Rose publishes grief book for parents

    In late September 2009 life changed forever for evangelist Dale Rose 

and his wife, Millie. Rose was on a hunting trip in Wyoming when he 

received the devastating news that his son Derek, 31, had died of a 

heart attack in his sleep.

    The details of that day remain intense in his memory. Rose was 

asleep in a tent in Wyoming, preparing to start a hunt. He was 

awakened and told there was an emergency. Since there was no 

cellphone service, Rose was driven to an area where he could make a 

call.

    "I was able to reach my sister and she told me," Rose recalled. "I 

got out of the car and sat down on the blacktop and looked up at the 

big sky."

    It's been six and a half years since that devastating day, and as 

they have dealt with the loss, Dale and Millie Rose, have also been 

working on a book that is geared to help other parents who have also 

lost children.

    "Grieving the Loss of a Child" was published in 2016, and the early 

feedback from the book has been positive.

    It began as an article that Rose wrote about seven months after the 

death of his son. Rose said that writing the article at that point 

was therapeutic for him.

    "I sent it out to ministry associates and business associates and 

got such a response at that time they said it needed to be in book 

format," said Rose. "This book was published at the urging of others."

    It has been a lengthy process, with Rose adding to his writing along 

the way. It has been edited and re-edited, and even with that he 

noted there were still mistakes in the first publishing that had to 

be corrected.

    In the book, Rose notes that writing this book was difficult because 

of the emotions that it stirred.

    "Each time I start writing and looking at this material, it is like 

pouring salt and sand into an open wound, and the pain is real, even 

though it is not as intense as it was earlier," he wrote.

    The book provides a chapter on things to do and not do when 

experiencing grief and loss. It also gives advice to those who want 

to be there for people who are experiencing loss. It also has 

information for parents who have lost a child through miscarriage.

    "I am pleased with it," said Rose, when asked about his thoughts on 

the book. "I hope it brings comfort to others and that it can help 

others to be able to relate to those who have lost a child."

    Rose noted that after nearly seven years, the pain is still there. 

It is not as intense, "but it will still take your breath...There are 

times when you will see something and it takes the wind out of you."

    The book was published through Thomas Nelson, a division of Westbow 

Publishing. It is available for purchase through Amazon, Westbow and 

Christian Book Distributors.