Reviews

May I Walk You Home?: Sharing Christ’s Love With the Dying
Melody Rossi
Bethany House (2007)
ISBN 9780764203558
Reviewed by Debra Gaynor
for Reader Views (6/07)

May I Walk You Home?, by Melody Rossi, is a message written from firsthand experience. Ms. Rossi experienced the loss of her mother, her stepmother and father within a twenty-eight month span. God used Ms. Rossi and their fatal illnesses to guide all three in giving their hearts to Christ. Losing someone you love always hurts, but the pain is eased when you know he or she found peace with the Lord.

Ms. Rossi was given the opportunity to serve Christ and to serve her loved ones as they went through the dying process. She took them to “doctor appointments, ran errands, and made meals. She also showed them the love of Jesus Christ through her actions, prayer, and words.” “Because Jesus came to the world as a servant, it makes total sense that He would use this technique as a powerful way to reach the lost.”

This book is divided into four sections; each area is divided into chapters. The first section discusses the call to serve. We never know how God will use us or when. He uses the least likely. The second section is directions to lead you in your service. Having a loved one approach death will drain you spiritually, emotionally, and physically. The third section stresses that once you have begun this journey there is no turning back. You should think very seriously before you begin, for it will make demands on you. The last section discusses the “Journey’s End.” Ms. Rossi shares the physical, the spiritual and emotional changes that take place when death in imminent. There is a need to mend fences; there is an emotional acceptance and a physical letting go.

May I Walk You Home?, by Melody Rossi, is simply written and easy to understand. Death is a topic most people avoid. However, Ms. Rossi offers practical guidance wrought through her own experiences. The cover is beautifully done with a leaf-strewn path. I learned much from this book and I am glad I read it. It is rewarding to know that Ms. Rossi used the knowledge she gained from the death of several loved ones to serve the Lord and assist others. I highly recommend this book to those working with Hospice, hospitals, nursing homes and those who know someone facing a terminal illness.

Endorsements

“Melody Rossi has given the Christian community a compassionate, comprehensive, insightful, and helpful guide to the spiritual care of the dying.... Her emphasis upon servanthood is both scriptural and highly effective."
--Frederick E. Goos, DMin, PhD, LMFT, Bereavement Coordinator, South Jersey Healthcare HospiceCare

"May I Walk You Home? is a very thoughtful, practical, and easy-to-read book. It offers wonderful insights and suggestions for the spiritual, emotional, and practical problems that surround the dying of a loved one. As a physician and a Christian, I think this book would be an extraordinarily useful guide for family and friends of patients who are facing a terminal illness."
--Nancy B. Edwards, MD, Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, USC Keck School of Medicine

"As a Christian healthcare worker--cautioned in my earlier years of training not to impose my own spiritual beliefs on patients--I have sometimes felt trapped between the tenets of my profession and the call to reflect Christ's love in my work. Melody Rossi helps us, as caregivers, to see how God can equip us to minister to patients and loved ones in His special way--not only in addressing physical needs but also in offering God's message of hope, peace, and love to those who may be dealing with significant end of life issues, such as pain, disability, spiritual distress and loneliness."
--Marilyn K. Eisz, RN, MN, Healthcare Leader, Educator, and Consultant

"All of us at some time in our lives are going to experience grief over a loved one dying. We grieve what we will be losing on earth..a parent, sibling, friend, spouse, or co-worker. Melody has handpicked real life thought provoking stories that will help you walk through the process of a loved one going home as well as how to help prepare them for the journey. You will be reminded that it is a brand new beginning for the person who dies and reading this book will give you a better understanding of yourself as well as the plan that God has for us through life and death. 'My presence will go with you and I will give you rest.' Exodus 33:14" ."
--Kathleen Jackson, Speaker, Author, and Founder of the Godly Business Woman Magazine