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Cheryl Christopher
A graduate of Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas, Cheryl has spent her life working in the arts through photography, dress design, and painting. Through the years, Cheryl’s talents have given her the opportunity to speak to groups— large and small—for spiritual inspiration.
When life was irretrievably altered by the loss of three boys, Cheryl wrote her first book, A Portrait of Grief, offering comfort and guidance to other bereaved parents.
Despite profound losses, Cheryl continues to embrace life with a spirit of creativity and resilience. Nowadays, she dedicates her days to writing, painting, and entertaining in Bryan, Texas. Here, she shares life with her loving husband, Gary Christopher, as well as two children and seven cherished grandchildren, all residing in their beloved state of Texas.
Reviewed by Alicia DeBerry for Readers' Favorite
No one can be prepared for losing a loved one, especially your child. A Portrait of Grief: Hope and Healing after the Loss of a Child by Cheryl Christopher takes you down the path of when the unthinkable happens. She speaks from her personal experience of enduring the loss of her three boys. They were each lost in some of the most painful ways. She provides chapters that help fellow grievers, giving her personal stories, teachings, and music that directed her toward healing. As her journey progresses, she shares mistakes, dangers, and miracles. She explains that she is not a psychologist but another grieving parent who wants to reach out and share her 20-year experience.
From the first chapter of A Portrait of Healing, Cheryl Christopher helps set the tone of understanding and healing. She acknowledges the courage and strength it takes to seek guidance during grieving. Her honesty and openness make it easy for anyone who has experienced the loss of a loved one in death to find a path to peace. In Chapter 4, Healing, she discusses the importance of expressing your feelings instead of bottling them up. I connected with her admitting that sometimes you don’t know how to move forward in times like these, and there is nothing anyone can say or do to help. The musical options she provided dug deep and helped me escape denial and avoidance. I now play the first musical suggestion, Scars in Heaven by Casting Crowns, and many others.
