Out of the Ashes: Healing in the AfterLoss
Several years ago Benjamin Scott Allen appeared extensively in the media beginning with the New York Times, Dateline, The Today Show, Good Morning America, 20/20 and various local newspapers, especially The Dallas Morning News. His story also featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show. The subject matter focused on the tragic circumstances his family endured. Lydia, his wife, received a blood transfusion with HIV during the birth of their first child, Matt. He and Lydia had another child, Bryan, before they were informed of her infection. Consequently, his wife and their two children died, the first being in 1985 and the last death was in 1995. In the midst of all this, one TV producer approached him to secure the rights to make a film about his life. He declined. Many people asked him to write his story, knowing how much it could potentially help others. He was not ready. Finally, after many years of emotional and spiritual exploration, he came to a place of peace. This book, Out of The Ashes: Healing in the Afterloss, details that journey. Portraying normal people in abnormal circumstances, the book shows how he, and those he loved and lost, came to a deeper connection with life in the embrace of death.  It is an examination of what loss can take, but what it can also give. It is not a book about HIV/AIDS. It is a book that offers practical tips for dealing with any type of loss and moving into acceptance and healing. Benjamin has worked with grieving individuals and groups for decades. He has also been trained and certified by The Grief Recovery® Institute (GRI). Benjamin began his career as a Southern Baptist minister and was the pastor of Pacifica Baptist Church in California. He worked for the Christian Life Commission of the Baptist General Convention of Texas from 1985-1991. He was the founding Director of the Dallas AIDS Interfaith Network, and a member of the Texas Legislative Task Force on AIDS and the National AIDS Commission.  His journey has brought him to a place of peace. As with everyone, Benjamin is still on the journey of healing. Once asked what he now believes, Benjamin responded, “I have no labels, no attachment to a particular belief. All I know is that I am a human, born of Spirit. And in Spirit, there is only love.” He now lives at Lake Tahoe, Nevada where he writes and delivers personal growth programs.