Susanne Macke, a native of Munich, Germany and certified Kinesiology practitioner, says that grief caused by a loved one’s death is not a disease, and that there is no “magic pill” to heal us. However, there are things that we can do to cope with the death of a loved one by talking to a grief guidance expert and getting support from a close friend or relative. And for parents, there is sometimes no greater challenge than broaching the subject with their children.
By Jim Byrne
Susanne Macke, a native of Munich, Germany and certified Kinesiology practitioner, says that grief caused by a loved one’s death is not a disease, and that there is no “magic pill” to heal us. And for parents, there is sometimes no greater challenge than broaching the subject with their children.
That’s why she wrote a book about it.
The inspiration for “Does Grandma Live in Heaven Now?”, Ms. Macke’s children’s title, came from the death of her best friend’s grandmother in 2004. She was looking for a book about the subject of death and dying for her friend’s 6-year-old daughter, but could not find anything worthwhile.
“They were all like, ‘The square died and the triangle is sad’,” said Ms. Macke, who moved to Rye with her family seven years ago. “I was looking for something more. I wanted to read about God, heaven, and angels, about still being connected to the person you lost and about the fact that feeling sad is OK, that crying is OK.”
So, Ms. Macke decided to write and illustrate one herself. The first version was in German, and created in a local Munich copy shop. She printed 100 and brought them to a nursery school where they quickly sold out as the project took on a life of its own.
After coming to Rye, Ms. Macke thought it would be nice to have an English version, so she translated it and founded her own company, Skye Publishing. Switzerland’s biggest bookstore soon came calling for the professional copies, and the book is now available at Rye’s Arcade Booksellers and on Amazon.com.
“My children grew up with my book,” said Ms. Macke. “Even though we all want our children to be protected from hurt and sadness, I want them to be prepared for what can and eventually will happen because life and death is happening right in front of us.”
