Capture Your Grief - Day 6. Books

 So many of us turn to reading in the wake of the death of our children. We take solace in other people’s words, stories, journeys and wisdom. Have you read any books that have helped in this journey of healing after loss? They don’t have to be specifically about the death of a child, just anything that helped you. Share about how they helped you and what you loved about them. You can share books that help grieving children too. Please feel welcome to share links.

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You Are The Mother of All Mothers: a message of hope for the grieving heart. 

This book is so beautiful and profound. It speaks to the heartache, the guilt in a way only a grieving mama can describe. I only wish I had discovered it right away. The copies I have are extra special, since Simone's name is in them. 

For our children, Something Happened: A Book for Children and Parents Who Have Experienced Child Loss was absolutely perfect. There are no religious references, no confusing language (we didn't "lose" the baby; she died). It's written from an older sibling's point of view, beautiful, direct, and nearly mirrors our own family's situation, down to planting a tree in memory of the baby.

Why Did You Die?: Activities to Help Children Cope with Grief and Loss.  This book incorporates short lessons about different feelings of grief, truths of life and death, remembering and honoring your loved one.  For example, it's okay to not feel sad all the time, that every living thing dies, or that nothing we can say or think could ever cause someone to die. These are shown to kids through a short story about another child experiencing a death in their family. There are accompanying writings. drawing, and coloring exercises along with a set of questions for each. We pull this book out on days that are extra hard on my seven year old. Focusing some time and energy on her sister helps her to feel better. I'm so glad she recognizes this too. We have had really bad behavior days sometimes, and she will appear out of nowhere with this book in hand, telling me she wants to talk about Simone. We drop everything and pick an activity together.