Life After the Death of My Son: What I'm Learning

Once I found out I was having a baby I ran to the bookstore to purchase a book to find out what to expect. I have always been a person who needs to know what is coming so I can prepare myself. Knowledge is power. When our only child died suddenly from an accidental drowning on his 21st birthday, it brought us to our knees. I asked everyone I knew, what is going to happen, is this feeling of complete despair going to last forever? I bought books and went to meetings and if anybody did know the answer it seemed very vague. I REALLY NEEDED TO KNOW! Good, bad or indifferent somebody just tell me! I can take it, I just cant take the unknown! Feeling confident our boy was in heaven, it was me and my husband that needed hope! This book gave us what we were looking for: An honest account of feelings and emotions and a journey through grief over the years that had extreme promise. That's all we wanted. I read the book then gave it to my husband to read, he loved it. We highly recommend this book, I wish it were required reading for everyone, it seems as though people don't totally understand this is a journey not a race. If you are reading this review because of the loss of your child, please know how very sorry we are for your loss, your pain, and keep your kite flying, there is hope.

As a mother who lost a son 6 years ago very suddenly and tragically, I've finally come to the point where I'm able to begin reading books written by parents who have also experienced the terrible loss of a child in order to try to deal with the grief and terrible pain i continue to feel. The pain is a pain that never goes away and I believe the stronger the love between a parent and child and the closer they are, the longer and harder the pain. Mr. Apple's book is the best one I've read yet on this subject; he is real and he explains what he and his wife have gone through in the most honest way possible. The emotions are not easy to communicate to others and I am thankful that Mr. Apple and his wife have been able to write this very poignant and heartfelt book on the loss of their son. I too have two sons and they were the best of friends - it's been the hardest thing to live through and without my faith in God I know i wouldn't have made it to this point. I highly recommend this book to others. It has been a comfort to me and given me new ways in which to try to deal with my grief and loss.

I read this book just a few months after our son went to be with the Lord in Heaven. I found it to be an honest book written in a way that made me feel like I had a friend beside me who knew what I was going through. Highly recommended especially for those who are in ministry and may be struggling just like a "regular person."

For a event coming up in September, for those who have lost children.

I was desperate to find something, anything that could help me understand my emotions after the passing of my 26 year old son. He was born with a genetic disease and all his life I had been his main care giver. I missed him more than I could express myself to anyone or even care to. I was so loved by so many people but no one could help me. Only another person that has had to say goodbye to a child can truly grasp the depth of the pain. I was lost and did not know what to do. Dennis Apple in this amazing book has affirmed my feelings. He is so transparent with his own thoughts and feelings and this gave me hope. As a Christian, I had a hard time accepting my feelings of disappointment and the feeling of betrayal. This book helped me work through my hurt. I can without hesitation recommend this book to anyone else that has suffered the passing of their child.

I bought this book because of the straightforward title and evocative photo on the cover. No fuzzy light images, or flowers, or angels, just the bare evidence of a loss. Dennis Apple gave me a great gift with his honesty about his experience after the sudden death of my own beloved son. His faith resonated with me, but having been raised Catholic and eventually leaving the Church, I was so hoping for no aggressive bombardment from an evangelical Christian. Instead, his faith for me was the quiet rock, and for him, eventually his uplifting.His descriptions of his marriage and his life resettling was powerful for me. This is where we live every day, in the details of life, as our fundamental assumptions as human beings are shaken apart. He found some great ways to honor our deceased and their families, now and throughout the passage of time. How to educate and enlighten. How to bear to never forget.I've read a number of grief books, and this one has affected me very deeply. Please, grief industry people, read this book. Ignore the religious part if it helps. Thank you, Dennis Apple.

This is the only book about grieving that I found helpful. I read it 5 years ago, shortly after the death of my teenage son. By writing about his and his wife's journey through the grieving process after losing their son, Mr. Apple provided reassurance to me. The thing that struck me most was the length of time it took for his wife to feel functional again. I didn't need permission to take a long time to grieve, but at the same time, it helped to know others took a long time, too. Mr. Apple is a minister, and that concerned me at first, but the book isn't preachy, it was written on a personal level about his own experiences in grieving his son. I found many of my experiences and thoughts were similar to those Mr. Apple experienced and wrote about. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is struggling to cope with the loss of a child.

The author writes honestly and in depth about the loss of his son and how grief affected his family and work life.He writes honestly about the lessons he's learnt and still learning through this tragic and untimely death of his son. I didn't find it a sad or morbid book. In many ways it is very uplifting.

It's a good book about the stages of grieving , I lost my son recently and this book helps you to realise all your emotions are normal and the slow process to heal takes a very long time . As the writer is a preacher he does touch on religion but the main focus is centred on the pain and loss of a loved one.

Honest, sincere book. Helped me understand what my parents are going though after losing my brother.Applicable to anyone who's lost someone close to them.

This book is very honest and giving. I could relate to so much of what the couple experienced. One of the best books I have read, beautifully written. A must for all bereaved parents who are in need of trying to make sense of their destroyed world.