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Giving the grieving hope

Peter J. Klassen

Would You Know My Name? A Glimpse Into Life After Death and the Dying Process Howard and Esther McIlveen. Belleville, Ont.: Essence Publishing, 1999. 99 pp. $12.00. (For further information or to order a copy of the book, phone 604-272-1571 or go to the Web site.)

A group of mourners stood around an open grave recently. The formal committal service was over. One by one the mourners dropped a rose onto the casket and uttered a few words of farewell. As I dropped my flower, I prayed: “The Lord bless you and keep you . . . ”

Death is a fact of life. Yet so many people feel anxious, afraid or awkward when faced by death – their own or that of a loved one. The husband/wife co-authors, Howard and Esther McIlveen, suggest some answers to the question, “What happens after death?” The subtitle of this booklet promises “a glimpse into life after death and the dying process”.

From Howard’s experience as a hospital chaplain and from Esther’s as a writer, the book offers a collection of anecdotes, testimonials, tributes and even poetry. The title of the book, borrowed from an Eric Clapton song, is also used as a chapter title to raise the question whether we will recognize one another in heaven. A sampling of some of the other titles of the 23 brief chapters reveals the eclectic nature of the book: “In Flight”, “Getting into the Dance Without a Ticket”, “Angels Watching Over Me”, and “Do Dogs Go to Heaven?” I discovered a few helpful insights to give hope to those facing death in the chapters entitled “The Need to Say Goodbye”, “Tears: a Healing Gift”, and “The Process of Grief”.

Although the book is written from a biblical perspective, it does not seek to give a detailed exposition of the Scriptures it quotes, nor does it attempt to present a carefully reasoned theology. It is written not for the scholar, but for the person who is fearful of death, or who is grieving the death of a loved one. Like a rose dropped on a casket, perhaps a line or two of this book will give some grieving person hope.

The late Peter J. Klassen was pastor of Clearbrook MB Church in Abbotsford, B.C.

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Last modified April 30, 2002.

© 2002 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
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