N4L 001: "An Unseen Angel" by Alissa Parker

In 2012, Alissa Parker lived happily with her husband and three girls in Newtown, Connecticut, where she suddenly lost her oldest daughter Emilie in the deadly Sandy Hook School shooting. Tools for Healing: To help to make sense of the tragedy, Alissa began to blog. Having lost her father unexpectedly just months before Emilie's death, she tells how the former experience prepared her for the latter. Alissa sought support in counseling and found strength by talking to others experiencing similar pain. Eventually, she let go of her anger toward the killer, Adam Lanza. In the end, she deliberately chose to eschew evil and embrace the notion that good triumphs. Life Without Emilie: A series of many little miracles let Alissa know Emilie had become an angel in heaven assigned to help others on earth. With that reassurance, Alissa is now better able to move forward with her own life. She intentionally slows down in order to appreciate present-tense moments. With no timeline for grief, she remains patient with herself in the grieving process. Meanwhile, Alissa practices photography in the American Northwest where the region's typical overcast weather makes the colors in her world brighter. This has become a metaphor for the way her personal tragedy has helped intensify the beauty of the good things in life. BUY An Unseen Angel: A Mother's Story of Faith, Hope, and Healing After Sandy Hook Music Credit Sound Editing Credit