ON A QUIET SUNDAY MORNING , 16½ year old Jacob Hughes was returning to a BOY SCOUT camp to fifi nish his youth leadership training. Less than 90 minutes after leaving home, the car he was driving crossed the centerline and crashed head-on into another sedan. Consequently, he and the other driver died at the scene. Is there anything on earth worse than witnessing your child’s death? How about living each day and never knowing his or her whereabouts? Jacob’s family never experienced the latter. However, when the state trooper read the DEATH NOTICE that Sunday morning, their lives were shaken to the core. How long should parents grieve when the one they loved died so tragically? His father wanted to die rather than live another day with the insufferable truth. Rather than bear the pain indefifi nitely, Douglas chose to PURGE THE GRIEF by writing about it. In essence, he looked at all the themes and events surrounding this tragedy and put them into a reader-friendly narrative. He expanded his thoughts to include many reflfl ections, stories which are connected affectionately or historically in some manner. By persevering through the psychological and emotional storms, God gently strengthened his faith and restored unity to his family.