Tragedies often bring people together and for one Upper Perkiomen Valley 

Trina Kraus displays the book "Explosions of Joy" she co-authored with Paul Yin.

resident and well-renowned Chinese psychologist, no truer words could be spoken.        On March 8, 2014 Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 headed to Beijing, China went missing. Families of the 239 people on board were planning to reunite with their loved ones at the airport; however, the arrival boards read "delay." What followed was the painful realization that the airplane and its occupants were not going to be recovered.  

          Immediately after the news broke, Paul Yin, a resident of Beijing and well-known grief counselor, made his way to the hotel where the families gathered. He organized sessions with trained counselors and conducted his own while appearing on much of the news coverage. He has helped grieving individuals through several Chinese disasters over the years including the Sichuan Earthquake and the Asiana Airlines 214 disaster.

          Yin kept a journal explaining the emotions of the experience. He mentioned the

Trina Kraus and Paul Yin at their first face-to-face meeting in 2018.

tragic event to a friend, Ken Rutt, whom he met by chance at a café in the Beijing airport in 2013. The two continued their friendship with Rutt encouraging Yin to put his story on paper.

          In 2017, Pennsburg resident Trina Kraus stepped into the picture. A friend of Rutt's, Kraus was looking for work as an English teacher.

          "His face lit up as he explained to me that he had a good friend who was trying to write his life story, and he asked if I could help," explained Kraus.

          "I had never pursued being a writer and I wasn't sure I was equipped, but as it turned out, 17 years of grading essays and stories prepared me for this job."

          Kraus, who moved to the area in 2008 with her husband and two daughters, became co-author of the book "Explosions of Joy" which is a memoir about the work Yin did as a grief counselor for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight.

          "When I read through the newsletters, letters and other correspondence, journal entries, et cetera that Paul provided, I knew his story had to be told. I was forever changed from the moment I knew his story," she related.

          "Paul and Ken wanted to publish independently instead of going to a big publishing company. Once you read the book, you'll understand why. Paul is an unassuming man and likes to stay in the background, so to speak."

          Since the release of the book on March 21, four years after the tragedy occurred, well over 100 copies have sold via Amazon.com, Kraus said. To her understanding, independently published books typically tend to sell less than 100 copies in their lifetimes. Thanks to word-of-mouth and several powerful endorsements, more copies will be sure to sell.

          When asked to describe the contents of the book, Kraus said, "Most notably to those around the world, [Yin] was the psychologist and media advocate for those families of victims aboard the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. His story is inspiring and uplifting while paying tribute to those who have been affected by ineffable tragedy. His example of living his life with the goal to be the 'droplets of water for others to walk on' is incredibly inspiring."

          Kraus is temporarily working at Quakertown High School and is hopeful of finding a more permanent teaching position soon. "My heart is in the classroom."

          Already, she has global lesson plans in mind.

          "If I have my own class, I intend to partner with Paul Yin at the prep school where he teaches in Beijing in some capacity. How cool would it be to study Romeo and Juliet with a fellow teen who is studying at one of the most prestigious prep schools in China."