a father's journey from sorrow to joy, December 12, 2002
Reviewer: A reader from huntsville, AL
This gentle book is both a sad story and an uplifting story. Sprinkled with moments of poignant humor, you find yourself surprised with a smile, as when Michael says he is a worrier. "Sometimes when I'm not worrying, I worry about not worrying. I seem to need to worry a lot in order to be responsible. Maybe I worry too much. This worries me."
Not only are we taken through the family's history and Maria's battle. Mike reveals all the stresses this sort of trial places on a marriage. Very often, marriages fall apart after such devastation and siblings cannot cope with their anger. The value of counseling, and then helping others is not understated.
About eight-hundred people attended Maria's funeral and a flurry of balloons went up to heaven that day. Mike firmly believes that he'll eventually be reunited with Maria. "What a fantastic light at the end of the tunnel of life."
The Lupo's are proud of Maria and talk about her a lot. "We don't want to forget her just to avoid pain," Mike says. But he advises not to dwell on what might have been. Remember the good times that were. Cultivate a habit of positive thought. That, and love and time will heal.