Catholic author Maddie Cain shares how her own miscarriage inspired The Gardener, a gentle, faith-filled picture book about child loss from The Little Rose Shop. The story pictures Jesus as a loving Gardener who keeps some precious seeds in His garden, giving grieving parents a hopeful way to talk with children about a baby who has died. Released during Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, the book is a meaningful miscarriage support gift for families, siblings, and friends.
Maddie Cain joins Deacon Mark Campbell — turning the tables after once interviewing him on her own diocesan podcast — to talk about The Gardener.
Where the Story Came From After a miscarriage at seven weeks between her first and second children, Maddie kept picturing Jesus holding her baby in a field of flowers. That image, rooted in Mary Magdalene mistaking the risen Christ for the gardener, became the heart of the book.
A Gardener, a Garden, and the Snowdrop Raquel of The Little Rose Shop — Maddie's freshman-year roommate at Benedictine College — invited her to write the book. Together they combined Maddie's gardener image with the beloved snowdrop poem often shared after miscarriage. In the story, the Gardener raises flowers and sends them to their families, while some stay in His care.
Grief and Joy at the Same Time Maddie learned she was expecting her son Patrick while writing. She talks honestly about the tension of loving a new baby who might not exist without the loss of another, and how writing became a way to grieve and say goodbye. As Catholics, she says, we can trust that God is merciful and just.
Made by Human Hands The illustrations are by Catholic artist Jillian Chapman, created entirely by hand with no AI.
A Way to Help Children Understand Deacon Mark and Maddie discuss how the book can be given to grieving parents who don't know what to say, and how it helps explain loss to young siblings, nieces, and nephews without overwhelming them.
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