Welcome
Meet Michelle
I’m Michelle Zakula, a pastoral associate, writer, wife, mother, and grandmother.
For years, I’ve walked with individuals and families through some of life’s most tender and difficult moments. And more recently, I’ve found myself walking that road in a new way, through the loss of my own mother.
Light Lives Here was born from both ministry and lived experience,
from sitting beside others in grief, and from learning how to carry it myself.
I don’t believe grief is something we “get over.”
I believe it is something we learn to carry; with care, with compassion, and with hope.
And I believe we were never meant to carry it alone.
This site is the home of my book "Light Lives Here: Finding Hope in the Valley of Grief". It also offers personal reflections through my personal blog. I hope that it brings you peace.
About Light Lives Here
When grief enters your life, everything changes.
Whether you are grieving the loss of a loved one or walking beside someone who is, Light Lives Here offers gentle guidance, practical support, and faith-filled encouragement for the journey ahead.
With over 20 years of pastoral care experience, and written in the midst of my own own personal loss, this book provides a compassionate and honest companion through the valley of grief.
Inside, you will find:
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Reflections to help you process loss
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Practical tools for navigating grief day by day
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Guidance for supporting others with love and grace
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Faith-based encouragement when hope feels distant
This book is for:
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those grieving the loss of a parent, spouse, or loved one
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caregivers and friends who want to offer meaningful support
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grief support groups and bereavement leaders
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anyone seeking comfort, healing, and hope after loss
Grief is not something to fix—it is something to walk through.
And even here… light still lives.
Review for Light Lives Here
"When the waves of grief are crashing over your head and you wonder if you will ever catch your breath again, there is nothing like a life preserver to hold you up as you wait for the storm to give way to calm. I read this in the midst of a horrible storm, losing a son and my wife within eleven months. As a deacon, living in faith, with formal training and in spite of all the times I walked with others, I still found myself drowning. The insights found here give me hope and a breath of life. Read it, keep it, use it… it just may save a life, maybe your own."
Deacon James Banach
St. Gregory the Great Milwaukee WI
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