Is resilience both learned and innate? This was the question in the heart of the author's mind while writing. Themes included in Merin And Her Very Bright Star: A Story of Resiliency are self-awareness, grief and loss, coping, therapy, developing relationships, and nature healing and connection. 

 

Lori feels that there should be more nontraditional children's books about grief and healing. She is on a mission to normalize grief, healing and having hard conversations. It is not resilience Lori wants to normalize, especially when we speak of it in a social context. Resilience is never the end goal. 

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This beautifully illustrated, 32 page book, shows us that it is okay to grieve and confirms for us how powerful it is when we connect to the natural world and connect with one another. Merin will leave you believing that what is lost can be turned into something found, and that each one of us is on our own unique path of healing. 

 

This is a story taken from the author's childhood, set in Minnesota, where she grew up. As a child, Lori talked to the evening star believing that her mother and father could hear her. Her earliest discoveries about what it means to be on a healing journey are written on its pages. More on Lori's story in this article from The Citizen.