Touching Heaven by Leanne Hadley

   This is a very touching book about a chaplain's real experiences with children who were dying.  Each chapter is the story of a child who touched her life and taught her a lesson along the way.  Leanne was a chaplain in a children's hospital and many of the kids she spent time with were sick for a long time and were in and out of the hospital.  Some of the children saw angels or had dreams of heaven, but all were comforted and died peacefully.  She points out that she doesn't know why children die, but that God was with each one loving them.

I cried many times while reading these stories and while they were sad, they were also comforting and full of hope.  A few of the stories really amazed me of how wise and forgiving these children were.  There's a line at the end of the book that did make me question whether Leanne believes everyone goes to heaven, but I could have misinterpreted that; the book doesn't deal with theology or doctrine.  I recommend this book, especially if you're interested in true stories about death and the life after.

I received this book free from Revell in exchange for an honest review.

Available June 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.