My oh my, words cannot describe how much this book affected me, but I will give it a try. The first time I heard about it was from my dad who had heard about it from someone else right after my mom's passing. He read through it very quickly and then passed it on to my sister who loved it as well. She claims to still have 20 pages left....get with the program Bay and read the ending!! Unfortunately, Hallie Grace leaves little time to read for fun so I have been putting it off. Bare with me as I ramble for awhile.....I promise I will try to make sense.
Last week I, as well as the rest of the nation, received the devastating news about the tragic death of Austin Box. When I heard the news it hit me like a ton of bricks as I have been friends with his sister, Whitney, for quite some time and grew up spending many a day at their house joking around with Austin, swimming with them, and picking on him (as any older sister and her friends should do). I just felt this overwhelming sense of heartache for the family (having just gone through the same ordeal of dealing with an unexpected death). The first thought is always "what can I do to help this family and how can I comfort them?" I began seeing many sympathetic posts on Facebook and people providing words of comfort. There are a few phrases that just erk me. I have no idea why, but my sister and I share this pet-peeve. It is not that I don't think people are genuine in their care and concern, it is simply what this phrase means. It means you, being the person receiving the comment, is in a state of vulnerability and needing these "thoughts and prayers." I remember thinking "I don't want to need this sympathy, I want things to go back to normal! I don't want to be that girl!" I remember wanting to scream so loudly but it wouldn't have done any good. So as this recent tragedy brought back the feelings that overwhelmed me in the first few weeks after my mom passed away I began to be frustrated, confused and sad all at the same time. Knowing how horrible it feels, what do you tell someone that will really help? Since Bailey and I have mentioned this to eachother many times since February I wrote this message on her Facebook wall: "I am going to write a book about phrases not to use when comforting someone who is grieving." It drew a few comments and one was from a cousin who mentioned the book "Heaven is for Real" and how she had recently read it. It got me intrigued again...I just had to read this book. And wouldn't ya know it, the book was staring me right in the face the next day as I perused the wall of books at the airport. So I bought it.....
Heaven is for real.....quite an ironic reading selection for the "day the earth would end." :)
After reading this book I clearly see that I have been throwing a pity party for one and feeling way too sorry for myself. About a lot of things. Who am I to say how someone should comfort another who is grieving? It's hard to know what to say.....but after reading this book I now have a whole different perspective on how to uplift someone who is in the midst of grieving. They may need those "thoughts and prayers" but this book provides a tangibleness of eternal life that gives you goosebumps!! No more feeling sorry for myself....I will hug my momma again and I will sit on Jesus' lap and Hallie will get kisses from her Grammy again......
You are probably thinking "well duh, doesn't the Bible tell us that?" Well yes, yes it surely and most definitely does. BUT this boy's account of spending three minutes in heaven is unlike and so alike anything you have ever imagined about heaven all at the same time. :) :) :) The book is narrated by the father of a boy who died during surgery and spent three minutes in heaven meeting the man upstairs and other family members along his short journey. He shares the tale of a very rough patch that his family went through which was very inspiring to me. Each chapter revealed something new and exciting and I devoured each word like it was a yummy chocolate cake.....
Heaven is for real......
Ok, so here is the real kicker. After a horrible airport/airline experience in Dallas on Friday evening we were weary and frustrated come Saturday morning. Again, throwing a pity party. As we waited in line for them to call our group number to board the plane I was approached by a lady and what appeared to be her coworker. She gestured toward my book to him and he smiled. She then looked at me and said "we published that book, are you enjoying it?" We had a short chat about what publishing company she worked for and she proceeded to ask "what made you buy the book?" I quickly mentioned about my mother and how my dad had enjoyed the book and she assured me that I would finish the book feeling happy. We parted ways and boarded the plane. As luck would have it, as we walked the aisle to get to our row I spotted a familiar face sitting in the seat next to mine. It was the publisher, who I would later know as Tina. After a thirty minute convo with her I realized I was destined to have a cancelled flight and be sitting next to her. She had the most insightful information about the book and had actually met the family and the little boy who the book is based on. She told stories about others who had been inspired by the book and shared some tidbits about the child prodigy mentioned in the book who painted a picture of Jesus....anyways, none of this makes sense until you read the book! So read the book! She would peak over every now and again to see what page I was on and give me an inquisitive look as if to say "isn't it cool?" As luck would have it I finished the last page just as the plane was coming to a stop at the terminal......
....and that's my book report. Hope I got an A.
I just finished this book 2 weeks ago!!! I LOVED IT!! I so loved the chapter of the sister in heaven, having had a miscarriage it brought me to happy tears!! A MUST READ for all!!!
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