Roots & Wings of Love

About the Book

More than 50 million men and women turned 55 or older in 2000. Many of the hundreds of thousands of baby boomers in this group of older Americans are nearing retirement and facing mortality on two fronts—their own and that of their aging parents. More so than any other generation in the past, boomers will lose one or both parents well into their own adulthood. Yet knowing that a parent has lived a full life does little to ease the pain of that loss.

Now there is a very special guidebook to carry along on that difficult journey. With abiding faith and from my perspective as a trained therapeutic counselor, I share how I coped with the death of my own beloved mother in Roots and Wings of Love: A Daughter’s Spiritual Journey Through Her Mother’s Death. The ways I draw on my own wisdom and experience to move from disbelief, pain, and sadness to acceptance—and even joy—offers lessons of hope and reassurance to adult children everywhere.

Readers will feel both consoled and comforted by my insights on the process of dying and on the spiritual support that we can all draw on to sustain us through our grief. I offer readers the gift of my own deep faith as a way to cope not only with illness and death but also with the loneliness and deep void that follow.

But my story is not just a daughter’s tribute to her mother. Nor is it a memoir in the truest sense of the word. Rather, it reflects my own lifelong search for peace through prayer and growing faith in the midst of the everyday struggles of life. Like Mitch Albom in Tuesdays with Morrie (Doubleday, 1997), I gained wisdom from observing a spiritual mentor fend off—and then embrace—death. But my beloved teacher was my mother and spiritual soulmate, and I myself the reluctant witness of her decline. As a grown child, I seek connection with my mother, experiencing love at a deeper level. My story celebrates lives shared, hopes fulfilled, and prayers answered. It Is a story that reassures readers everywhere that they are not alone as they face pain, suffering, and loss. It also serves to remind readers to open their hearts and minds to God’s loving presence.


The book Roots and Wings of love intertwines the author’s ongoing grieving and her day-to-day challenges in caring for her dying mother with reminiscences of her life with her mother. In addition to her personal journey, the author draws on her experience as a chaplain and theological student to help the reader understand his or her own grief process. This inspiring book is about: - Caring for a loved one who has been diagnosed with terminal illness - Recovering from the loss of your loved one - Accepting conflict in the midst of the death process - Telling your story for its therapeutic value - Finding sweetness and light in the bitterness of death - Accepting the reality that often our painful questions have no answers - Letting go and letting God be in charge “Your story points to the old adage – there are only two things we can give our children, ‘Roots and Wings.’ Your book written from your heart will cause others to feel the light in their grief experiences.” Reverend Paula McClellan “Clara’s intimate description of her journey through her mother’s illness and death is fascinating. This is a must read for anyone wanting to learn more about the grieving process.” Janalea Hoffman, M.A.
Rhythmic Medicine


“I was deeply touched by this story of one woman’s journey through the darkness and into the light. This is a tender story of the love between a daughter and her mother who taught her so much – in her dying as in her life” Reverend Robert Brumet, M.S.
Finding YourSelf in Transition


“It was truly a pleasure and an honor to be able to read your manuscript. I couldn’t put it down and I have thought about it a lot since I read it. God and your mama must be so pleased with you for the time, depth, and terrific insight th

About the Author

About the Author … Clara Snook is a theology graduate of Avila University, Kansas City, Missouri. She has done work in psychology, addiction counseling, grief recovery and has served as a chaplain and clinical pastoral education student in four major hospitals in Missouri and Kansas.