Tributes to Lost Children: A Snapshot of How 147 Families Have Honored Their Children Who have Passed Away

Tributes to Lost Children presents a heart-touching collection of ways in which 147 families have honored their children who have passed away. The artfully designed book is based on insights gathered from a survey of families conducted by author Rod Mebane, himself a bereaved father. In his account, Mebane presents dozens of tributes – from the creation of treasure boxes for special mementos to the planting of colorful gardens in the yard, supporting charitable 5Ks, and joining with others in memorial balloon launches and candle-lighting services. Together the tribute stories create a wonderfully moving account of how families have honored their departed children.

The organized, easy-to-read narrative flows easily along lines of what Mebane refers to as the Tributes Framework – a simple thematic structure based on the families’ interests 1) to keep the children present in their lives, 2) to have their children be remembered, and 3) and ultimately to create some good from their losses. Alan Pedersen, Executive Director of The Compassionate Friends, notes in the foreword to Tributes to Lost Children, “In my nearly fifteen years walking this walk as a bereaved father, I have not come across such a powerful resource of first-hand information. This book has a wealth of examples of how others not only survived their loss, but also what they did that helped them find their way back to fully living again.”

Portland Book Review observes in its 4½-star review of Tributes to Lost Children, “This is not a manual on how to grieve, how to heal, or anything so simple. Instead it is a collection of experiences, of tributes, of memories – a light in the darkness to show the bereaved parent that they are not alone.”

Net proceeds from the sale of Tributes to Lost Children are used by the nonprofit Starshine Galaxy Foundation to underwrite a variety of efforts - all in tribute to children who have passed away and in support of their bereaved families.