Kathleen Sawyer was counseling an eleven year old boy one day when she asked, “What day did sad arrive?” He thought for a moment and then replied “The day my uncle committed suicide.” It was after verbally admitting and stating it that his healing began.
The Day Sad Arrived is based on this real life eleven year old boy who needed to confront “sad”. As most personal stories go, when a tragic event occurs, “sad” jumps in to ruin everything in our lives. Even the things we once loved doing and gained great satisfaction from is hindered by “sad”. Eric, the boy in the story, has found that sad follows him around like a big ole dog, relentlessly taking the joy from his life. When he brushes his teeth in the morning, “sad” is there. When he goes to school, rides his skateboard or reads, “sad” invades everything he does. When he is finally taken to see the lady with sparkly glasses, he opens up through a course of events designed to help him confront “sad”.
Although this is a children’s book, I will admit to shedding a few tears while reading it. “Sad” has followed me around a time or two in my life and I can say with no reservation that the way Sawyer described the feelings of grief were dead on. So accurate, in fact, I was taken right back to those dark times in my life and started feeling sympathy for Eric even though he is a fictional character. Good writing does that. In this case, anyone that has experienced grief to any degree will immediately remember what that felt like.
As Eric heals in the story, I find that the answer the lady with the sparkly glasses has for him, is in fact, the only answer to coping with grief. Simply said, give it to God. He’s big enough to handle our grief, our anger, and our moments of “sad”. And just like Eric found, when God gets involved; guess who eventually gets their eviction notice?
Remember the eleven year old boy that was the inspiration for this book? He’s sixteen now and in ministry impacting and blessing others. “Sad” doesn’t stay forever and with the right tools and support, “sad” moves on a little quicker. Grief can take time to cope with, and while your child is struggling, let them know it’s real but not insurmountable. That’s the point to Sawyer’s book. Identify when “sad” moved in, give it to God, and get on with life.
Paperback: 36 pages
Publisher: Pleasant Word-A Division of WinePress Publishing (January 13, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1414112173
ISBN-13: 978-1414112176
Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 8.5 x 0.3 inches
