It’s Hard to Say Goodbye: A Book about Death, Loss and Hope
by Tara VinCross
My grandmother—my beloved Nanna Pat—died from lung cancer just before my sixth birthday. I don’t remember her sickness, but I remember the grief I felt at losing her. I remember sobbing as my parents held me and I tried to understand.
Children feel and grieve loss, just as adults do. However, for children there can be the added burden of trying to understand what death means, where their loved one has gone, what will happen next and why they are feeling the way they do. It’s Hard to Say Goodbye aims to help children and their families talk about loss together, with understanding, compassion and hope.
Written by Pastor Tara VinCross and illustrated by Karen Findley, It’s Hard to Say Goodbye explains that grief is a part of life here on earth. Whether it is the loss of a cherished family member or a beloved pet, or whether it is a difficult change like moving house or school, we all face goodbyes and all grieve in different ways. Pastor VinCross creates a safe space for children to grieve, acknowledging the ways we might feel and the way those feelings might change over time. She also provides hope-filled examples of what the Bible teaches about death and the future we can look forward to with our lost loved ones when Jesus comes again.
Practical considerations are addressed too. Pastor VinCross gives simple explanations of ways we might say goodbye to those who have died, through funeral or memorial services, and loving ways we can support others who might be grieving. A note to adults at the front of the book provides guidance about how to talk to children about death and loss, and a page at the back offers more words of comfort from Scripture.
Regardless of whether you are currently experiencing loss, it would benefit all families to have a copy of It’s Hard to Say Goodbye on the bookshelf. When we talk about death together, we can be reminded that our good God is preparing a place for us where we will never have to say goodbye again. It’s Hard to Say Goodbye and other books by Tara VinCross are available from Adventist bookshops in Australia and New Zealand, or online.
