Dana Goodman

Losing a child has to be one of the most devastating of losses. Add to this the loss of a young husband and you have an unimaginable story. We all want to believe that our children and young spouses will recover from cancer and go on to live rich, full lives. But this doesn’t happen for Dana Goodman’s son, Zach and her young husband, Jay. How in the world does one cope with such heartbreaking back-to-back losses?

Therein lies the beauty and raw truth of Dana’s story. With candor and eloquence . Dana shows us her heartache and hope as she travels through her “valley of sorrows”. In the process, she uplifts us with her perseverance, resilience and strong faith in God through vivid descriptions, realistic dialogue, gripping narration and a healthy dose of humor.

Because Jay and Zach come alive on the page, we feel the depth of her anguish over watching them decline and losing them. Much to this reader’s relief, she effectively weaves in the lighter moments and happier times and we get to experience her growth and healing after these deep losses. We celebrate when she marries again and moves on to a happy, fulfilled life while honoring Zach’s and Jay’s memories.

This is a riveting memoir that spreads hope through faith. It can serve as a guidebook for anyone who has suffered the devastating loss of a loved one.… (meer)

Dana Goodman is definitely a courageous woman. I say this ot because she has had to handle the death of three family members such a short time, but because of how she handled it. God does't promise hid children a life of eas. He promises to walk with us continually through these dark valleys. This raw look at Dana and her grief was not sugar coated. It was not full of only the great things God helped her through. This was full of reality. Her true thoughts and feelings. Feelings that God was a puny God who could not help her. Anyone who has lost someone to a slow diseas has the feelings. Not everyone will admit it. That doesn't mean as Christians that we don't have them. It means when those feelings hit us, we rely on God to walk with us, and if need be to carry us for awhile. This book was hard to read because at this moment I have a friend who is walking this same path. Her daughter has been sick for such a long time and now her brain cancer is ravishing her body. It is painful to watch my friend go through this. Like Dana, she is such an inspiration as has her daughter been to us. She has leaned on God and let us know how tough it is. She is not walking this valley alone but with Jesus at her side. This is a book I think everyone should read whether they are or have gone through anything like this. I will definitely recommend this to family and friends. I am sharing this with my other who teaches a Grief Share class at church and has since shortly after losing my father and my sister. You can find other grief resources on Dana's site.
I received a copy to facilitate my review, the opinions expressed here are my own.… (meer)