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“That’s what I think anybody who’s read it has said.”
Welsh, a Grade 1 and 2 teacher at Mooretown-Courtright school, said the grief caused by losing her middle child nearly five years ago was “all consuming” and there was “nothing out there” for people who had lost a family member to suicide.
“There was some real self-help kind of books, but they’re deep and it’s not what you want when you’re already clouded,” the 56-year-old Port Lambton resident said.
The story she penned isn’t specifically about suicide, but loss in general.
“Because I think there are a lot of people that connect with grief and they don’t know what to do with that grief,” said the mother of three.
Welsh’s close friend, Melissa Dent, created illustrations to go with the words – images Welsh called beautiful, breathtaking and raw – and local publisher Dawn Stilwell also became involved with the project.
The 25-page fictional picture book will be available online starting Thursday through Amazon Kindle and in soft cover by ordering before Dec. 21. The goal was to have it ready before Christmas – especially with the holiday season threatened due to the COVID-19 pandemic – and before the anniversary of her daughter’s death.
Melissa Welsh-Crivea died Dec. 27, 2015, at age 26. The Northern grad was an avid dressage horseback rider who was beautiful, quiet, witty, spunky, caring, and loved animals, her mother said.
“She was beautiful. She had a job. She was an accomplished horseback rider,” Welsh said, “but you never know what anybody’s going through.”
Welsh, a teacher with two decades of experience, said she’s a “really” private person but added it’s a “huge deal” to tell her story in a public way and potentially help others. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Canadian Mental Health Association, she said.
Soft covers can be ordered by emailing pwelsh_3@hotmail.com. Welsh said she also plans to self-publish a children’s version of the story in early 2021.
tbridge@postmedia.com
2020-12-08 22:13:42
