I believe one of the strongest challenges a person can experience in this life is the loss of a child.  It is the single most traumatic and devastating reality that I personally have had to bear.  There have been years of struggle, but I have found out that within that struggle miracles do happen; there is life after death on both sides of the equation.  One can survive a significant loss and again find meaning in life and our lost loved one can help us do that.  An important part in healing your grief is expressing your pain and your thoughts to them - that is a healing in and of itself.

Following the death of my nine-year-old son Kelly James, on December l, 1987, I wrote a series of letters to him as a panacea for my grief.  He died following a two-year battle with a malignant brain tumor.  Every few months I spontaneously penned him a letter when I felt the need to do so.  There was no master plan or schedule that I adhered to; I just did it when I was letting go.  I know that he received my letters, for he answered me back by fulfilling a request that I had made to him in one specific letter.  That response was a miracle in and of itself and will be addressed later in this text.

The purpose of printing these letters and opening my soul and inner thoughts to others stems from a gift that my son has given me: to minister to others and help them to heal and ease the pain in the process of their bereavement. I found out that when you give, you truly do receive and in unexpected ways.  Helping others has become of prime importance in my life and is a continuing healing for myself as well.  It keeps his legacy alive when I see our lives touch the lives of others.

May the pages of this book help to heal a part of your life or give you a tool to use in processing your own grief or helping others to process theirs.  I believe that we can communicate with our loved ones who have passed on and they in many various ways can communicate back to us.  If you are open to the universe many things can and will present themselves; all you need is faith.

To better understand the experiences, the magic and the miracles referenced in the letter/poems in this text one should know the history behind them.  We were taken on a magical mystery ride that was and is life changing.  That brief period in our lives has changed us forever.  The prologue is an attempt to give you a consolidated version of our life prior to and following our son's death; I think it will provide the necessary framework to understand many details mentioned in the letters and poems.

"Letters to My Son a journey through grief." This is a very powerfully written book about death, grief, loss and recovery, hope and a stalwart belief in miracles. Authored by a grieving father whose 9-year-old son died following a two-year battle with a recurring malignant brain tumor. During the months that followed his son's death, the author wrote letters and poems to him posthumously as a catharsis for his grief. A compelling story of love, loss and recovery that will grab your heart, nourish your soul and open your eyes. A must read for anyone who has experienced a great loss and is trying to find some path out of the darkness of their despair. Beautiful poems and illustrations by the author are woven throughout the text. This is not just a grief book for parents who have lost a child; it is for anyone who has experienced a loss. Not only can it be helpful those experiencing grief it is a moving experience for anybody who opens the pages.~~~~~ "I have learned that there is life after death on both sides of the equation, when faith is the common denominator. We can substantiate our lost loved one's life by the way we live ours." Mitch Carmody 

The author Mitch Carmody has personally experienced a lot of death in his family at an early age and ongoing. During that time he has studied much about the processes of death, dying, loss and bereavement. In the process he has found himself on a spiritual road of discovery that has continued to bless his life and ours. Helping others is paramount throughout his life and he tries to help heal the human condition wherever he finds it. The author is also a gifted photographer and an accomplished artist. He is responsible for the book's cover photograph of his son Kelly as well as the pencil illustrations within. He works out of his studio in Denmark Township where limited edition prints are available as well as custom portraits and of course signed copies of his book.