resources - helpful Books

Below you will find various books on loss that you may find helpful on how to navigate this season. Whether you are a loss-parent, or part of a loss-parent’s community, we encourage you to take time to educate yourself on grief. Having an understanding of the grieving process, and gaining insight by reading the stories of those who have endured it, will make you more emphatic, compassionate and confident in how you show support to others or love to yourself.

These stories will also help you, in remembering to allow patience and grace when it comes to caring for yourself or someone you love.

WALK WITH ME: A JOURNEY THROUGH INFANT LOSS, GRIEF & HOPE

By: Jamie Stewart

So much of what happens in the mind of a bereaved parent is kept quiet and left in the dark-almost as if it should be hidden. In Walk With Me, Jamie Stewart, who lost her son after birth in 2012, holds absolutely nothing back. In order to help others on their loss journey, Jamie openly shares hers. Some roads in life are meant for solo exploration, and some should never be walked alone. The death of a baby is one such road. If you have experienced pregnancy or infant loss (or love someone who has), this book will hold your hand through the seemingly uncharted road of child loss. It will affirm many of the challenges loss-parents face, clarify what loss-parents need (and do not need), and deconstruct the backward way our culture handles grief and those in its grip. Ultimately, Walk With Me is a love story. It's a story not only about love but about loss and the hope we have in Christ, even when we find our hearts in the deepest and darkest pits of grief.

IT’S OK THAT YOU’RE NOT OK

By: Megan Divine

In It’s OK That You’re Not OK, Megan Devine offers a profound new approach to both the experience of grief and the way we try to help others who have endured tragedy. Having experienced grief from both sides―as both a therapist and as a woman who witnessed the accidental drowning of her beloved partner―Megan writes with deep insight about the unspoken truths of loss, love, and healing. She debunks the culturally prescribed goal of returning to a normal, “happy” life, replacing it with a far healthier middle path, one that invites us to build a life alongside grief rather than seeking to overcome it.

*Megan Divine is a fantastic resource on grief. While her loss is different than those of us who have lost a child, she has an incredible understanding of grief and an abundance of tools and resources that we recommend. Follow this link to her Podcast. this video of megan talking about her book is a great resource as well.

I Will Carry You: The Sacred Dance of Grief and Joy

By: Angie Smith

In 2008, Angie Smith and her husband Todd (lead singer of the group Selah) learned through ultrasound that their fourth daughter had conditions making her “incompatible with life.” Advised to terminate the pregnancy, the Smiths chose instead to carry this child and allow room for a miracle. That miracle came the day they met Audrey Caroline and got the chance to love her for the precious two-and-a-half hours she lived on earth.

Upon receiving the original diagnosis, Angie started a blog (Bring the Rain) to keep family and friends informed of their journey. Soon, the site exploded in popularity, connecting with thousands who were either experiencing their own heartbreaking situations or simply curious about how God could carry someone through something so tragic. I Will Carry You tells the powerful story of a parent losing her child, interwoven with the biblical story of Lazarus to help those who mourn to still have hope—to find grace and peace in the sacred dance of grief and joy.

HOLDING ON TO HOPE:A PATHWAY THROUGH SUFFERING TO THE HEART OF GOD

By: Nancy Guthrie

We can never plan for the unexpected turns of this life that sometimes lead to great personal suffering. Sometimes that suffering can overshadow everything and threaten to pull us under. Nancy Guthrie knows what it is to be plunged into life’s abyss. Framing her own story of staggering loss and soaring hope with the biblical story of Job, she takes you by the hand and guides you on a pathway through pain―straight to the heart of God. Holding On to Hope offers an uplifting perspective, not only for those experiencing monumental loss, but for anyone going through difficulty and failure. (Includes an 8-week study on the book of Job for readers who want to dig deeper into what the Bible says about dealing with suffering and grief.) 

THE ONE YEAR BOOK OF HOPE

By: Nancy Guthrie

This book is for anyone who has been hurt in life and would benefit from a hope-filled daily companion. Critically acclaimed author Nancy Guthrie offers insightful daily reflections based on the Word of God to comfort, encourage, and uplift those who are feeling the aches of life―whether it's because of everyday disappointments or deep losses. Through a year's worth of thoughtful entries, the reader will learn how much God longs to lift us up, carry us through in times of difficulty and uncertainty, and give us true, lasting joy. Each daily step draws you closer to a God who truly cares and the hopeful life he wants you to enjoy.

GRIEVING tHE CHILD I NEVER KNEW: A DEVOTIONAL FOR COMFORT IN THE LOSS OF YOUR UNBORN OR NEWLY BORN BABY

By: Kathe Wannenberg

When the anticipation of your child’s birth turns into the grief of miscarriage, tubal pregnancy, stillbirth, or early infant death, no words on earth can ease your loss. But there is strength and encouragement in the wisdom of others who have been there and found that God’s comfort is real. Having experienced three miscarriages and the death of an infant son, Kathe Wunnenberg knows the deep anguish of losing a child. Grieving the Child I Never Knew was born from her personal journey through sorrow. It is a wise and tender companion for mothers whose hearts have been broken—mothers whose dreams have been shattered and who wonder how to go on. This devotional collection will help those mothers grieve honestly and well. With seasoned insights and gentle questions, it invites the reader to present her hurts before God, and to receive over time the healing that He alone can – and will – provide. 

empty cradle, broken heart: surviving the death of your baby

By: Deborah L. Davis, Ph.D.

Deborah Davis, PH.D., encourages grieving and makes suggestions for coping. Incisive comments from parents who have suffered through the death of a baby convincingly relay this message : "You are not alone and you can survive."

safe in the arms of god: truth from heaven about the death of a child

By: John F. MacArthur

"Is my baby in heaven?"

This is the most important question a grieving parent can ask. And even if the little one is someone else's child, the issue remains: What happens to children?those unborn, stillborn, or youngsters?when they die? Can you hope to see them again? Can you let go of your fear and guilt? Can God's love soothe a wound so jagged? With scriptural authority and the warmth of a pastor's heart, bestselling author John MacArthur examines the breadth of the entire Bible and reveals in this compelling book the Heavenly Father's care for every life.

"I have sat by the grave of our daughter and son and wondered out loud if my belief that Hope and Gabriel are in heaven has any solid scriptural support. John MacArthur offers truth from God's Word that puts the doubts of any grieving parent to rest. Safe in the Arms of God reveals that confidence of heaven for the child you love is based on much more than mere sentimentality; it is revealed in the Word of God and reflective of the very heart of God." Nancy Guthrie, author of Holding On to Hope

Please visit our Friends & Family page to find helpful articles about understanding grief, as well as blogs, letters, and quotes from bereaved parents.