It seems odd to say that I enjoyed reading this week's Harried Parent's Book Club pick, which is about dying babies, more than I enjoyed last week's, which was about optimistic parents, but there it is. A Gift of Time, a book about perinatal hospice and palliative care filled with the voices of moms and dads who must face the unthinkable and find a way to cope and even triumph, is a compelling read on a topic most of us pray we'll never have to know about.
If you've read news stories about the Santorums bringing their deceased baby home or the Duggars sharing photos of theirs and wondered what was up with that, or puzzled over a pregnant friend or relative's decision to carry a severely disabled baby to term, A Gift of Time can introduce you to the compassionate and thoughtful reasons behind those decisions. The book will, naturally, be most of use to families who are facing these heartbreaking situations right now and need guidance and fellowship. But for all of us who value the lives of children with special needs, especially those who society most devalues, it offers an incredibly hopeful message. Optimistic, even.
Read the Harried Parent's Book Review of A Gift of Time, and of co-author Amy Kuebelbeck's earlier memoir, Waiting With Gabriel, for more information. If you've read one of these books, feel free to use the review form to add your opinion to mine.
Cover image courtesy of Johns Hopkins University Press