What Cloud Is My Sister In?
A Children's Book About Love, Memories, and Grief
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
The camp leader blew the whistle, and it was time to get ready for the pool. Snappy and Speedy raced to the pool, with Shelly close behind. The boys did cannonballs into the water as Shelly slid in. They enjoyed just being able to play and have fun with their new friends. Floating in the water, Snappy began to understand that he was very lucky to have Sarah, even for a little while. He was learning there were many happy memories hiding deep inside his heart. Something inside his heart was changing; there were new feelings of love and gratitude, where there had only been anger and emptiness, since Sarah had died.
Reflection Question: What do you do now when you want to play and just have fun? Which family or friends do you enjoy playing with?
After the pool, it was time to make memory boxes. The leader gave the campers a picture of their loved one. Snappy showed Sarah's picture to Speedy and Shelly, and they all smiled. Shelly said, "Look how happy Jelly is in this picture!” Speedy waved the only picture there was of him and Harper. It was taken the day she was born, and he was holding Harper and smiling. Snappy said, "Each of us was lucky to have a beautiful sister!" Speedy added, "I wonder if Harper, Jelly, and Sarah are together, thinking of us in their clouds, like we are thinking of them at grief camp."
Speedy picked out a saying for his shadow box: "Grief is simply love with nowhere to go." Snappy remembered what Speedy had told him earlier, and added, "So the love comes out our eyes as love tears!" This made Speedy smile. The three friends each worked to create the perfect memory box filled with love for their sisters.
Reflection Question: When someone we love dies, we often save things that help us to remember them. What special items have you saved to help you remember your sister?
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
Death is often perceived as an end point. Yet any family who has lost a child, either at birth or at some point in the child’s journey towards adulthood, will acknowledge it is a beginning. The beginning of a life-long grief journey, not just for parents, but for other family members as well. While tears often come easily, words and actions, many times do not. How does one explain the death of a newborn, or the death of a child in elementary school or even high school, to their brothers and/or sisters? This story invites the grieving child/children, and the adults who love them, through a two-day grief camp experience for children. The three turtles meet at camp. They have each lost a sister. Snappy’s teenage sister, Sarah, died. Speedy’s newborn sister Harper died. And Shelly’s young sister Layla died too. Through the experience of numerous camp activities and discussions, the three turtles become friends. They learn in the process that while remembering can make them sad, it can also help them to laugh and be happy too. Speedy learns even though he didn’t get to create memories with his sister, he can use his heart and mind to imagine what life would be like with her. As camp comes to an end, the three friends realize they will always carry their sisters with them, in their hearts and in their minds. This book includes many recommendations for techniques siblings can use to honor and remember their sister. These activities allow the adult(s) and child/children to feel their grief through sharing openly about various grief topics, looking back at memories, and creating tangible remembrances. In time, through the sacred sharing of grief, they will begin to heal together as well.
About the Author
Kim Vesey has been a nurse in the field of hospice care for over 35 years. In addition to her professional experience of caring for the dying, she has also experienced significant personal losses. She was widowed at the age of 45, when her husband Les died from colon cancer. Her dad died unexpectedly from a sudden illness. Most recently, her 29-year-old daughter died from complications of an asthma attack, leaving behind her three-year-old son, Warren. Kim’s professional and personal experiences with death, grief, and healing, in addition to her strong faith, uniquely qualify her to write the What Cloud series of books for grieving children. Kim is blessed to have her adult son Patrick, her resilient grandson Warren, and many other family and friends who bring joy and peace to her life.