Dearest Michaela

Dearest Michaela, You have died and have left Philip, Mom, and me strangers in this new and very unfamiliar land of our family without you. We cling to one another for warmth, but we are not yet a family again. We are not the same any longer. Have I told you about the new garden in our front yard? It's a place to remember you, with a weeping Chinese cherry tree, peonies, salvia, calla lilies, and wild lilies. Lately, it has attracted a beautiful red cardinal, who flies into the cherry tree. For some reason, I always think of the cardinal as you . This is a bittersweet collection of heart-felt letters from a grieving father to his daughter who has died. When a family brings college-aged Michaela home for spring break, they find themselves plunged into an abyss of suffering when she unexpectedly dies. Michaela's father, Theodore A. d'Afflisio, chronicles the steps the family takes to work their way out of the void and into the light. Dearest Michaela offers hope and consolation to parents and families faced with the worst of all possible losses.