On Lightness and Being
by Carron Hairabedian
Grief is the shadow side of love. It arrives uninvited, sometimes slowly, sometimes all at once, and it reshapes everything we thought we knew. Where Volume I was about learning to notice, this second volume is about learning to release, about the ways love deepens us, the ways loss breaks us, and the ways letting go teaches us to stand again.
The stories you will find here are not easy. They carry heartbreak, endings, and silence. They speak of partners, friends, parents, pets, and strangers; each one can become a reminder that love is never wasted, even when it hurts.
But this is not only a book of sorrow. It is also about surrender, about the strange alchemy of grief: how pain can deepen compassion, how endings can open us to new beginnings, how absence can teach us presence.
In these pages, you will walk through the rawness of loss: the death of a partner, the fading of friendships, the ache of separation, the quiet grief of pets passing, the collective sorrow of tragedies that ripple through communities. You will also see the resilience that follows: the ways people rebuild, the ways compassion grows, the ways healing begins in the smallest gestures.
What readers are saying
“Where the Light Breaks Through: In a world that often feels hurried and disconnected, "On Lightness and Being" arrives as a much-needed sanctuary. This isn't just a book you read, it's a collection you inhabit. Designed with the elegance of a centerpiece and the depth of a memoir, it serves as the ultimate "coffee table book" - one that invites guests to linger and rewards the casual flipper with the sudden, profound insight. ”
— Synergy Intl.
“A colleague recently recommended your work while we were discussing books that explore grief, healing, and personal transformation. I spent some time reading the preview of On Lightness and Being: Love, Loss, and Letting Go, and I wanted to reach out personally. One of the things that immediately stood out to me was your willingness to write about grief with such honesty and compassion. Rather than presenting loss as something to simply overcome, you allow readers to experience its complexity while gently pointing toward healing and acceptance. I was especially moved by the personal stories throughout the book. Your reflections on people you've encountered and the lessons they left behind make the memoir feel deeply human and relatable. They encourage readers to pause and reflect on their own relationships and experiences. I also appreciated the recurring message that healing isn't about forgetting those we've lost, but learning how to carry love, grief, and hope together. That perspective gives the book a quiet sense of comfort without diminishing the reality of loss. ”
— - Alexis W
More books by Carron Hairabedian
On Lightness and Being
Volume I, Becoming Human, Learning to See
In the first volume of the On Lightness and Being trilogy, Carron Hairabedian invites readers into a deeply personal collection of memories and reflections drawn from a lifetime of paying attention. Beginning with her own awakening in childhood, sparked by a grandmother who survived the Armenian Genocide and left behind a manuscript of her harrowing journey, Carron traces the slow, quiet process of learning to be present. The stories here are not grand or dramatic. They happen in hospital hallways, parking lots, cafés, and kitchens. They are made of a glance, a word, a question, a silence. And yet, taken together, they form something rare: a mirror held up to the simple, sacred act of being human.
It is an invitation to pause, to listen, and to recognize in the lives of others the pieces of yourself you hadn't yet noticed were missing. Volume I begins where every transformation begins, with awareness. Readers who follow this thread will find themselves gently prepared for the deeper emotional terrain ahead in Volumes II and III.
On Lightness and Being
Volume III, Healing Wisdom and Peace
Wholeness is not the absence of brokenness. It is the integration of every piece; the light and the shadow, the joy and the sorrow, the beginnings and the endings into something complete and beautiful. This is not about perfection; it is about integration. It is about taking everything we have learned, everything we have survived, everything we have lost and found again, and weaving it into a life that feels purposeful, peaceful, and authentically ours.
The stories in this volume are lighter because, in Volumes one and two, we have learned to carry our experiences with grace and self-forgiveness. By now, we have stopped resisting life, by making excuses for our errors, and have accepted our whole selves. We have learned to breathe.