After twenty-seven years of marriage, John Sardella lost the love of his life when his wife, Margaret, passed away following a seven-year battle with cancer. John looked for a book that would give him space for his pain and inspire him to move forward, but all he found were clinical books written by psychologists. That was John’s motivation to write this book and share how he worked through the grieving process in the hopes of reminding others not only that they are not alone, but also that they will be okay.
A Journey Without a Map gives you permission to not only feel those real and true feelings you have, but also permission to move forward. Sharing stories that span from Margaret’s battle with cancer to her funeral and John’s life since, John demonstrates the power of connection and shows that with the proper perspective, you can still live life to its fullest extent. You can get back to being the person you’re capable of being—John wants to help you get there.
John is the author of two previous books: How to Start a Successful Youth Lacrosse Program and L is for Lacrosse: An ABC Book. John’s professional career was spent in the Liverpool CSD. He was a teacher for sixteen years and a principal for fifteen years. He is now retired and enjoys spending his time writing, golfing, and being with family and friends. John resides in Liverpool, New York, and Naples, Florida. His kids are all grown, and John still sees them often.
“I’ve found that sharing, in itself, can be cathartic. When you share your story, you open up the opportunity to connect with other people and have a deeper dialogue. Even if people haven’t experienced exactly what you have, they can take a piece of your story and connect with it.
Over the years, I’ve learned that many of the challenges we go through in life can feel like a bucket of water in the ocean—but when I lost Margaret, she was my ocean. Some days without my wife are harder than others, but they’re all opportunities to keep going.
Losing Margaret taught me a lot, including showing me the important people in my life who could stay present with me when things got tough. It reinforced the power of human connection. It taught me we can get through this, together.
”
