Beyond Tears

Living after Losing a Child

“When we met we could barely speak, paralyzed and frozen we sat. We leaned on one another and were able to stand. And slowly we learned to walk. Together we have found new ways to live and love and remember life.” ~ Rita Volpe

This book is about nine mothers who lost children who were teens or young adults. After more than seven years, they put into words their experiences. Their husbands also contributed a chapter. I find I return to this book again and again, especially when I question whether I should still feel so much pain. These mothers are able to capture in words the agony, shock, and desperation of the first year, and the many ways they have coped with the longing and loss in the years that follow.

It helped me to hear that each mother would process the events of their child's death over and over and over. Some (although not all) after many years were able to think of their child's life instead of their death. These women speak the very words of my own heart, words that I dared not speak aloud myself. The pain is always there; it changes; it ebbs and flows, but “our children are as much a part of us as they were when we carried them through nine months of pregnancy.” 

By Penny Young, Book Written By Ellen Mitchell (with nine bereaved mothers)

Note: All reviews are the opinions of the reviewer and do not constitute an endorsement on the part of TAPS.