There's no easy way to wake up with grief. Every sunrise brings a fresh reminder of the sadness deep within your soul, as if the reality of your loss is entering your heart and mind for the very first time. Regrets, questions, doubts, and bittersweet memories seem to well up almost as quickly as your room fills with the morning light. Facing Dawn is a devotional-style journey through the early days of grief with a mom whose heart has been shattered by the deaths of two of her children: once by the loss of her daughter to SIDS, again by the loss of her son to brain cancer. In this book, Tammy writes honestly and transparently about her doubts, questions, and fears in the face of her heartache. If you believe God is good but struggle to understand how in the midst of your own pain, you will find Tammy's words both comforting and inspiring. Tammy writes, "In my early grief after losing my daughter, the first hours of every morning were the most difficult part of the day. Morning seemed to whisper cruel thoughts as my chest felt the weight of what my heart could not bear. Adrienne's crib was empty. Dreams were shattered. Family pictures would never be the same. Sunlight seemed to carry with it a darkness no one around me could understand. As I chartered the unfamiliar waters of grief, dawn assaulted me with the most brutal waves of sadness. I learned a lot in my grief as a young mom. I learned that no one can walk with you through the darkness of a broken heart. Friends tried. They invited me over for coffee and devotions. They sent me cards. They included me in events with their children. They did everything within their power to fix me, and I'm thankful for all their acts of kindness. I'm sure that without them my journey would have been even longer and more difficult. In spite of all their efforts, though, no one could give me what I really needed; because what I needed had been taken from me forever. Grief is a complicated friend to walk alongside. I'm sure many of my friends became exhausted as they continued to share life with both me and my grief. I muddled my way through many years of life, and my grief transformed into depression as time passed. Honestly, I don't think I really snapped out of my veiled and profound sadness until my youngest son was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Suddenly, the present pain superseded my desire to hang on to the pain of my past. "Lord, please don't take Nick, too," became my prayer. Six and a half years passed as Nick fought cancer, recovered, and became sick again multiple times. During those difficult but memory-filled years, God taught me how to be fully present in life again. He reminded me of just how precious every sunrise is, and He taught me how to live with a spirit of joy instead of a spirit of regret. When Nick lost his fight with cancer in 2008 at the age of 13, I knew I would not survive if I grieved in the same way I had grieved as a young mom. I knew the pain of living without Nick could easily overtake me if I did not have a plan, so I began reading the Bible every single day and writing my way out of my heartache. These two decisions have made the difference between a broken, bitter life and a life filled with purpose in spite of my deep pain. This book holds part of my journey towards finding peace in the midst of my heartache. I hope it will become part of your journey too. I have included Scriptures as well as questions for you to reflect on as you search for God's presence in your own heartache. I think you will find writing through your sadness a powerful step in the difficult but necessary journey to Facing Dawn."