Loss does not wait for us to be ready. It arrives when it wants, on top of other struggles–and more often than not, with a fury all its own. When author Merissa Nathan Gerson moved from the quiet of New England to the complexity and magic of New Orleans, she was greeted by the sudden death of her father. During our service on 9/26 we will join Merissa as she shares Forget Prayers, Bring Cake, her story of  confrontation with layers of grief and despair, current and historical – handled all alone in a brand-new city.  This heartrending, relatable account of one woman’s reckoning with loss is a guide to the world of self-recovery, self-love, and the skills necessary to meeting one’s own needs in these times of pain– especially when that pain is suffered alone. Part memoir, part self-help book, this is the comprehensive guide to navigating the wretched and life-altering storms of grief.