A Mother S Hope

In this first of an epic family saga by Francine Rivers, mother and daughter relationships are challenged, setting their family on a course full of heartache.

It is a dreadful November day; rain and sleet batter young Martin while he tries to hitch a lift to Liverpool. The coast road is deserted, and he shrinks further into his rain-soaked duffle coat. He hears a bus approaching but has no money, so when it stops to eject a weeping girl, then speeds away, he hurries to catch her up. Companions in misfortune, Martin and Rose slog on together. Each has a secret which neither wishes to part with and when they go their separate ways, they don't expect to meet again. But fate decrees otherwise.

Ginny Dennehy was living the dream: a good marriage, two wonderful teenagers, a fulfilling career. Life in Whistler, B.C., seemed tailor-made for her outgoing, athletic family of four. But in 2001, the world turned upside down when her son, Kelty, committed suicide at the age of seventeen, hanging himself in the loft of their family home. Lost in a fog of grief, Ginny found the strength to go on. Just eight years later, her daughter, Riley, died of a heart attack in Thailand. Ginny's story conveys the message that even in the wake of unspeakable tragedy, there is hope.

Dear Reader, I know exactly how you are feeling. People will tell you, to have sabr and trust in Allah's plan. People will expect you to behave in a certain way. I have written this child loss book for you and me. We are parents who have lost a piece of our heart. No one else can understand what we are going through. There are many self-help books for parents and child loss stories, however, very few are written from an Islamic perspective. I am here to tell you that there is hope, there is a way to find peace and solace, and that way is through the healing words of Allah and the comforting words of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (saw). Inshallah, both the Quran and Sunnah are a balm that will soothe your heart. Together they have helped me carry on when I thought my sorrow would consume me. Inshallah, my sincere dua is that this book provides you with comfort and the strength to carry on. Love and duas Farhat Amin Losing a baby or child, whether through miscarriage or illness, leaves so many parents lost in grief and full of unanswered questions. Farhat Amin personally experienced a miscarriage and faced the loss of her teenage son. She has written this self-help book, which thoughtfully describes her experiences and how she found a way to live and learn from her bereavement. Some of the proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to charity.

On December 14, 2012, Scarlett Lewis experienced something that no parent should ever have to endure: she lost her son Jesse in an act of unimaginable violence. The day started just like any other, but when a gunman opened fire at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Scarlett’s life changed forever. However, this isn’t a story about a massacre. It’s a story about love and survival. It’s about how to face the impossible, how to find courage when you think you have none, and how to choose love instead of anger, fear, or hatred. Following Jesse’s death, Scarlett went on an unexpected journey, inspired by a simple three-word message he had scrawled on their kitchen chalkboard shortly before he died: Norurting Helin Love (Nurturing Healing Love). It was as if he knew just what his family would need in order to go on after this horrible tragedy. Bolstered by his words, Scarlett took her first step toward a new life. And with each step, it became clearer how true Jesse’s message was. She learned that love was indeed the essential element necessary to move forward and that taking the path of love is a choice. We can live in anger and resentment, or we can choose love and forgiveness. With her decision made, she found some peace and began to believe that choosing love was the key to creating a healthy, safe, and happy world. She began the Jesse Lewis Choose Love Foundation to develop programs to teach children about the power each of us has to change our thoughts and choose a life without fear and hate. Nurturing Healing Love is Scarlett’s story of how choosing love is changing her life—and how it could change our world. A portion of the proceeds from sales of this book will be donated to the Jesse Lewis Choose Love Foundation. To learn more about the foundation or to make a donation, go to www.jesselewischooselove.org.

Every loss mama deserves to be reminded she is the mother of all mothers.

New York Times bestselling author RaeAnne Thayne brings readers a heartwarming romance, originally published as A Mother’s Hope Christa Sullivan has devoted herself to nursing her recently injured teenage daughter back to health. She’s wary about the idea of equine therapy—and even more wary about former rodeo cowboy Jace McCandless, the man working as Hope’s therapist. But when her daughter responds well to Jace, Christa finds herself suddenly wondering if she might be able to take this one risk—for love. Originally published in 2008

This second book in the epic family saga by Francine Rivers follows a daughter as she tries to repair the damage done by the generations before her.