A Story of Resilience, Friendship, and Hope

I am so blessed to be a Christian writer and have the opportunity to be in community with so many other writers who share the same faith and values that I hold so dear. Yes, I have met yet another, and I wish to share with you the terribly sad yet wonderfully hopeful middle-grade book she has written: That Easter Sunday by Nadishka Aloysius.

On Easter Sunday, 2019, in the city of Colombo in Sri Lanka, three large churches and three luxury hotels were attacked by Islamic suicide bombers, killing hundreds and wounding still more. The devastation was overwhelming. as worshippers ran for cover among the rubble of their church, searching desperately for their loved ones who only minutes before were singing praises to their King and celebrateing His resurrection. In an act of twisted cruelty. a second bomb detonated outside of St. Anthony's Church a few hours after the first attack as the wounded and bleeding victims were struggling desperately to extricate themselves and their loved ones from the rubble, while surrounded by the horror of death.

In this sensitive and well-written book, Vibhu, a little rat who lives at St. Anthony's Church, describes that horrible day and the process of recovery from the loss of his home and best friend. The narrative takes the reader all the way through the process from the initial shock to the feelings of total loss and heplessness and eventually through the gradual process of finding hope and being able to proceed forward, while still greiving.

I live in Uvalde, TX, where, on May 24,2022, a gunman entered a classroom and killed nineteen children and two teachers. leaving many others wounded. Like the people of Sri Lanka, we are still struggling. I believe a book like this can speak to us here in Uvalde and to all who have suffered great loss.

In That Easter Sunday,after the terrorist attack, when Vibhu is feeling overwhelmed by horror and loss, he climbs up onto the blood-stained statue of Jesus that stands in the front of the church. He nestles onto the arm of the statue and stays there for days, unable to move and unwilling to eat or speak. His friend Ari the spider remains with him as his family members try to coax him down and try to get him to eat. When he is finally lifted down by a Human and gently placed in the corner of the sanctuary, he is too weak to do anything, but he slowly begins to eat and recover his strength.

Later, as Vibhu and Ari are watching the Humans rebuild their church, Ari says, "Look at them, Vibhu. See how they are helping each other. They get strength from one another."

For those of us in Uvalde who will never forget the horrible day that nineteen of our precious children and two dedicated teachers were taken from us, we can find an example in this little book for how to deal with our sorrow by getting strength from one another and finding solace in the arms of Jesus.

The pain of such a loss will never go away, and this book does not try to convince us otherwise. But there is life after tragedy, and there is hope--hope in the love and support that we receive from our friends and family and most of all in Jesus.

If you or your children are struggling with loss, perhaps you may find comfort in this little book. You may get the ebook for free by clicking the button below and providing your email address. Proceeds from the sale of this book go to the victims of the attack in Sri Lanka, and their needs are still great.

 If you read this book, please click on the button below and email me through the "chat" feature to let me know how you feel about it. I may wish to share your thoughts in a future blog. In any case, I would love to hear from you. Until then...

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