Fallen Cradle

Contributors to "Fallen Cradle" published by Anvil Books (Gilda Cordero-Fernando, Alma Miclat, Gina de Venecia, Dr. Honey Carandang, Cathy Babao Guballa, Noemi Dado, Agnes Prieto, Ricky de Ungria, Gen. Fortunato Abat, Mario Miclat, Gemino Abad and many more who have walked the path of grief to healing)

"All the people that have come and gone were there because they needed to bring you to where you are today." - Cathy Babao Guballa in "Fallen Cradle"

Tonight was a landmark evening for my family and I. This evening was the launch of a book very close to my heart - "Fallen Cradle" a book of 22 stories by parents who have a lost a child was presented to the public this evening at Powerbooks Makati. The book is precious in the sense that it is a collaboration of essays, poetry and stories of parents who have lost their children - co-travelers on the road to recovery, like myself.

The best kind of love is found within a family...

It was a lovely event. There was a rose and cradle ceremony where they flashed photos of our children together with excerpts that we had written in the book as we, parents, placed a single white rose onto an empty cradle. Support groups that had been set-up by other bereaved parents like us were also given honor. Then Dra. Honey Carandang, noted child psychologist, my idol and personal friend, gave a brief but inspiring talk about how the road from grief to hope can all make us better persons - more compassionate, humane and tolerant of one another.

Friends, old and new, who cradle my heart in times of triumph and sadness...

What made the event even more memorable for me was the presence of friends - both old and new who have made my journey to wholeness possible. These are friends who know me inside and out - who know my heart and mind so well, who have been with me and for me through thick and thin... friendship that has been tried and tested with time. To God, to my family and to them, I owe my healing. And to new friends who now share my days and make my life brighter by their presence, I thank God for them too.

The road to recovery has been quite a journey and the stories in this book will both move your heart and inspire you. Twenty-two lives irrevocably changed by a singular loss. Hopefully, through God's grace, the love of family and friends we have each found our meanings, our light through the darkest night of our souls. "Fallen Cradle" is a testament to the resiliency of the human spirit and of the power of God to lift us up from the lowest points of our lives if we allow Him to.