More than likely, we all have that special story that we remember from when we were children. Perhaps we wanted to have it read to us each and every night and for many of us, it was something that we shared with our parents as they were the ones who read it to us. These books have a special meaning, but sometimes it is what is behind the book that means the most.
One of those iconic children’s book is Love You Forever, by Robert Munsch. For many of us, it was something that we read to our children over and over again and we may even have been able to recite it by heart. What you may not realise, however, is the story behind it, as it is rather heartbreaking.
Munsch, who is a children’s book author, came up with the most famous line from the book as a way to grieve the loss of his two children. That line was, “I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always, as long as you’re living, my baby you’ll be”
His wife had delivered two babies in short succession, both of which were stillborn. The sorrow he felt was overwhelming and in order to cope with his feelings, he created the private poem that he would say aloud to himself. In his words, it was his “way of crying.”
He had kept the song private, even from his wife but he would say it silently to himself when the grief was overwhelming. It was then that the story formed behind the words and he wrote the children’s classic, Love You Forever.
As if this story wasn’t heart wrenching enough, the mother had watched her son grow from infancy to adulthood and then he became a parent. She then grew old and frail and their roles reversed as the son cares for his mother in the same way that she cared for him. This backstory makes the book even more powerful.
There is nothing on earth like losing a child but when you are able to put it down in writing, you may bring yourself a certain degree of comfort. Many people have even read this book aloud at funerals and some have even chosen to bury their parents with a copy of the book.
It is more than the talent of this man that made the book what it is, it is because the lines came from his heart and the enduring love that he felt for his lost children. It is little wonder that it has become such a fixture in many nurseries.
H/T: Simple Most
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