Song about missing a loved one helps kids going through grief

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    MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A boy wishing to see his parent one more time has inspired a song that will help other kids going through grief.

Jace and Emmy Lu Muller’s mother Amie died of cancer four years ago. They’ve been going through grief counseling at school, through a special program.

The song “Ladder to the Sky” will help others like them.

“It’s always been my go-to for getting through different times of life,” father Brian Muller said.

Brian Muller penned a song, based on a dream his son Jace had about his mom.

“And then I woke up, and said that to Dad, ‘What if we could build a ladder to the sky so we could see mom whenever we wanted to,’” Jace Muller said. “A way to see her again, somehow, someway, to go to Heaven to see her, even it was just for a moment.”

Amie Muller died in 2017 at age 36, following a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. The veteran raised concerns about health effects tied to burn pits she was exposed to while serving in Iraq. The impact on soldiers is being studied.

“He asks what we all want to know: ‘Why did she have to go?’ I can’t even say it without getting teary-eyed, because we all wonder that,” Brian Muller said.

Their song, “Ladder to the Sky,” will raise funds for a counseling program the two siblings are a part of at school. It’s called Growing Through Grief, sponsored by the Park Nicollet Foundation.

“They go right to the schools, and they help kids with grief. The way this program was designed was to go into the schools to make it more comfortable for some type of therapy,” Brian Muller said.

And so they hope the song will help others with their grief, while supporting kids who experience a loss in life.

“I was very happy that he made a song about it. I’m also very happy that he’s using it for good,” Jace Muller said.

“I hope it will help people to know that, kind of metaphorically, there is a ladder to the sky. We can create a ladder to the sky in our minds, and talk to our loved ones whenever we want to, and think about them and dream about them,” Brian Muller said.

Growing Through Grief is currently in 15 metro and western Wisconsin schools. It’s provided to students at no charge, thanks to donations.

“Ladder to the Sky” is available to download now.

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