As the Founder of a family-focused grief center, I often meet with families who are experiencing the death or terminal illness of a beloved family member.

I first met Kristy Boike when she and her father visited our grief center after the death of her mom. She was looking to partner with a local charity after her family’s bluebird house business grew into national news.

Theirs is a beautiful story of hope, and the way her family united together for this project is truly heartwarming. It was Kristy’s strong business sense combined with her love for her mom that made me immediately want to join forces. We started offering bluebird workshops at the center and the connections were so authentic and meaningful; we knew it was the start of something special. Kristy immersed herself in the bluebird project, registered her children for grief groups and camps, volunteered at events and raised funds for causes dear to her heart. She was taking care of everyone around her while carrying the grief of her father and her children.

What became so evident was her struggle to find room for her own grief. During one visit about a year later, with tears in her eyes, Kristy shared the beginning of this precious book with me. I remember feeling that this was also her beginning. A time for her to finally walk through the emotions of her own grief in a way that felt hopeful to her.

This lovely children’s book is the embodiment of how one can heal by telling their story, by helping others and by continuing legacy. Kristy does a beautiful job illustrating the normal emotions of sadness, anger and fear a child can experience when grieving. I have watched her positive parenting on many occasions, and she is always finding mindful ways to educate her children with love and hope. This rings true in her incredibly significant message about honoring a loved one by doing the special things they used to do. It is a perfect way to help children feel they are a part of creating or extending a legacy. The illustrations are breathtaking, allowing children to process their emotions as they
connect to and remember their loved one.

In my daily work with grieving children and families, I have found that finding ways to remember your loved one together is also the best way to heal together. This lighthearted book is a special opportunity for parents, professionals, and educators to help children see grief through another lens. A lens of HOPE.

Carolyn Kinzel, MSHS
President/Founder
Brighter Days Family Grief Center
www.brighterdaysgriefcenter.org