An Unseen Angel by Alissa Parker
Paperback, 192 pages
Published April 4th 2017 by Shadow Mountain
As the mother of one of the children who died at Sandy Hook school in Newtown, Connecticut, in 2012, Alissa Parker had her world shattered by a mass murderer's rampage. She was left to make sense of her daughter's life and death and to rebuild, seeking a deeply spiritual path to carry on with her life and find new meaning and purpose.
As a co-founder of SafeandSoundSchools.org, a touring national advocacy group that helps people take action to make schools safer, Alissa has talked to hundreds of parents around the country about her ordeal and how she was able to endure the unspeakable horror of Sandy Hook.
An Unseen Angel takes readers though Alissa's complete journey, chronicling the moment-by-moment account of the day that began with every parent's worst nightmare: hearing, "There's been a shooting at your child's school." It follows her faith-filled spiritual path to coping, healing, forgiving, and eventually feeling gratitude for the life and love of her daughter Emilie. She describes a bond of love between a mother and daughter that is so profound it transcends the physical body and touches Alissa and the people who loved Emilie who feel her presence every day. And she articulates her deep Christian faith, which guided the answers to Alissa's gut-wrenching, post-tragedy questioning:
"Where is Emilie now?"
"Can love transcend the physical body?"
"How can I know that Emilie is in a better place?"
"How do I deal with the 'here and now' when the pain and anger I feel is so overwhelming?"
This is the first book about the school-shooting tragedies with a focus on faith and spirituality. As we learn Alissa's story, we are introduced to a special little girl who was wise beyond her years and whose lessons about life and the transcendent power of love continued even after she had passed away.
As a co-founder of SafeandSoundSchools.org, a touring national advocacy group that helps people take action to make schools safer, Alissa has talked to hundreds of parents around the country about her ordeal and how she was able to endure the unspeakable horror of Sandy Hook.
An Unseen Angel takes readers though Alissa's complete journey, chronicling the moment-by-moment account of the day that began with every parent's worst nightmare: hearing, "There's been a shooting at your child's school." It follows her faith-filled spiritual path to coping, healing, forgiving, and eventually feeling gratitude for the life and love of her daughter Emilie. She describes a bond of love between a mother and daughter that is so profound it transcends the physical body and touches Alissa and the people who loved Emilie who feel her presence every day. And she articulates her deep Christian faith, which guided the answers to Alissa's gut-wrenching, post-tragedy questioning:
"Where is Emilie now?"
"Can love transcend the physical body?"
"How can I know that Emilie is in a better place?"
"How do I deal with the 'here and now' when the pain and anger I feel is so overwhelming?"
This is the first book about the school-shooting tragedies with a focus on faith and spirituality. As we learn Alissa's story, we are introduced to a special little girl who was wise beyond her years and whose lessons about life and the transcendent power of love continued even after she had passed away.
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My Review: 5 Stars
I didn't want to read this book at first because I remember this incident and it was horrifying. How could a mother find peace and hope after this? I was intrigued by that thought and opened it up. And I read the whole thing in one sitting, all while crying my eyes out.
Alissa Parker is an amazing woman and I loved reading about her journey to finding it in her heart to forgive, therefore finding peace. Her sweet little girl was only 11 days younger than my youngest daughter, so this tragedy hit home. Emilie packed a lot of life into a short amount of time and I think even after her death, through this book, she's going to be touching many lives.
The Sandy Hook shooting ripped the hearts of many around the world--so many young, innocent lives lost. How could it be possible to move past that. I love that it's a process and it's not an easy road to travel. This author gives hope to many, not just those in her circumstance, by showing the steps she took and by realizing the many miracles, blessings, and tender mercies that happened around that time and afterward. I seriously couldn't put it down and was deeply moved. I think if all of us in times of trial reflect on our faith, no matter what it is, and take the time to grieve and heal, we, too, can find that peace.
Content: nothing too graphic, but it definitely tugs on the heart (violence); religious elements
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