Remembering Rachel
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One day God wanted to create someone special. He thought and thought. So. . . God decided to make a new soul. Now what did he need? In that soul God put lots of giggles, laughs and smiles. He also put in some tears, a frown and a little bit of stubbornness. But most of all God filled the soul up with love and kindness. All these things God called emotions. Wait. . . the soul will need a body! Where is the body? Don't worry, God has a perfect plan! God is smart. When the baby was strong she was born and God breathed into her the breath of life. Her mommy and daddy named her Rachel. Rachel grew. Rachel cried. Rachel laughed. God smiled. One day something awful happened. When Rachel was only two and a half years old she got a very bad sickness. This sickness was called meningitis. Now we have to say good-bye. It is hard because we loved Rachel very much.
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About the Book
As Rachel's Grandmother it is my privilege to tell her story. This book begin as a way to help Rachel's brothers, sister and cousins cope with a tragic loss. It has expanded to help all children dealing with the complex emotions and confusion of death. This book has three purposes. First: To give immediate help for the young child who is left behind dealing with the trauma of death and saying good-bye. To help them understand the looming burial process. Very young children are not able to process analogies or abstracts. They are only able to wrap their mind and emotions around clear, honest facts. Not all deaths are of pets or grandparents. Rachel's story is of a real little girl. When saying good-bye to Rachel, we were still in a state of shock. Thinking we had prepared the surviving children for the funeral, wrapped in our own grief sadly we learned we hadn't. As we pulled away from the cemetery our traumatized four year old began to cry hysterically at his Daddy, "You go back and get Rachel out of that box!" Until then his four year old mind thought this was a game. Second: As he processed his emotions it's my desire that there is a balance of a loving God who is walking this path with him. It isn't my aim to take away anger, sorrow nor rage directed at God. However when ready the compassionate God can be a piece of the healing process. Third: This book is intended to be used as a tool to open up communication between adult and child. You child will see Rachel as a completely balanced person who was stubborn, happy and sick. Doing this helps him to embrace his own humanness. This book ends with blank pages for your child to process and personalize his own emotions, loss and experiences through journalizing, drawing or mounting photos.
About the Author
Diane was born and raised in Oregon. She has a unique first hand insight in the dynamic effects of death and young children. After suddenly losing her 2 1/2 year old granddaughter she was driven to find a tool to help her surviving grandchildren understand and cope with loss while balancing her spiritual beliefs. She also wanted to reach out to other children who are dealing with death and loss. She is the mother of 5 children and the grandmother of 16 grandchildren. As her life have been impacted and changed by personal events it is her desire is to pass on the wonders of a little girl who taught her the pure simple way to live every day. The author along with Rachel's parents share the same strong spiritual beliefs. Their joint effort and conviction has given them the passion to make Rachel's life meaningful.