In the Cleft Joy Comes in the Mourning:  A Story of Hope After Tragedy
Subtitle: A Story of Hope After Tragedy
Publisher: Xulon Press
Published: 2014
Place of publication: Maitland Florida
Format: Paperback and ebook
Description: "Every day my heart grieves, and every day I find joy."

This is such a heartbreaking story of losing not one, but three, family members is a very short period of time. What a soul can go through during this lifetime is unfathomable to many. Author Dana Goodman opens her heart and pours emotion into this gut-wrenching narrative in a tender, but loving way. Her approach teaches many of us unknowingly blessed souls what a mother/wife/daughter/sister can go through.

"Grief can be a very self-focused journey, but my heart began to burn for the greater purposes of love God had for me. I wanted to use my pain to heal others." This line reminds the reader just how brave and strong Dana is. Not many people get to this point in their lives.

As hard as it is to watch another soul go through overwhelming pain and agony, this story gives us the confidence and reassurance that we can get through the darkness with compassion and gratitude.

"You and I have only a short time here on this earth. We are blessed beyond what we deserve, but we are also required to endure much heartache. In the broken moments of our lives, seeds are planted in the very rich soil of God's kindness and when those seeds are showered with his love they bear much fruit and multiply. Just when I thought nothing could grow in the barren waste of broken dreams, seeds began to grow into beautiful plants of love and hope." Archangels could not have said it better.

Family photos throughout the book make the love and bonding more real. Their beautiful smiles captivate the reader.

After living the pain and torture the author goes through (as readers usually do), the reader is left wishing to cocoon the author and her family members from further hurt. Hopefully, there is a follow up/update in the works as the reader is left with a loving concerned feeling for the author and family members.

--Tofts Reviews
Table of contents: title: Contents; title: Foreword; title: Chapter 1  Who’s Who; title: Chapter 2  Stumbling In The Dark; title: Chapter 3  New Beginnings; title: Chapter 4  Land Mines; title: Chapter 5  Tear Soup; title: Chapter 6  Mayhem; title: Chapter 7  Times In Between; title: Chapter 8  My Boys; title: Chapter 9   The Absence Of Light; title: Chapter 10  Life In the Valley; title: Chapter 11  Sorrow Unending; title: Chapter 12  Lamentation; title: Chapter 13  Aftermath; title: Chapter 14  Beautiful Things Out Of Dust; title: Chapter 15  Nakuru, Kenya; title: Chapter 16  God Is Love; title: Afterword; title: Acknowledgments