Grace Like Scarlett

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The full title of Adriel Booker’s book is Grace Like Scarlett: grieving with hope after miscarriage and loss.   I DO NOT want the title to set you off though.  This lovely book is geared toward those who have suffered through miscarriage at any stage of pregnancy, but it is a worth-read for anyone struggling to understand God’s goodness throughout difficulty we face in life.    Reviewing this book brought back tons of memories for me at the same as it assured me of God’s overarching plan for my life and those impacted by it.   I urge you to pick it up.   Read it, share it, see God in action even through difficult times.

Who is Adriel Booker?

Mom, mentor, bible teacher, writer and advocate.  She leads “The love A Mama Collective” (which helps women in developing countries with safe child-birth) and helps leads a YWAM group in Australia.  She has suffered three miscarriages.

What do you get?

More than 200 pages helping you understand miscarriage and who God is in your life throughout it.

Six sections divided as follows:

1. Blindsided
   1. among the fields of gold
   2. Hello, deep love
2. Overboard
   1. The spectacle of heaven
   2. From the dust
3. Adrift
   1. diary of a broken heart
   2. A thousand shades of grief
4. Marooned
   1. the 18-inch journey
   2. an invitation to liberation
   3. thistle cove
5. Anchored
   1. A crisis of faith or catalyst for grace?
   2. Whose fault is this, anyway?
6. Onward
   1. The business of tear-wiping
   2. And then she laughed

Six appendices to help you work through your own miscarriage and well as to help others.

• A letter for grieving dads
• Remembering your baby (memorial ideas)
• Helping your child process grief after miscarriage
• Pregnancy after loss
• Caring for a friend after miscarriage
• Resources and Support

My Thoughts

Along the way she gives practical advice for talking with your children about loss, how to show them God even in the midst of grief.  There is so much I treasure in this book.   Written in a personal manner you can feel Adriel Booker’s love for women and her strong desire to help them see God even in the midst of a personal calamity.   The occasional journal prompts that appeared were well-timed and appropriate, their goal?  Help you talk to God about your pain, fears and questions.   It’s a good thing to do that.. even in journal form.

Quotes that grabbed at my heart

“Do you think God can still be good, even if we don’t know?   Do you think we can still trust him?”  (her son’s response as yes)

“He is not offended by our lack of certainty over the Big Questions; he’ll never equate our doubts or confusion with a lack of faith if, while questioning, we stay committed to relationship with him.  This is why covenant matters.  Your belonging to him, and his belonging to you…. it matters.”

“God will not shy away from your messy faith or your messy theology or your messy life.”

“The language we use for death fails us; these babies aren’t dead, they aren’t lost.  They are alive and found in him for eternity.  We grieve their loss to us here and now, but we grieve with hope because we know there is more to the story.”

Poignant words fill the pages of this book, I can’t possibly list all the words that made me stop and think and consider God just a bit more.

Miscarriage is HARD…those hopes and dreams crushed you know?  But God, God is there through every single bit of it.  He is.  He works it out, he helps us grow our faith, he answers our questions, and he accepts us where we are in our moments in time. Mrs. Booker does an excellent job of walking us through not only her own pain, but also in using our pain to help others.  Our very vulnerability is part of the healing process not only for ourselves but also for those we bump into on our journeys.  Use it.

But seriously… please… Go get this book, read it, share it, seek out God all the more and move forward.  DO IT.

 

Grace like Scarlett: Grieving with hope after Miscarriage and Loss
Adriel Booker
Baker Books
Softcover, 224 pages
Miscarriage, Loss, Faith
Women’s Issues, Motherhood
Reviewed for Nuts About Books