Arthur Milward’s pen traces hauntingly poignant stories of his emotionally traumatic childhood, his young son’s battle with leukemia, a Nazi officer’s unexpected anguish, a 6-year-old’s abandonment by her parents, and others caught in the frailty and cruelty of life on this sin-stained planet.

Yet accompanying every sorrow is a thread of hope. Our heavenly Father has assured us that in the end everything will be all right—there will be no more crying or pain, no more death or mourning (see Revelation 21:4). In the meantime, though, His promises soothe our aching souls.