Up the Golden Stair - An Approach to a Deeper Understanding of Life through Personal Sorrow

Sep 28, 2026

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A letter-like spiritual and emotional guide by Elizabeth Yates on facing the death of someone loved with honesty and courage. The text emphasizes naming sorrow accurately, recognizing its hidden “treasure,” and refusing to soften grief through evasive wording. It frames bereavement as a pathway that demands direct encounter, shaping inner resilience and guiding readers toward deeper understanding of life during personal loss.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryReligion & Spirituality

FormatPDF

Pages72

Reading Time3 h 1 min

AccessFree to download

FOREWORD

A LETTER

The Fact

The Adventure

The Challenge

The Test

Others' Words That Have Spoken To Me

An Approach to a Deeper Understandingof Life through Personal Sorrow theGoldenStair # An Approach to a DeeperUnderstanding of Lifethrough Personal Sorrow By ELIZABETHYATES Here,with the warmth of a letterto a friend,Elizabeth Yates givesher own thoughts on how to havethe courage to face the greatest ofall bereavements—the death ofsomeone loved. She says: "No matter how brave we think weare,or think we can be,we mustcall sorrow by its right name andsee it for what it is.Only then canwe avail ourselves of the treasurethat is hidden in the folds of itsdark cloak.I think that we shouldnot,by any twist of the words we (continued on back fap) ① Up the Golden Stair p the Among the books by Elizabeth Yates THE LIGHTED HEART ELIZABETH YATES golden etain E.P.Dutton°Co.,Inc.. NEW YORKI966 FIRST EDITION Copyright,C,1966 by Elizabeth Yates McGreal All rights reserved.Printed in the U.S.A. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form withoutpermission in writing from the publisher,except by areviewer who wishes to quote brief passages inconnection with a review written for inclusion in amagazine,newspaper or broadcast. Published simultaneously in Canada by Clarke,Irwin &CompanyLimited,Toronto and Vancouver Library of Congress Catalog Card Number:66-11548 Grateful acknowledgment is made to the following for permissionto quote material: Friends Journal and Edward Wood for“It Matters Not”byLydia C.Wood. Excerpt reprinted from The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran withpermission of the publisher,Alfred A.Knopf,Inc.,copyright1923 by Kahlil Gibran;renewal copyright I951 by Administra-tors C.T.A.of Kahlil Gibran Estate,and Mary G.Gibran. Golden Quill Press and Winifred Rawlins for“This ICan Now Affirm”from her collection Fire Within.Copyright1959 by Golden Quill Press. Harper &Row and Elizabeth Gray Vining for“The Roadto Ewelme”from World in Tune,copyright 1942,1952,I954by Elizabeth Gary Vining,Harper &Row,publisher,used bypermission. The Macmillan Company,New York,and Macmillan&Co.,Ltd.,London,for excerpts from“Crossing,”LXXI,andfrom“Gitanjali,”XCIII,both from The Collected Poems andPlays of Rabindranath Tagore.Copyright,1918,by TheMacmillan Company.Copyright renewed,1946,by RabindranathTagore.Used also by permission of the Trustees of the TagoreEstate and Macmillan &Co.,Ltd.,London,England. Louise A.Nickerson for“Continuation(E.to W.).”Nora S.Unwin for“Within the Nimbus.” Contents 7 FOREWORD 9 A LETTER II The Fact I. I8 II.The Adventure 27 II.The Challenge 36 IV.The Test P.s.Others³Words That Have Spoken To Me43 f1000 p

FAQs

What does the book urge readers to do with sorrow?

It urges readers to call sorrow by its right name and see it for what it is. Only then can the hidden treasure in grief be reached.

Who is the author and what is the book’s tone?

Elizabeth Yates presents her thoughts with the warmth of a letter to a friend, offering direct reflections on bereavement.

What life theme is explored through personal sorrow?

The book explores how personal sorrow can lead to a deeper understanding of life by facing the greatest bereavement—loss through the death of someone loved.

Sep 28, 2026

Upload by Ezra