Melinda G. Fowl

Into a Reluctant Sunrise

Counseling, Grief & Mental Health

“This book, in the hands and words of Andrea Lingle, is a mother's testimony written for Gwyneth, her stillborn daughter, and for many who grieve in death's darkness. Through sadness and anger, Lingle writes fiercely to her unanchored self and faith: why did Gwyneth die, why am I still alive? She writes alongside her own children, alongside her friend who shared stillbirth, alongside Jesus and Lazarus and the mothers in Scripture whose children were massacred by King Herod. She writes about encounters in the natural world, the world of her local woods and waters, and the gifts of darkness that awaken space for light in her. With meditations, photos, drawings to shade and color, with poetry, memories, and a newborn faith grammar, Lingle offers a gift to us, too, in our communities and circles, as mothers, sisters, daughters, and members moved by grief, loss, and transforming mercies.”