Inspired by the loss of a child, Kiwi author and reality TV star finds healing through writing

FAITH NEWSWIRE – Losing a young child would rate as one of the great tragedies that anyone would face in life. For Jeff Poole, losing his son had a devastating affect on his life.

However, the kind thoughts of a friend in giving him a blank journal to write down his thoughts allowed him to not only deal with his grief, but also led to him writing a book that would be able to help others.

Kissing You Goodbye is Jeff’s story of losing his son Xander. He says, “Xander’s Godmother and a dear friend wisely gave me a blank little book. She said if the desire arose, I should write down thoughts and feelings. I didn’t use it profusely, but I did write a number of little poems, bits of prose and thoughts. Some of these I have used in the book.

“As I went through the struggles of grief, I found that there was very little from men on the subject. Most were strangely silent on the matter of child loss. It would have been helpful to have had another father to talk to who had lost a child, but I didn’t come across any in both life connections or in authors.

“It is just a simple book but my hope is that it will help people who have experienced loss, either directly or indirectly. In losing our son, our children lost their brother, our parents lost their grandchild, our siblings lost a nephew and so it goes on. It touches everyone.”

Heartbreak, even loss of faith, can be natural for those experiencing such loss, but Jeff stated that, “It took me awhile to know that God was good and that He was for me. I didn’t lose my faith in Him, but I lost my confidence in His goodness. It took me years to work through, but over time, we saw God turn difficult things around.

“We nearly lost our marriage. We nearly lost everything we had through potential bankruptcy. We have been too poor to buy food. We have gone without, but He is good. He loves me. He loves each one of us. Ultimately losing Xander has brought me closer to God.

“Losing a child changes you forever. There is always a bit of a hole. Someone is missing. It was a difficult journey, but I have journeyed through and out the other side. A strange thought that helped me survive was that over the millennia, people have lived on this earth, multitudes have lost their children and survived. If they could, so could I. I have the hope and joy of seeing Xander in heaven when I get there. I have the confidence that God is with me in every moment of my life.”

Life has moved on, and Jeff is a part of the 2018 Great Kiwi Bakeoff, the British-born TV juggernaut. It’s an elimination cooking show that, in a reality-television landscape driven with cruelty, is actually nice to people.

“My wife suggested I have a go at auditioning,” said Jeff. I have always wanted to have a go at a cooking show. I see myself as a better cook than a baker, but the GKBO has a nice feel and a great bunch of people. It was a fellow Christian on the show who really encouraged me to put the book out there. She felt it would help people.

“After reading it, she messaged me, stating, ‘Wow, wow, wow Jeff, I am in a puddle of tears! This is so incredibly moving. Thank you for writing this and for sharing your most precious story ❤️ I absolutely think this is worth sharing, please do get it published! I can imagine it like the most healing, beautiful coffee table landscape style book. This is going to touch so many lives. Wow.’”

Kissing You Goodbye is now available globally.