Title + Author: To the Cross I Cling by Laura Wifler
Length: 50 pages
Overview: To the Cross I Cling is written for moms who are parenting children with special needs. It is a series of Instagram posts that the Laura wrote over the course of a few years after their daughter was diagnosed with a rare chromosomal disorder. It’s so raw and real and beautifully written. It is captivating to read through each entry and see the progression of her processing the diagnosis and working through her grief. Through it all, Laura reminds the reader of the gospel hope we can cling to.
I have been so eager to read this book! My son doesn’t have special needs, but he does have a heart condition that has resulted in a lot of medical trauma from surgeries and cardiac arrests. His condition requires many restrictions to keep him safe and has our future marked with a lot of unknowns. So while small parts of the book didn’t apply directly to my family, the vast majority of it spoke directly to all the emotions and grief we’ve worked through since his diagnosis. It made me cry reading her entries that so perfectly put my thoughts into words. I’m so grateful for the reminder of hope in the midst of the hard.
Who should read it: I think this book would definitely be an encouragement to anyone parenting a child with special needs or a medical condition. I know it was to me! However, I think everyone could benefit from reading it. It would serve to cultivate empathy and understanding toward any of your friends or family that are parenting a child with special needs.
Favorite Quote: “Because being sad is not the same thing as despair. There is one critical difference: hope.”
Something I’m applying: She talks about how to talk to your children about kids who have special needs. She explains how all of our bodies are broken in different ways because of sin. I need to use this example when I speak to our son about his heart when he asks “why does my heart have to be like this?”
If you’re interested in reading or gifting it to a fellow mama that could use the encouragement of gospel hope, you can purchase the book here.