Helping others on the journey through grief into healing
The Official Website of Dolores Cruz
New Revised Edition Now Available!
Look Around
A Mother's Journey from Grief and Despair to Healing and Hope
Look Around is a story of transformation which takes the reader on a journey through the assumptive world of all the good things we expect in life, through total devastation resulting from the unexpected death of a son and brother, and into a place of renewed hope, healing, and joy. It is the story of Eric, a model son, a loving sibling, a loyal friend, and a musician with a heart of gold, who left his physical body at age 24, and how he came here to change us, to affect us, to make us better, and to remind us to look around and appreciate the wonders of this beautiful world that we take for granted.
NEW BOOK ALSO AVAILABLE!
A Bird Called Wisdom
Poems on Grief, Transformation, and Renewal
In A Bird Called Wisdom, Dolores Cruz shares her deeply intimate feelings which were recorded in her many journals during the first 6 years after her son, Eric, was killed in a car accident. These poems, which are relatable to anyone who has endured the painful loss of a loved one, guide us through her transformation from grief to healing and spiritual growth.
About Dolores Cruz
The accidental writer...
Having utilized her writing skills during her career as a teacher as well as during her pursuit of a Masters degree in Educational Administration, Dolores Cruz had never thought about writing a book until her youngest child, Eric, was killed in a car accident in May of 2017 at age 24. During the ensuing months, as she tried to untangle herself from her web of grief and total inability to understand how this could happen, she began putting her feelings, her pain, and her love for Eric on paper.
As a result, two books were born. Look Around: A Mother’s Journey from Grief and Despair to Healing and Hope was released in 2020. This work tells not only the story of Dolores’s journey of grief into a deeper spirituality, but also about Eric, who he was, and how he touched all those around him. A Bird Called Wisdom, released in 2023, is a poetic version of this same passage through despair into a greater understanding of our eternal connections with our loved ones who have passed on—love is forever.
Dolores is a retired elementary school teacher who continues writing while also teaching tap dance through the local community college. She volunteers with two grief support groups, one online and one in person. She practices yoga and finds peace spending time outdoors enjoying nature. She finds joy spending as much time as possible with her husband and three children and their families. Dolores resides in Los Angeles with her husband, Joey, and their dog, Brandy.
Check Out Some of the Reviews on Amazon
"In 2020 we have all felt what it's like to lose something, but for those who have lost loved ones that loss is even deeper. In LOOK AROUND author Dolores Cruz showcases how we find the strength to keep going, even though the pain is deep. This book is so relatable in its expressions of grief, wanting answers, doubt, anger and then the journey to peace. It doesn't mean we don't continue to grieve, but it does mean that we find a way to stay connected to what we've lost and realize that we're not alone. This is a book that everyone will be able to read and find something they can connect to. LOOK AROUND shows us how even though we lose someone we can still find a way to go on."
- Cyrus Webb
"A beautifully written book about life after an unspeakable tragedy. When her 24-year old son died in a horrific car accident, the author could have descended into a life of depression and despair. Instead, she rebuilt her life in a remarkable journey towards an affirmation of faith, hope, healing and, above all, the lesson that love is indeed eternal, and has shared that lesson with us. Yes, we will be with our loved ones on the other side - but, our loved ones are with us NOW - the signs and dreams and messages are all around us - if we just Look Around.know, or we think we know, what the book will be about from the outset, and it is difficult not to fear what we know will come. But this is not a "pity party"; it is an honest, self-realizing journey that none of us ever want to take, but in Ms. Cruz's world, it is a journey that she has been able to share with all of us."
- MK
"Cruz got me into her story right at the top and I couldn't think of much else while reading this book. I only put it down to blow my nose and catch the teardrops. A beautiful read. Highly recommended."
- Mick McMains
Interviews and Articles
"I have learned that life is not without pain and tragedy. It's what you do with the adversity that determines your experience of life. You can let it destroy you, or you can choose to let it make you into something better."
- Dolores Cruz
From Look Around
Photo Credit: Taylor Preston
