Reviewed by Charity Tober for Readers' Favorite

Heaven’s Playground: New Beginnings Can Sometimes Be Disguised As Painful Endings by Tracey Smith is an inspirational read involving a very difficult subject matter. The death of a loved one is a sorrowful and traumatic experience, but it just seems so much worse when the death involves a small child. The author uses her own heartbreaking experience of losing her beloved daughter at an innocent young age to show how one can overcome any hardship. Smith recounts the experience in an honest and raw manner, telling readers her innermost thoughts and feelings, even stating how hopeless and defeated she initially felt. No one would have blamed her for giving up; the loss of a small child is not something a parent can just get over. And the author does not “get over it,” but she does find a way to prevail over it. Smith explains to readers how she used this event to get right with God and looks forward to the day that she will be reunited with her daughter in heaven. The author states in the introduction: “The truth of the matter is, things happen to good and bad people, and many times those occurrences have absolutely nothing to do with you. Knowing and believing this will not take away the pain of your loss, but it can assist you in moving forward and past your current state of regret and hopelessness.”

I found Heaven’s Playground to be an inspirational but very difficult read. As the mother of a young child myself, I cannot even begin to imagine what the author has been through. I can easily see how one could just lose it and not want to go on after something like that. However, Smith shows readers how nothing is impossible to overcome if you place your trust and faith in God. She presents such an inspirational and motivational picture of how to keep on living (in a positive manner) even after such a traumatic event. It puts a smile on my face to think what a joyful event it will be when author Tracey Smith and her daughter are finally reunited once again!