When Good-Bye is Forever: Learning to Live Again After the Loss of a Child

by John Bramblett

In 1985, John and Mairi Bramblett's youngest child, two-year-old Christopher, died in an accident, leaving them and their three older children devastated by shock and grief. Four months later, John began writing this deeply moving and honest story of how he and his family coped with the nearly unbearable pain of losing their son.
WHEN GOOD-BYE IS FOREVER walks us along the author's path to acceptance and recovery, taking us through the first hours and days of the tragedy, the painful but necessary first outings, and such occasions as Christopher's birthday, and the anniversary of his death. Mairi and the children share their responses to the tragedy as well, showing us the effect such a tragedy can have on the whole family.
WHEN GOOD-BYE IS FOREVER is also a guide for relatives and friends who wish to discover when and how to aid the bereaved. Everyone who has lost a beloved child will find something for themselves in this generous book. It speaks to every bereaved person's grief, guilt, anger, and pain -- and helps open the way to healing and peace.

95 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published April 13, 1991

Reviews

[Margaret Czekay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book up after just stumbling across it quite by accident, years and years after meeting John and Mairi Bramblett during the worst period of their lives. I was a kid in law school and had secured a summer clerkship at a now defunct small firm in
Burlington Vermont. I used the firm conference room as my workspace. One morning I was told that some potential clients would be arriving momentarily, and asked if I could greet them and make them comfortable in the conference room until the lawyers arrived back shortly from a meeting out of the office. Coffee, small talk, no brainer, right? A paralegal told me the gist of the reason for consult. I'm not a woman of few words but I literally had no idea what I could possibly say to these people. I was a kid, maybe 22 or so, with no sense beyond the theoretical of what it would be like to be a parent, much less lose a child. And these people were so lovely , so far beyond decent and kind. I can remember when the real lawyers came in and invited me to stay and watch the consult. And watching these poor people try to find the words to describe what had happened. That was maybe 1984 or so and it's forty years later and I can still tell you the full name of that child. Christoper Aidan Bramblett. I've never forgotten him, I've never forgotten them. And when I saw a book by a Bramblett in my local library I could see the mom in my head once again, saying, "he was the icing on our cake." She and he were so worried about the other kids. They had just moved into that house and that would have been stressful enough, but this? This? Mairi Bramblett was a woman with a college degree but she explained that all she had ever wanted was to be a mother, and she and her husband had done everything to create the life they wanted for themselves and their children. A dad with a promising fulfilling career in the military, a stay at home mom, these people were the prototypical American couple who had worked hard and saved and had done everything right. And of course when I found this book I had to read it. These people went through hell and they were not interested in pursuing any monetary redress, they just wanted to make sure this didn't happen to anyone else. Walking pain, that was the Brambletts. I hope the family is doing well.

[Shirley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was pretty amazing. It is the true story of John and Mairi Bramblett and how they coped after the tragic loss of their son, Christopher. It is honest and moving and very heartbreaking. I recommend this book to any family that is dealing with the loss of a child.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written by a dear friend who tragically lost his youngest son at the age of two. Tom is mentioned in the book.