Rare Bird: A Memoir of Loss and Love by Anna Whiston-Donaldson

I was with a friend of mine, a new mother of a ten-month old baby, and as we watched him crawling around on the carpet, I was struck that a year ago, the baby was still inside of my friend and now he's outside and mobile. Amazing.

It continues to amaze me when a healthy baby is born because there are so many things that need to go right to form a healthy baby.

I wish that I only had happy stories to tell of friends with healthy babies, but alas, there is always loss mixed in with life and unfortunately, babies do die, and it's tragic and devastating. Sigh.

We come to this book, Rare Bird, about Anna Whiston-Donaldson's 12-year-old son, Jack, who dies after drowning in a river during a freak rainstorm. She writes about Jack, his quirks and his personality, and her grief after his death.

Sad, heartbreaking, but so full of love. A really beautiful book. But here's a warning: it's a sad and heart wrenching book to read.