Cry, Heart, But Never Break

Aware their grandmother is gravely ill, four siblings make a pact to keep death from taking her away. But Death does arrive all the same, as it must. He comes gently, naturally. And he comes with enough time to share a story with the children that helps them to realize the value of loss to life and the importance of being able to say goodbye. Glen Ringtved is a best-selling and award-winning Danish children’s author,…

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Cry, Heart, But Never Break: A Remarkable Illustra…

Cry, Heart, But Never Break: A Remarkable Illustrated Meditation on Loss and Life

This delightfully illustrated book, though written for children offers valuable support through the grieving process even for adults. Working in hospitals as a chaplain, and in the early years of the AIDS epidemic I have been present for the deaths of many people. The wisdom presented in this illustrated book would have been of great value to loved ones of all ages.

Aware their grandmother is gravely ill, four siblings make a pact to keep death from taking her away. But Death does arrive all the same, as it must. He comes gently, naturally. And he comes with enough time to share a story with the children that helps them to realize the value of loss to life and the importance of being able to say goodbye.

Glen Ringtved is a best-selling and award-winning Danish children’s author, whose books have been widely translated.

Charlotte Pardi is a well-beloved Danish illustrator, who has created numerous books since her first picture book in 2000.

Robert Moulthrop is a published playwright. He lives in Greenwich Village, New York City.

Chapter II: Part 2 – Even Children In Their Play

King Asoka was the benevolent ruler of the Maurya Dynasty who ruled almost the entire Indian subcontinent from 304-232 BCE. One of the stories I was told when I first began practicing Buddhism was about the previous life of King Asoka. I was reminded of that story as I was working on creatively expressing how I experienced the portion of the sutra about children drawing images of the Buddha in the dirt using sticks. According…

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