On a small lake tucked into the hills of Washington, a family enjoys a day of kayaking . . . and so the journey begins. A brief ten days later, the story spirals into crushing grief and despair with the tragic and unforeseen death of twenty-two year old Jessica. This journey through grief, uniquely shared from a grandmother's perspective, deals with the cascading, unanswerable questions that make us cry out, "Why? " When a child dies everyone who was a part of that child's life will suffer. Through our tears we ask, "How can we possibly go on . . . embrace life . . . look ahead with joy and hope?" When people face unexpected pain and loss it understandably raises questions about the fairness, the goodness, and the kindness of God. "Elephants & Jellybeans" will turn the reader toward what is certain and true, and help to comfort and encourage them, as they travel the long and difficult path from grief to grace. If you have lost a spouse, child, family member, or friend, you've discovered few people understand the depth of the hurt you feel. There are so many different reasons grief crashes into our lives, and every story is unique . . . but common threads run through each. There is One whose hand we can choose to take as we walk the dark corridors of grief, One who holds the answers to all the questions that lie ahead.