Rev Fiona Gardner wants to use her experiences to help others
Sales of a new book by Anniesland minister Rev Fiona Gardner will support the counselling service Quiet Waters and Richmond’s Hope, which helps bereaved children and young people.
Titled Love Songs for Healing and Hope, the book is comprised of a collection of devotional blogs, stories from different individuals, and resources to support others in times of turmoil and disorientation.
Mrs Gardner, minister of Knightswood Anniesland Trinity Church, said: “It is my prayer that this pastoral book might be a resource for anyone who is struggling with grief, trauma and sadness.
“It doesn’t have lots of answers, but gives permission to acknowledge the human struggle to connect and belong. It is a book to remind us of God’s grace when we feel lost, His strength when we feel helpless, His steadfast love when we feel unseen.”
Mrs Gardner said she hoped it would help people who find the Christmas season a bit of a struggle. She believes that “telling our own story is so important”.
“Often we seem to have so much stuff locked within and pushed down,” explained Mrs Gardner. “In the days of the pandemic, so many of us experienced physical, emotional and spiritual isolation. And this has meant that we are not as connected as we would like to be.”
In 2020, the minister wrote a book about her late husband, Colin, who died two years previously.
“‘Love Song for a Wounded Warrior’ is the story of a veteran trying to come to terms with his wounds, physical and psychological,” she said.
“He had always wanted to tell his story but was too unwell, so I had the privilege of doing so by compiling some of his writings and speaking of the issues that he wrestled with.
“However, as time went on I realised that I also had a story to tell, about bereavement and loss, and what had helped me in my struggles.
“I started to blog about the experience of loss and trauma, and how it affected my daily life.
“As I shared, I became more acutely aware of a whole community of people who had experienced loss, but didn’t always find safe places to talk, whether it was about a recent bereavement, or one from long ago.”
Mrs Gardner said she is grateful to friends who have shared their stories for the book, which was promoted at a special event at St George’s Tron Church in Glasgow on 7 November.
Richmond’s Hope was set up Richmond Craigmillar Church in Edinburgh in 2003 to help children, aged 4-18, who have been bereaved. The free service is provided to people across the capital, the Lothians and Glasgow.
Quiet Waters provides counselling and bereavement support for people across central Scotland. The charity was established in 1995 by churches from different denominations.
For more information or to order a copy of Love Songs for Healing and Hope, please email woundedwarriorfg@gmail.com or order online at Sanctus Media. Love Songs for a Wounded Warrior is available from Waterstones.
• Source: Church of Scotland.
