After my son Joey passed away in June of 2000, I struggled to find any books that gave me concrete ideas of how I could help myself through my grieving process. Many family members and friends gifted me books, but they all told the same story. Have faith, cherish the wonderful memories and so on. Of course all good advice, just superficial.
Then a few years after my son died, I happened to be at my hairdresser's, when a woman came in. I knew her through our sons' sports. I also knew that her oldest son had also passed away after Joey. It was getting close to Christmas, so I asked her if they were planning on putting up a tree. Her answer floored me! She had two other teenaged children at home. She shared with me that after her older son died, her surviving children wanted nothing to do with Christmas, no tree, no lights, nothing! So as my heart broke for her, I began telling her how I and my family celebrated our first Christmas after Joey died, and how that became a new tradition that continues through today.
After listening to my story, this mom told me that I had helped her more in the last fifteen minutes, than anyone else had up to this point. That was my light bulb moment! And the spark to write my book was ignited.
In the first few chapters of my book, I do recount the day my son died, his viewing and his funeral. I also discuss the many other issues that have to be dealt with during the months afterward. Although sad, I felt that this was an important part of my grieving process. But in the chapters that follow, I describe all the positive actions we took that helped us to go on. I discuss new found hobbies, seeking professional help, medium readings, and even the many beautiful signs I feel my son sends us to let us know he is alright. So in addition to a journey filled with very specific steps I and my family took to survive, it is also a story of my spiritual journey.
So if you or anyone you know has lost a child or loved one, I am confident that some idea or story in my book will help them.
Michaline grew up and was educated in Northeastern Pennsylvania. After earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mathematics from Marywood College, she accepted a position at a public utility company in the Lehigh Valley, and relocated there. While living in the Lehigh Valley, she got married, gave birth to her two sons, earned a Masters Degree in Elementary Education from Lehigh University, changed careers and began teaching. Sixteen years after her move to the Allentown, PA area, she, her husband and two sons moved back to NEPA, where she currently resides. Her many jobs since have included teacher, daycare supervisor and senior clerk at a communications company. After a life altering event in her life, she was drawn to pursue a career as a massage therapist. She returned to school while continuing to work, earned a Massage Certificate, and is currently working as a Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT) in PA. The life changing event was the death of her oldest son at the age of twenty. That began an eighteen year journey that culminated in her writing and self publishing her book, " WHEN MY SON DIED... THIS IS MY STORY ." Her purpose for writing and self publishing her story was twofold: to honor her son, and to help other parents who have also lost a child.
