Book Review: Hope for Today, Promises for Tomorrow

Hope for Today, Promises for Tomorrow: Finding Light Beyond the Shadow of Miscarriage or Infant Loss by Teske Drake

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

About the Book: 

No mother ever expects to grieve the death of her child before or immediately after the child is born. But the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences reports that as many as 31 percent of all pregnancies end in miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant loss. When the unthinkable happens, where do women turn for help? 

Written from the perspective of one grieving mommy to another, Hope for Today, Promises for Tomorrow is a ten-week study that will encourage and challenge women to delve into a deeper understanding of God's Word. As women engage in biblical teaching, they will learn to embrace God's promises of love, goodness, purpose, comfort, peace, refinement, restoration, hope, and eternity. 

"Hope for Today" verses peppered throughout each chapter, journaling cues, prayers, and the stories of other women who have experienced loss will help readers move from grieving in silent solitude to living life in the richness of God's love.

While other books suggest a one-size-fits-all method for grief management or focus on understanding specific causes of child loss, Hope for Today, Promises for Tomorrow offers comfort for the reader, whatever her situation, by helping her focus on the light of the ultimate Promise, the hope of a Savior, Jesus Christ.

Inspired by Romans 6:4--“just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life"--this is a definitive resource to help women see themselves and God anew and--finally--to find spiritual healing.

My Thoughts:

As I shared in my previous review, pregnancy and infant loss are near and dear to me. I have always been fascinated by the birth process but even more so after my own experiences of a miscarriage, c-section, homebirth, and hospital delivery. Unfortunately, we found out we lost our first baby around 12 weeks into the pregnancy. I was a young woman, only 20 years old, and it was one of the most heartbreaking, scary and painful experiences I'd ever been through. 

What was almost as bad was the unexpected...silence...after the loss. I'm not sure what I hoped for, but I didn't expect the loneliness. People either didn't know what to say or figured it wasn't that big a deal (seriously, I got a few "cheer up"s, which almost sent me over the edge). 

My point is that it would have been nice to not feel alone. I would have loved to have had this book back then. The author takes us through the comforts of all of God's promises for us and offers journaling exercises to help work through the grief and loss. Even though it's been 11 years since our loss, those feelings and thoughts of the "what ifs" will occasionally resurface and I think this book could help with that even years after the fact. For me, knowing that I've shared that pain with so many others is both a relief and a burden, but it's nice to know that there is healing and closure out there. 

You can purchase a copy of Hope for Today, Promises for Tomorrow by going here. 

About the Author:

Teske Drake (PhD, Iowa State University), is mommy to three babies in heaven, mom to two on earth, and wife to her one and only. She is cofounder of Mommies with Hope, a biblically based support group for women who have experienced infant loss. 

Find out more at mommieswithhope.blogspot.com.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book as part of the Litfuse Blog Tour in exchange for my review, but all opinions are 100% my own.