Different Dream for My Child: Meditations for Parents of Critically or Chronically Ill Children [Paperback]

Jolene Philo (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2009

If your child or the child of someone you know struggles with a life-threatening or chronic illness, then you know how all-consuming such circumstances are. There's no such thing as having a normal life, only a relentless and often lonely roller-coaster of giddy hope, stark fear, blessed victories, and shattering defeatsand constant prayer. Jolene Philo knows how it is because she and her husband have traveled that road with their own son. In A Different Dream for My Child, Jolene shares frank, heartfelt meditations to build your faith and hope. You won't find trite, easy words. You will find rare understanding, refreshing honesty, and a wise spiritual companion to walk with you through the highs and lows that only the parents of chronically ill children can know.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jolene Philo has published numerous articles on parenting a special needs child and preparing children for a hospital stay and is also the author of Different Dream Parenting: A Practical Guide to Raising a Child with Special Needs. She is a contributor to a regional monthly women's magazine and speaks regularly around the country. She and her husband live in Boone, Iowa.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Discovery House Publishers (August 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572933070
• ISBN-13: 978-1572933071
• Product Dimensions: 5 x 6.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #492,173 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I am in love with words, so writing is a way to share them. Couple that love with my life experiences as the daughter of a disabled father and the mother of a son born with a life-threatening birth defect, and writing about special needs was a natural progression.

Encouraging parents of kids with special needs and helping them find the resources and support they need is my passion. Between writing books and blogging, I meet the most amazing parents. Being part of their community is a delight and a challenge!

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Lifeline for struggling spirits September 16, 2009

By Jocelyn Green

Format:Paperback

I wish I had this book eleven months and two days ago. That was the day my five-day old son was diagnosed with a lifelong medical condition. But even now that the intial scare is over, I can still find comfort and wisdom in this book as we consistently find ourselves in hospitals with our baby for multiple tests and adjustments.

If you wouldn't buy this book for yourself, you likely know someone who could use it! Just to give you a glimpse of what you'll find in these pages, here is how Jolene has divided her meditations:

*Section One: A Different Dream Begins-Diagnosis
*Section Two: Stuck in a Bad Dream-Hospital Life
*Section Three: Conflicting Dreams-Juggling Two Worlds
*Section Four: The Unending Dream-Long-term Health Conditions
*Section Five: The Death of Dreams-Losing a Child
*Section Six: A Different Dream B3egins-Raising a Survivor

Each meditation is just a few pages long. They begin with a Bible verse or two and then use personal stories from both Jolene and her husband's experiences as well as others Jolene has interviewed. But this isn't just a collection of heart-warming or heart-wrenching stories (although you will probably cry like I did!). Each meditation offers comfort and counsel based on Scriptures and experiences, provides a suggested prayer for the many of us who just don't have the words, and gives a few questions to help readers reflect and apply what we've just read.

I highly recommend this book and plan to keep a supply on hand for those I know who receive dreaded diagnoses about their children.

For more about the book and other helpful information about caring for chronically/critically ill children, see www.differentdream.com There is also a fan page on Facebook for A Different Dream for My Child.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Heartwarming and Helpful! September 6, 2009

By DB

Format:Paperback

What I would have given for a book like this nearly 13 years ago, when I was sitting in the NICU with a sick baby.

What I needed at that time was an experienced friend to come alongside me and gently offer to share her story with me. It would have been so helpful to hear about someone else's journey with a child who had a serious medical condition. I craved practical advice from someone who had been where I was and lived to tell about it. Praying for me and praying with me when I couldn't find the words, this friend could share insights from the bible in language I could understand. She could explain how God could help me find the strength to survive my baby's health crisis and be the parent I wanted to be. I also needed encouragement and advice on the minor logistical challenges I faced while caring for my child.

That support I wished for is now available in this amazing little book of meditations. Jolene Philo shares her own story as well as the stories of many other parents who have faced the scary reality of a seriously ill child. The medical situations are all so different, and yet the emotions each family faced were universal and startlingly similar to mine. It was so heartwarming to read these meditations and feel encouraged and supported.

In this book, Philo offers heartwarming encouragement on the major issues parents may face, but she also offers helpful advice on the little logistics many parents must deal with during a child's extended illness. Like all good friends do, she offers bits of well-timed humor from her own situation in order for us to see glimmers of hope in ours.

If you know someone who has a child who is seriously ill and wish there was something you could do to help, start by getting this book into their hands. For anyone who is drowning in the emotional challenges of parenting a child with a chronic illness, this book will feel like a lifeline.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Humor & Grace in an Unexpected Place December 23, 2009

By Dr. David Frisbie

Format:Paperback

I didn't expect laughter while reading this book. I knew it would be difficult, a reminder of struggles that are all too real and all too fresh. Humor? I didn't see that coming.

Woven through these stories are moments of genuine laughter and grace, places where your heart can breathe in, breathe out, and move forward to survive and thrive for another day. Thank you, Jolene Philo.

This is somewhat a "devotional" book -- The kind you read a bit, put down for a while, pick back up. You'll find own journey in these pages and you'll be very glad the author doesn't decide to preach at you, or offer simplistic advice. Instead, she sticks with the story and quietly reassures you of lasting truths that underly our existence.

Powerfully written yet easy to read and accessible. Saturated with true grace and encouraging moments. After more than two decades of working with families in transition and crisis, including the challenges of terminal illness, we are giving this book away to many of the parents and families we work with.

There's humor and grace here --- and Lord, how we need both.

Dr. David Frisbie
The Center for Marriage & Family Studies
Author of "Happily Remarried" and other books