Catholic Mom’s Journey Through Miscarriage Inspires New Children’s Book for Grieving Families

This month holds a great deal of meaning for many different groups of people. To some October is all about breast cancer awareness month. To others it is domestic violence awareness month. These are important causes to bring awareness too and help prevent. But today I want to share about another cause that this month is meant to bring awareness of - pregnancy and infant loss. Before I had children, this was something that seemed so far away from me. A pain that I could sympathize with but not quite understand. It was not until January of 2025 when I lost my first child to miscarriage, that I was fully plunged into the reality of loss. I felt misunderstood, sad, angry, and numerous other emotions. But above all I felt lonely. Lonely because it seemed like I was the only one who had experienced this in my friend group. But the reality was that it was something that had happened to several of my friends, but I did not know until I started to share my own pain.

That is why I am so glad that The Little Rose Shop, a Catholic family brand known for its innovative children’s books, interactive Mass resources, and faith-filled products for the home, is releasing The Gardener: A Gentle Story for Families about Child Loss, a new children’s book designed to help families navigate the loss of a baby with faith, love, and hope.

"How do you explain to your children that the baby they were waiting for isn’t coming home?  How do you make space for their questions when you’re still trying to make sense of your own grief? And how do you offer them hope when, as a mother, everything feels dark?” asked Raquel Rose, founder of The Little Rose Shop and creative director of The Gardener. Raquel experienced the loss of four babies through miscarriage while also raising children at home. 

The book was written by Raquel’s college roommate and best friend, Maddie Cain, following Cain’s own experience with miscarriage. Illustrator and friend Jillian Chapman, who grew up in a family affected by the loss of her older sister, brought the story to life visually. Together, the women created a deeply personal project shaped by their own experiences of loss, the Holy Spirit, and the prayers and stories of many other grieving families woven tenderly throughout the book. 

The Gardener tells the allegorical story of a Gardener who lovingly tends thousands of flowers, each with unique needs and particular paths to bloom. When a flower is ready, the Gardener prepares it to go home with the family who has been waiting for it. But sometimes a flower needs more care than the greenhouse can provide. In those cases, the Gardener makes the difficult decision to keep the flower in his perfect Garden, where it can safely flourish. 

My first time reading the story, I could not help but tearing up. While this book is meant to help children understand and grapple with the loss of a sibling, this will be one that I buy for myself. After my own pregnancy loss, it was books like these that helped me the most. Books that provided beauty, hope, reassurance, compassion, and simplicity. In a time where many emotions are going through me all at once it is the simple, childlike messages that helped me to remember, feel and see God's presence in my life. Throughout the grief there is opportunity for healing. There is an opportunity for connection and relationship within your family and more importantly with Christ. These things cannot be explained or healed quickly or easily, but the first message that Christ did not abandon, forsake, or punish you must be stated and remembered.

One of my favorite parts of this book is at the end, where it contains practical ideas for honoring and remembering a child who has died, such as planting a birth flower or tree, offering a Mass in the child’s honor, encouraging siblings to write letters to their brother or sister, and displaying artwork in the child’s memory. While my children were not old enough to know or understand this loss, their sibling in heaven will always be a part of their family. My husband and I will not let our child be forgotten and having resources to talk about and keep his memory alive is vital for us.

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Another thing that struck me about this book was the beauty of book itself. The illustration is simple, clear, and meaningful. The beauty of this book reflects the beauty of Our Father, who is the good gardener and deeply cares for us. I have loved meditating on the role of Jesus as the gardener and how that plays out from the moment of conception all the way until death. The Bible is full of parables talking about planting and harvesting. This imagery and reality goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden, where we were all in perfect harmony and relationship with God. Our children in heaven are experiencing this joy, perfection, and ultimate relationship with God. We have security in knowing that God takes special notice, intention and care of our little ones who He has chosen to take back to Himself.

The Gardener builds on The Little Rose Shop’s existing work supporting families experiencing miscarriage and child loss. In response to families who reach out seeking swaddling blankets to bury their children, the shop offers special blankets, art prints, prayer candles, and other meaningful gifts designed to provide comfort and support during a difficult time. I HIGHLY recommend ordering this book and checking out The Little Rose Shop for resources and wonderful Catholic products.

Please pray for those families that have experienced pregnancy and infant loss this month. May the Lord protect them and give them reassurance and hope of eternal life. If you have experienced a loss of your own, may the Lord give you clarity to your vocation as a parent. Our children are waiting for us so now we must do what is best for them and work towards our holiness so we may meet them even sooner when we leave this life and go onto the next.

My little saint in heaven, Basil Gregory, pray for us!