One Ripple at a Time

A woman’s inspirational memoir of the tragic death of her young child and her own courageous journey of transformation, this unforgettable story will resonate deeply with anyone who has experienced loss, with honest insights on working through grief, resilience, and reclaiming joy in life.

Without warning, disaster strikes. How does a grief-stricken young mother rebuild her life and rediscover joy?

On a family vacation in Austria, Janice Jensen’s children played near a sleepy stream. Suddenly the water rose catastrophically. Miles upstream, a power company had released a raging torrent that rushed down and swept away her young son as she watched helplessly.

Heartbroken, Janice gave all her love and support to her surviving daughter and devastated husband as the three struggled to rebuild their lives together.

This life-affirming memoir follows Janice’s decades-long journey from deepest anguish to helping others and discovering more of the world as she teaches, dances, and lives abroad in Colombia, Syria, and Saudi Arabia.

In a plainspoken, warm, and honest voice, Janice shares how she survives waves of pain and finds gifts of love. Over time, she confronts her fear of water and builds a life that fully embraces joy. And ultimately, her passion for ballroom dance leads her to reconnect with her son’s spirit.

While working as an educator and author in Syria, Colombia, Saudi Arabia, Oregon, and Washington, Janice Jensen embarked on a decades-long journey to glean insights from parents who had lost children. While traveling solo to seventy countries, she examined the grief experiences of several cultures and identities, leading her to embrace a vast range of strategies for overcoming tragedy. One Ripple at a Time incorporates the best of her brain and heart wisdom, and today, she lives in Oregon and volunteers with groups to give informal grief recovery support and pass on strength for a thriving life.