Grieving the Child I Never Knew by Kathe Wunneneberg

Losing a child is one of the worst experiences anyone can face. It is one of the most lonely losses because people don't remember with you or grieve with you unlike when an older child or person in general passes. They all have memories too; where as a small child, those are not there. Most people forget quite quickly what has happened to you and it is easy to leave it and downplay your own sorrow. But dealing with it is much smarter and will help you heal much quicker. How do I know? Because I've been there; twice. The first time was extremely hard and took me almost 2 years to recover from emotionally. This second time is so recent (November 2015) that I am still in the healing process. It started with denial and is now finally coming to a place where I can handle it.

I was very happy to run into this book on a website. I didn't want to read it but knew I just had to. I needed help. I needed to not feel so alone. And most of all I needed God to help me through it. Grieving the Child I Never Knew is an amazing tribute to lost babies. While acknowledging the loss, it helps one grieve properly and in a healthy way. There are 31 devotions included in this beautiful little book that has a ribbon bookmark attached. I honeslty cannot do the devotional every day so it has taken me longer to finish than just a month. It digs deep into the real issue, the real anger and the real part of the loss. I really felt that Kathe Wunnenberg really did know how I felt; well because she lived it. It is SO nice to have someone helping who actually KNOWS and doesn't pretend to know. She has been there so she understands the deep issue of hurt contained in this loss. 

The book is broken down into 7 parts: Hiding, Suffering, Questioning, Forgiving, Relating, Seeking and Sharing Your Story. Different parts hold a different step in the process of healing and I appreciate that it goes in depth to each part.

Every devotion contains a scripture and a prayer as well as questions to answer to help yourself delve more into the healing process. Honestly, if I just read this without asking myself the questions it wouldn't have done as much good as it has. I personally kept a separate notebook to write my answers in so that I could keep the book in great condition and it helped me be able to write a little more free instead of in the spaces in the book. 

Not only does this have devotions it also contains a section that is entitled A Prayer Guide for Special Days. Special days can make child loss that much harder, such as getting ANOTHER negative pregnancy test, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Christmas and the one of the hardest of all when someone close to you announces a pregnancy or you have to face a baby shower. These are all very difficult days for those who have experienced loss and these prayers can definitely help get through them easier. 

There is also a discussion guide if this so happens to be a part of a Grieving Support group, which it could very easily be used for. It would open others up who have been down the same road or who are going down that road heal.

This book for me is truly a God send and I am very grateful to have been able to read through it. I will definitely refer to it on those darker, harder days to help bring myself up. As we all know, healing from such deep wounds doesn't happen overnight. 

I hope if you have experienced a loss or know someone who has, that this little devotional helps you as much as it has helped me. God bless.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”