Emily Lost Someone She Loved – Helping Children Deal with Loss

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I’m certain that many of you have known a child who faced the unimaginable—the death of a parent or sibling. Maybe that kind of loss has ripped through your own family. Or perhaps, that child was you.

One out of seven children will lose a parent or sibling before the age of 20.

I am the mother of three kids whose birth mother died of cancer when they were young. I married their dad when the kids were nine, eleven, and thirteen years old. All of them were grieving in very different ways. Losing a loved one, at any age, is devastating. But for a child, it can lead to fears, insecurities, bitterness, rage, isolationism, delinquency, and estrangement from God—scars that can last a lifetime.

Grieving children often think God isn’t real . . .God doesn’t love me . . .God isn’t kind. It is crucial for kids to feel God’s love and comfort in the midst of their pain, and to know that Jesus is real, He does love them, and He is kind. This is the purpose and message of my new picture book, Emily Lost Someone She Loved.

Writing this book was a redemptive process for me. It’s the book I wish had been available to me when I was trying to raise three grieving children. I was unequipped, overwhelmed, and often frustrated. I didn’t recognize, at the time, what my children needed most from me.

The book is a small snapshot of what I saw my kids experience, and what we as a family faced.

I wanted to show the real emotions of grief and loss—the raw ones. With tender illustrations and prayerfully written text, Emily Lost Someone She Loved leads children back from despair into a realization of the true heart of God for them. It’s a book that can be read over and over again, restoring faith in God and hope for the future.

The idea for Emily Lost Someone She Loved was born out of a conversation with one of my daughters, now in her twenties. I said that, if I had it to do over again, I would have rehearsed with them, every night, God’s words of adoration for them. In the book, Emily, an eight-year-old who has lost her mom, ultimately screams out, “WHERE IS GOD?!” That is the question behind much of the unstable, anxious, and even tempestuous behaviors grieving children exhibit. Their faith in God has been rocked. They need to be grounded again in the knowledge of His goodness.

So, I would say to all of you who are surviving spouses, stepparents, or caregivers of a grieving child, “Don’t give up.”

Though the child’s needs, and your own, are greater than you can bear, I do believe the Word of God offers us healing. Gently and consistently rehearse with your child the loving nature and character of God. This will bring them, and you, back to life.

God is with you,

Kathleen Fucci

For more information about Emily Lost Someone She Loved or for children’s Scripture memory cards, free Bible verse coloring pages, and other resources, please visit us at www.kathleenfucciministries.org.

Kathleen Fucci is a Christian conference speaker, Bible study leader, and children’s book author. Her most recent project is a children’s book series called Hope for Kids in Crisis. The series is designed to bring God’s hope and healing to children who face traumatic life experiences. Emily Lost Someone She Loved is rooted in personal experience and offers Christ-centered healing to children grieving the loss of someone they love. Kathleen lives in Southern California with her wonderful husband and their two dogs. They have three amazing adult children, two daughters and a son, who lost their mom when they were young. Read more about Kathleen and the Hope for Kids in Crisis series atwww.kathleenfucciministries.org.  

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