BOOKSTORE â—½ TIPS
Deep talks can be difficult and/or refreshing. At the time Listen with Your Heart was written in 2021, my mom had passed away about three years prior. My boys were young at 4 ½ and 6 ½ years old. The night that led to the writing of this book was not an ordinary one for us.
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I cherished our night time routine. We had family time before bed, playing some game or just with toys. Sometimes we’d have so much fun in the form of laughter that I’d have to change the game so that we could calm down before bed. I laugh inside, joyfully of course, when thinking about it. My boys brought out the kid in me.
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Story time was also another favorite of ours. One particular night I didn’t realize our own story was about to come to light. As the boys crawled into bed, side by side, Brendan, the oldest, said with sincere eyes, “I want to say hi to mom in Heaven.” Wow, my heart dropped. That was a deep conversation to come that I was not prepared for. How do I handle this one? It was a split second decision I had to make. Thank goodness for the Holy Spirit’s guidance.
“Okay,” I said. Then Brendan responded, “Hi Grandma.” A moment of quiet followed. Looking at me with sad eyes he stated, “She didn’t say hi back.” I proceeded to have a deep talk with him, with his brother listening in his bed. The talk looked like a series of reflection questions and at the end of the conversation, there was a lovely answer after all. Talking wasn’t the end of it. He and his brother drew a picture of what Heaven looks like. His brother added to the picture. It was a beautiful moment. It’s also when I realized that kids need to remember and be able to grieve the loss of loved ones just like we as adults do.
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Listen with Your Heart is truly a special book based on a true story. It has a How to Use This Book page to help parents and caregivers give children a way to remember, talk about, process, and grieve their lost loved one(s). It has activity suggestions just like how my boys drew Heaven. It is my hope that this book can bring healing for as many as possible.
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As one father of a 9 year old and 12 year old said after reading, “This is just what we need.” The kids had lost their mom three years prior.
I hope you’ll give yourself and your family a way to connect and heal, as you read together Listen with Your Heart.
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You can purchase in our bookstore, see link at top of page.
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Listen with Your Heart
by Michelle Wyatt
