For those who have lost a child

Three new books deal with the painful loss of a child. (Please note - I haven't read any of these, but I saw them in a Catholic catalog today and thought they might be of help to some of you).


A Gathering of Angels: Seeking Healing After an Infant's Death
Beginning in 2006, Neonatal Intensive Care nurse, Victoria Leland, RN, found her life remarkably intertwined with five mothers whose premature babies died in her NICU. After she witnessed each of these mothers struggle alone in grief, Leland brought these women together and created an informal support group, which they fondly called their "Good Grief Group." Their regular gathering, sharing, and volunteerism immensely helped each woman, and also helped them become "angels" to others experiencing the heartbreak of infant death.


Inspired by their stories, Leland compiled A Gathering of Angels, a collection of the wisdom these five mothers gained by opening their hearts and sharing their feelings and experiences on twenty-two different aspects of grief.


Although diverse in their ages, religions, experiences, and professions, these grieving mothers and their NICU nurse share their intensely personal stories in ways that create an incredibly universal book that will speak to readers from all walks of life. Parents who grieve the loss of a baby will find validation, hope, and consolation. Those trying to assist a loved one who has lost a baby will find understanding about parental grief and will be empowered to more effectively help their loved one experiencing this unique type of grief.


No one should grieve alone. Follow these women on the path they forged and let A Gathering of Angels become an angel to you on your own grief journey and inspire you to become an angel to someone else in need.

First Tears Over the Loss of Your Child
There is a natural progression to life, certain events that are supposed to happen at specific times. The death of a child at any age, however, upsets that progression, leaving the bereaved to formulate a new normal. Linda Anderson has survived such a loss. In First Tears over the Loss of Your Child, she shares some of the wisdom she has learned, and she has collected words of comfort from people who have also experienced traumatic losses. The result is a timeless volume that offers commiseration, hope, renewal, understanding and love to anyone who has lost a child.


Knowing through first-hand experience that bereaved parents need to a safe place in which to share their own grief and beloved memories of their children, Anderson has created a book that gives parents that security during the tender times shortly after the death of their child. First Tears over the Loss of Your Child is grouped into the following sections:


* First Tears
* Grieving
* Grieving as a Couple
* Faith
* Memories
* Your Life to Come



Parents never get over missing their child. But by reconciling themselves to their loss, they can allow happiness to grow around the memories of their loved ones.



Born to Fly: An Infant's Journey to God

For parents who have had a child die before birth, or for the friends and relatives of a grieving family, the story and tender illustrations in this book will bring comfort and hope.