Kathe Wunnenberg knows what it’s like to yearn for a child to continue the family legacy. She knows what it’s like to suffer in silence through years of infertility, infant loss, failed adoption, and miscarriage. She describes her devotional book, Longing for a Child, as a “companion of hope” for those who experience fertility challenges.

Similar to her first two books, Grieving the Loss of a Loved One and Grieving the Child I Never Knew, this book is divided into twelve sections with five devotions in each.

The sections are as follows:

• Longing



• Wondering



• Waiting



• Resenting



• Hoping



• Bracing



• Guarding



• Trusting



• Releasing



• Redirecting



• Accepting



• Embracing

A thirteenth section contains 19 special meditations for special days, such as:

• Mother’s Day



• Father’s Day



• Baby Showers



• When Your Pregnancy Test is Negative



• When Your Pregnancy Test is Positive



• When You Face a Medical Procedure



• When Your Adoption Fails



• When You Face Financial Problems



• When Your Doctor Disappoints You



• When Someone You Know Becomes Pregnant of Has a Baby

These meditations are organized a bit differently than the rest of the devotions; they begin with a Scripture verse or verses and then ask you to personalize the verse by replacing “you” with “me”; to proclaim the verse by reading it aloud several times; to ponder the verse by reflecting on particular words, phrases and images that encourage you; and to pray the verse, offering it back to God as a personalized prayer.

At the end of each meditation, the author cross references devotions from other parts of the book that tie in thematically with the reflection.

The first twelve sections of devotions are organized as follows:
Each devotion begins with a Scripture verse, followed by a short thematic story, a prayer, three-to-five reflection questions, and space for you to journal your thoughts.

Here’s a brief excerpt from the beginning of Devotion 23, “Hope and Joy”:

“You’re pregnant!” my doctor announced with a smile.

My response? Silence. Though this should have been a celebratory moment for me, it wasn’t. I was scared. Will I lose this child too? I wondered? I couldn’t bear the thought of losing a fifth child…Hope could not be trusted. It had betrayed me in the past…

Longing for a Child deserves a place on the bookshelf of anyone who is experiencing infertility, miscarriage, or infant loss. It would also be an appropriate book to gift to someone who’s facing fertility challenges.

Longing for a Child, by Kathe Wunnenberg ©2005, Zondervan $14.99