Dear Cindy, Love Mom: Letters of Love, Loss and Life (2nd edition)

In Dear Cindy, Love Mom: Letters of Love, Loss and Life (2nd Edition), author Elaine Schaller shares the deeply personal journey of a mother navigating the unimaginable — the sudden loss of her 33-year-old daughter, Cindy, to a ruptured brain aneurysm.

In the shock of those first days, Elaine was certain she would never again experience happiness. She questioned how she could go on in a world without Cindy. At her first session with a grief counselor, she was given an unusual suggestion: write letters to your daughter every day.

Reluctant at first but desperate for relief, Elaine began writing. Her letters poured out her raw pain, her dreams, her anger, her memories, and her struggle to simply survive. Over time, the act of writing gave her days much-needed structure and became a lifeline — a way to stay connected to Cindy even in her absence.

Collected together, these letters offer an unflinching look at grief in its darkest moments while also capturing each fragile glimmer of light as Elaine slowly moved toward healing. They validate the depth of sorrow that comes with profound loss, while gently reminding readers that moments of hope can still emerge.

For anyone facing grief, Dear Cindy, Love Mom offers comfort, encouragement, and the reassurance that while loss changes everything, it does not erase love — and love can become the path forward.

This second edition also includes a new prologue in which Elaine reflects on her life a decade later, the steps she took to rebuild meaning, and the role TeamCindy played in that process.

Dear Cindy, Love Mom is available in Kindle, eBook, and audio formats.