Grace Like Scarlett
Grieving with Hope after Miscarriage and Loss
Adriel Booker
Baker Books, 224 pages
Reviewed by Crystal Vogt | June 17, 2019
As a hospital chaplain who spends most of my time in the birth center, I regularly meet with families going through some of the deepest pain known to parents—the loss of a baby. Sitting with mothers, fathers, grandparents, and friends, I have witnessed immense love and grief. I’ve walked with families within the walls of the hospital, and I’ve had the honor of meeting some of these babies—some in person and some through images. Each one was valued, loved, and grieved.
These experiences have thrust me into my own search for how to provide the best pastoral care possible. The last thing I want is to add to a family’s grief. I’ve felt this tension as I desperately seek to say the “right thing” and offer the “right” support. Adriel Booker’s book, Grace Like Scarlett, offered balm for my heart and practical information around the unique needs of a parent and family experiencing a miscarriage.
Booker cracks open her own heart to share intimate details of her story of her three babies who died through miscarriage. Not only does she share vulnerably, she invites readers to dive deep with Jesus into the reality of their own grief in the midst of faith and doubt. She includes reflective questions and journal prompts that allow space for readers to tell their story of loss while listening to hers. She also offers practical information for those who are walking with others through miscarriage.
I encourage you to read this book and consider the people in your life and congregation who may be suffering and grieving in silence. Often people don’t know how to respond or what to say to families who have experienced miscarriage, ectopic pregnancies, or stillbirth. When these families most need to know they’re not alone and that God’s love is present, they are often grieving in isolation. As you read this book, allow Booker’s story to make you uncomfortable as you confront the reality of grief and pain so that you might sit with others who experience miscarriage or loss.
I invite readers experiencing their own loss to pick up this book, share your story, and allow God’s grace to bring continued healing to your grieving heart. Know that when you share your story, you invite others into the privilege of witnessing the love you have for your baby, to hear your story, and to speak your baby’s name.
I hope that resources such as Grace Like Scarlett will help equip the church to journey with parents who are suffering and that it may be a comforting companion for those who are grieving
About the Author
Crystal Vogt is a chaplain with United Hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota. She loves seeing life through the eyes of her 17 nieces and nephews, who teach her about unconditional love, marching
to the beat of your own drum, and slowing down to enjoy the small things in life.
