no limits on its blessings. This book is a jewel of inspiration." — David Spangler, author of Apprenticed to Spirit and Blessing: The Art and Practice "Rondi Lightmark's intimate account of her husband's illness and death offers a new way to experience loss and grief. Her stories show that the death of a loved one is not the end of consciousness and connection, but can bring us closer to the world of spirit, turning our grief into an opportunity to heal our souls." — Carol Bowman, author of Children's Past Lives and Return from Heaven "A memoir is much more than an author's life story when we can learn from it, grow from it, and see ourselves in it. In The Difference Between Seeds and Stones, Rondi Lightmark succeeds in all three ways. Her views of spirituality are not esoteric, or superficial and fluffy, or mainstream, or even radical. Instead, there is something for everyone on this amazing journey called life. We will all die; we will all grieve loved ones who pass before us. How to authentically grieve in the most evolved manner possible is what we are taught, in a humble and real way." — Judith Miller, Ph.D., author of Healing the Western Soul "In this remarkable book, Rondi Lightmark charts a journey that she embarked on when her husband fell ill and passed on, a journey that began with grief but continued as an adventure of spiritual growth and her development as a talented writer. It is illustrated with dreams, poems, song lyrics, keepsakes, and synchronicities. It chronicles Rondi's inner feelings and external adventures, all of which she shares with her readers. For Rondi, stones represent past histories, seeds represent future possibilities, and how adroitly she has navigated between both of them." — Stanley Krippner, coauthor of Personal Mythology and Extraordinary Dreams and How to Work with Them "One of the author's pastimes, as revealed in The Difference Between Seeds and Stones, is gardening, and she has no doubt drawn upon her horticultural skills in cultivating this beautiful garden of the heart from the soil of love. The book is much more than a magnificent tribute to an extraordinary relationship, though that in itself would make it worth the read. We are taken on a profound journey of grief, recovery, and transcendence. While it is the author's story, it is rich with portals into the deeper human adventure and its spiritual foundations. You will be riveted and enriched by reading it." — David Feinstein, coauthor of Personal Mythology and The Energies of Love RONDI LIGHTMARK lives on Vashon Island in the Pacific Northwest, and can be found most days in a colorful, very small cottage wit