God's Calling

In 1990, I searched for something to give the two young sons left behind after a sudden heart attack brought about the death of their father. As first and fourth graders in school with my daughters, Eric and Ryan were youngsters not knowing where to look for answers or how to even ask the questions that troubled them.

My quest for something to put in their hands led me to the local Christian bookstore. Leaving empty handed when nothing could be found to fulfill their need, I went to my computer and put fingers to keys. God poured into me not only the concept, but the very words I punched out. The initial creation of God's Very Special People was to meet a very specific need. It was a list of instructions which I sent with a bag of candy to each of the boys.

Eric and Ryan received the gift knowing someone thought of them specifically. It wasn't for "the family". They got something just for themselves, a personal tool to help them understand death and remember their dad.

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Over the years, I rewrote God's Very Special People as the occasion arose. My nieces and nephews got a revised instruction list when their grandma died, sent with bags of candies. In 2003, my nephew, Marty, died in an auto accident. I searched my computer for the file "God's Very Special People". Rewriting it with Marty in mind - the instructions were once again tweaked with appropriate context and sent with bags of candy.

At that time my sister-in-law commented on making it into a book. I flippedly said, "It's not a book, it's a list of instructions" She replied, "Think about it, more children need understanding in their time of grief. You could make this available to them as a book". After taking her encouragement to heart, I prayed about it. The rest is history.