Before I Got Here - Edited by Blair Underwood

Reviewed by Robin Caldwell

Edited by Blair Underwood

Jesus chided religious leaders who were appalled by children shouting, “Hosanna to David’s Son.” The Savior asked them, “And haven’t you read in God’s Word, ‘From the mouths of babes I’ll furnish a place of praise’?”

Actor Blair Underwood has compiled a host of stories contributed by parents, grandparents and other caregivers who have marveled over the things spoken from that place of praise – a child’s mouth. Before I Got Here (Atria Books) beautifully intimates and illustrates the depth of spiritual knowledge children possess.

Underwood posits: “The occasional nonchalant ‘utterings’ of those youngsters can now and then leave a parent speechless … if we truly listen to what our children are telling us.” His own son, Paris, tried to explain the Rapture though he was only four and had no earthly exposure to the concept. Paris informed his dad, “God told me, when he made me, but I only had one ear at the time, so I could only hear a little.”

The little bit Paris heard inspired the book. Blair Underwood discovered that other parents and caregivers shared similar stories. One friend, photographer Donyell Kennedy-McCullough urged him to put the stories in a book. And it is Kennedy-McCullough’s poignant and incredible images of children that grace Before I Got Here’s pages.

Each story is intriguing at the very least and astounding at best. What would you say about a three-year-old who admonishes his grandmother to, “Trust and believe in the Lord your God and He shall comfort you?” He’d never been to church or read the King James Version of the Bible.

There are countless stories of children who handpicked their parents in heaven. There are other stories of children who offer often amazingly wise counsel, beyond their years and scope of experience, to adults in peril.

Before I Got Here is not a Christian book and does not endorse religion of any type. Still, it is spiritually challenging as it confirms the very special place children hold in God’s heart.

Before I Got Here is a great book to stick in a gift basket to a new and older mother. And the aesthetic quality of the cover and photographs make it an excellent coffee table book.

Visit www.BeforeIGotHere.com to submit your stories and for purchasing information.