Dawn

“You captured many thoughts and feelings that I have experienced and continue to experience. Never thought I would say that I look forward to picking up a book about grief, but it’s true.”

“A wonderful, precious tribute”

“As Dorie sat beside her mother in the hospital, bearing witness to her final days with kidney disease, she found herself in the midst of something extraordinary. Her mother, fully aware that her time was limited, spoke with an urgent, unfiltered clarity—sharing vivid visions, dreams, and reflections about life, death, and the journey beyond. It was as if a veil had lifted, and she wanted—needed—to pass on everything she was seeing before she slipped away.

Dorie did what she knew best: she listened deeply. She wrote. She sketched. She captured the whirlwind of her mother’s thoughts, the beauty and chaos of that sacred time, and the emotional intensity of bearing witness to someone trying to articulate what lies beyond this life. In Dawn, Dorie doesn’t just recount these moments—she places the reader right there in the hospital room, hearing her mother’s words, feeling the confusion and awe, and glimpsing the mystery through her mother’s eyes. The result is Dawn, a stunning reflection on life, death, grief, and what might come after—told not as an ending, but as part of something much greater.

Through the lens of both daughter and creative, Dorie translates this deeply personal experience into one that resonates universally. She believes that opening ourselves to conversations about death, the meaning of life, and our purpose is essential to our collective emotional well-being. With a blend of vulnerability, humor, and creative insight, she creates a safe space for us to think more deeply, feel more fully, and grapple with loss and with the enduring connections that continue long after someone is gone.

Dawn touched me in a profoundly personal way. I read it just a few months after my own father passed away. Like Dorie, I found myself in a hospital room, watching someone I love slip away. My father had lost his short-term memory due to dementia, and in those final days, I clung to every moment we had, aching to connect, knowing our time was running out. I sobbed reading Dawn—not only from grief, but from the beauty of Dorie’s mother and her fierce desire to communicate something lasting. Dorie gave voice to an experience that so often goes unspoken, capturing the tenderness, the heartbreak, and the grace of a mother and daughter navigating their final days together.”

“I could hear your mother’s voice and see the expressions you described. It was amazing.”

“It’s like Tuesdays with Morrie, but between a mother and daughter, and modern-day. I really enjoyed it. I keep passing it along to others in my life who need to hear this message.”

“Dawn is a refreshingly accessible human story that lifts the veil of death to affirm what modern science and ancient mysticism convey about the shape of reality and life beyond this physical incarnation.”

“This was such a comforting and healing read I didn’t know I needed!

Reading Dawn by Dorie Burdett Pickle felt like a warm, reassuring hug for my heart. Having experienced major loss in my own life, this book gave me such a sense of peace and hope that I didn’t even realize I was still searching for.

The way Dorie shares her mother’s final days and the spiritual moments that came with them is so raw, real, and beautifully written. It made me feel less alone in my own grief and helped me open my heart to the possibility that there’s more waiting for us on the other side. Even after losing my daughter in 2006, I still yearn to be able to see her again, on the other side.

This isn’t just a book about death — it’s about love, connection, and the soul’s journey. It reminded me that even in the hardest moments, there’s beauty and meaning if we’re open to seeing it.

If you’ve ever lost someone you love, or just need a little light in a heavy world, I truly recommend this book. It stayed with me long after I finished the last page.”