Cradling My Heart: God's Comfort in Affliction by Cindy Zompetti

Cindy Zompetti's Cradling My Heart: God's comfort in affliction tells the story of a series of debilitating emotional losses that left the author confused, grief-stricken, and slipping into a depression that other people might not have survived without professional help or hospitalization. Instead, Ms. Zompetti relied upon her deep knowledge of biblical Scriptures, which she repeated as she sought strength to carry on through each day, and also put pen to paper to write about her pain. Some days, nothing appeared on her paper; on others, she wrote only a brief word or two, sometimes making little sense, or more lengthy thoughts described her despair.

Never giving up, she began to see the role God played in the process she was undergoing, cradling her heart while allowing her to care for herself in a positive, productive way, a way that brought her out of the darkness caused by losing close relationships and suffering through menopause and back into the light, with new relationships – including a deeper appreciation of God.

This fine book provides inspiration and guidance on how to cope with the emotions and pain of depression to readers struggling with grief and loss even if they are not Christians in the strictest sense of the word. In Cindy Zompetti's case, the depression appears to have been clinical in nature; but, without the aid of medical experts and medications, she managed to work through the issues that had brought on her "affliction." Readers can only admire her ability to call upon her inner strength, which, on a conscious level seemed to be eluding her but was really the underlying impetus that caused her to persevere despite the pain and the confusion that she felt.

One of the strengths of this book is the author's honest and uncomplicated writing style, which enhances her ability to talk to her readers as if we are in the same room. She shares her pain and her experience in very human terms and offers hope in a gentle, subtle way – by example rather than by producing a step-by-step manual for self-healing. This, for me, is the true strength of this book: Ms. Zompetti's sharing by example. We can all find inspiration and hope from this excellent book. Perhaps in the future, Ms. Zompetti will grace us with another inspirational work.

Reviewed by Lise Hull

The Sunpiper Book Review