I recently had the pleasure of reading an advanced review copy of April Yamasaki’s Hope Beyond Sorrow. With warmth and gentle honesty, April walked through hurting seasons of grief and pain, sharing her experiences over the loss of her husband, her Dear-Heart. Her focus on a gentle transition back to a full life. I felt it read as though one was sitting aside her comfortably by a fireplace with a hot cup of cocoa.

April is a pastor and an author with several books published. Her compassionate heart anchors each message and she added exercises for those wanting to absorb her lessons into their own experiences.

I appreciated reading April’s Hope Beyond Sorrow, particularly as I was in the process of finalizing my own memoir in which I share what I considered to be the spiritual side of grief. Those many chats with God during the time my teenage daughter passed away from sarcoma. And not too many years ago, I witnessed the weight of sorrow on my dad when my mom passed away.

Grief has a way of reshaping each part of one’s life—not just our hearts and minds but also, often, that house of faith we shelter within gets a renovation.

Link to Hope Beyond Our Sorrows, by April Yamasaki.