Rare Bird: A Memoir of Loss and Love by Anna Whiston-Donaldson

When 12-year-old Jack was swept away and drowned in a flash flood, his family was thrust into a spiritual journey on which Jack’s favorite Bible verse—“For nothing is impossible with God”—provided solace. Still, the family’s shock, anger, grief, and myriad questions persisted.

In the chaos, author Whiston-Donaldson’s view of God expanded. She began to realize the impossibility of putting God in a box and learned that she couldn’t demand that life be fair on her terms. As days of grief unfolded, she experienced God’s comfort in unexpected ways: through dreams and visions given to others, through nature—birds, clouds, and rainbows—and through signs.

Though some of Whiston-Donaldson’s conclusions might make Reformed readers uncomfortable, her frank, at times raw and gritty story of loss and renewal always strives to honor God and remain faithful to him. Refreshingly honest,Rare Bird avoids cheap answers and syrupy spiritual conclusions to life-altering experiences. (Convergent Books)