Denny decided it was time for a book, and The Story of a House on a Hill has just been published. Especially for children, it is a little gem not too many words and some wonderful illustrations. He said the new book, which has been sent to many funeral directors around New Zealand, has sold 800 copies in the first few weeks, and he is exploring the possibility of overseas sales. Denny Chew, and his wife, Norma, retired in 1997 from many years of funeral directing when Peter and Jenny Giddens took over the business, D. and N. Chew Funeral Directors, of Carterton. Denny and Norma still have an interest in the business and continue to support and assist Peter and Jenny.
Children do have the ability to respond quickly to careful, loving and truthful counsel.
So, carefully I set about endeavouring to restate adult truths that could be understood by children and young people. I found that parables and words and pictures that children are familiar with had the ability to reveal to them deeper truths. Sometimes I expanded, some I put aside. But the thing that I discovered was that as I told these parables or stories, how much easier it was for adults to also understand and accept, and of course it is a well-known fact that in any traumatic experience acceptance is the first step in healing. In the early days of my work, there was not a lot of literature or printed matter around to help children, but I was fortunate enough to hear a number of excellent speakers on the subject of grief, and my work with bible class young people was also of great value.