Before April 19, 2003, our next guest was a normal, suburban “mom chauffer” with a baseball-loving husband, three active kids in 21 weekly activities, and a dog that thankfully loved car rides. On a sunny, spring afternoon, her middle child Steven, was struck and killed by a train down the street from our home. After the loss of a child, life has no “normal. We are speaking with Maria Malin this morning about her book “When You Can’t Say Goodbye, Don’t”.

Maria Malin lives in Lake Forest, IL with her husband Steve, and daughters Francesca and Brianna. Her son, Steven, lives forever in his family’s hearts. Born and raised in Chicago, Maria holds a bachelor’s degree in Marketing with a minor in Communications from DePaul University, Chicago (magna cum laude 1985). She is a freelance writer and has had her own column in the Chicago based Pioneer Press newspaper entitled “21st Century Mom” since 2005. She served as copy editor for Forest and Bluff magazine and Sheridan Road magazine (2006-07) and been a contributing writer for both publications. Praise for Maria’s “21st Century Mom” column “I really enjoy your column. You’re funny, witty, poignant, and just a pleasure to read. I see so much of myself in your stories and anecdotes.” Louisa G. “I love your writing. It’s so clean and elegant, and full of empathy for your readers.” Michelle D. “I feel you are writing exactly what I am thinking as a mom.” Maggie A. 

There is no good-bye more impossible to say than when your child dies. "When You Just Can’t Say Good-bye, Don’t - A Mother’s Personal Journey After Losing a Child" brings hope when parents are given the most hopeless news imaginable. It is the antidote to the dark void left by death; the story of how one family decided that they had to find ways to keep their son, killed in an accident at the age of eleven, spiritually and symbolically in their daily lives. If you have experienced profound loss, and do not want to let death take away that relationship, read this family’s journey. Learn how to truly “live” again, finding healthy ways to keep the hello’s coming from your loved one. “Moving forward and hanging on” can happen together. Why accept the biggest “no” of your life when you can hear a joyous “yes?” Maria Malin is the published author of hundreds of articles on modern-day parenting, and has written a weekly column entitled, “21st Century Mom” since 2005.