A Child’s Uplifting Views of Death Serve as An Inspiration for All

Oct. 14, 2009 - PRLog -- Hunter George Ballas is a five-year old kindergartner whose creativity and intuition were the foundations upon which his mom, Cary Jane Ballas, based her new book. “Finlay’s Garden; An Intuitive Look into Death and the Miracle of Life” is a loving tale about how their family worked through the grieving process after losing a child from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. The book is a heartwarming, as well as uplifting, story of love, grief and acceptance. The author states that, without a doubt, her kids are what helped her get through her son, Finlay’s, death. “Children are so accepting and are very resilient,” explains Ballas. “They’re able to use their imaginations and see things that we, as adults, don’t see.” The writer continues, “Often when adults are faced with hardships they just shut down and stop talking, and this is probably the worst thing they can do. I’ve found that I teach my kids the small lessons in life, and they definitely teach me the big lessons.”  Ballas was so moved by the positive reinforcements about death expressed to her from her children, especially Hunter who was the closest in age to Finlay, that she was inspired to create a book to attempt to help others in the same situation.

Ballas’s mission in writing “Finlay’s Garden” is to reach out to families who are trying to cope with the loss of a child in order to promote conversation and open communication so that feelings can be expressed. In fact, this is exactly what happened in Ballas’s own family when the book was written. “The book sparked conversation about Finlay’s death between myself, my husband and our three children, remarks Ballas. All three children have been able to express their feelings, and it has truly been a positive experience for our family.” Ballas began writing “Finlay’s Garden” after listening to her son, Hunter, talk about his brother’s death. “I did a lot of research, looking for a book about the grieving process that would be easily understood by children, and there just simply wasn’t a lot out there,” states the first time author.

The story of “Finlay’s Garden” is written in simple, easy-to-understand terms about a boy who takes a positive, lighthearted approach to dealing with loss. The narrative centers on a beautiful, heart-shaped garden with a blossoming cherry tree in the middle where the boy goes to connect with his late brother. Ballas’s hope in writing the book is to help families deal with death and let them know they still have the ability to remain close to people they’ve lost. Although the book deals with death in a gentle way for children, Ballas believes the story appeals to and can help those in all age groups. She hopes the book will be timeless, will promote peace, understanding and inspiration and will act as a catalyst to inspire readers to talk to each other about their grief. Cary Jane Ballas grew up in Wilmington, Delaware and has a degree in Social Work from DeSales University. She currently resides in southeastern Pennsylvania with her husband, Bryan, and their three children, Quinlan, Hunter and Cabry. To order “Finlay’s Garden; An Intuitive Look into Death and the Miracle of Life”, please visit www.halopublishing.com.

# # #

HPI's mission is to help broaden the base of children´s literature around the world. Our focus at HPI is very specific. We publish picture books for pre-school through elementary school- aged children and inspirational books for all ages.