Thirteen contributors bravely and honestly share their stories of loss in the book Permission to Mourn. From stillbirth and miscarriage to the loss of a friend due to suicide, the loss of a spouse, a mother, a child, a sibling, a father, a friend and a grandparent. Each loss touches in a different way. Get to know the contributors haling from the US, Barbados, Scotland, Romania and New Zealand.
Barb Lamb
Barb retired in May 2020 after teaching mathematics for 41 years at Cary-Grove High School. She still resides in Cary, IL and has two adult children, Elise and AJ. In retirement , she plans to continue to volunteer both at church and in the community and possibly do some traveling. She enjoys, gardening working on various projects around the house and going to concerts with Elise and AJ. She can be reached at malamb25@gmail.com
Ann-Marie Ferry
Ann-Marie is a writer from the Mid-west. She is a wife of 10 years to Jon, the man she met online, and a mother to four children: three daughters on earth and a son in heaven. Ann-Marie’s writing reflects on her experience with high-risk pregnancy and stillbirth through the lens of faith, shining the light of hope on grief. You can find her writing as a regular contributor for Sharing Magazine and on her website at annmarieferry.com
Kristen Flores
Kristen is a displaced Jersey girl who lives in St. Louis, Missouri with her husband, daughter and two cats. She serves as the director of a tutoring ministry that serves many immigrant and refugee children among others. Kristen is an avid reader, recreational writer and seasoned traveler.
Stephanie Clarke
Stephanie is a pastor’s wife and a thankfulf mom to two teenagers. She’s originally from the Bluegrass State of Kentucky but lives and serves alongside her husband of 20 years in Barbados and the wider Caribbean region. She has a passion to write with the hope of encouraging others and also loves her morning walks, capturing all things creation on camera, the game of cricket, family vacations and a good cup of coffee. You can connect with Stephanie on her Instagram @stephpclarke or on Facebook- Stephanie Prater Clarke
Dr. Donald Erickson
After 33 years of serving as a senior pastor, Dr. Erickson and his wife, Claudia, are equipping pastors and church leaders internationally in a number of countries to include Honduras, Cuba, Zambia, Peru and Albania. He also serves as Area Superintendent in the Great Lakes District of the Evangelical Free Church of America shepherding more than twenty pastors. He and his wife have been married fifty years and have four children and two grandchildren.
Heather Holdsworth
Heather is a Bible teacher, lecturer, writer, artist and lover of Earl Grey tea with friends. Her focus is in the subject of Spiritual Formation and Discipline for people of all ages. Much of her art is a unique meditation on Scripture that may need a magnifying glass to appreciate. She lives in Scotland with Adrian, her husband of 24 years. You can connect with Heather on Instagram @hope.sc
apes and on the Hope Scapes Facebook page.
Alison Holt
Since graduating as a mathematician in London in the 1980s, Alison has been blessed with an amazing and continually expanding family, and a career that has taken her around the world. She currently spends her time between Papua New Guinea and New Zealand. You can connect with her at Alison Holt Linkedin.
Leah Nelson
Leah was saved by the grace of God at age 19. Since then, she has graduated Bible collage, traveled the world for the sake of Christ and been involved in prison ministries. and faith based rehabilitation ministries. Her passion is to help others find their ultimate joy in Christ. She is the wife of Philip and mother of Emet. Leah currently lives with her family in in North Dakota where Philip serves as a youth pastor.
Tara Amis
Tara is a Speech-Language Pathologist turned stay-at-home homeschooling mama to three boys Michael, Noah and Jeremiah. She and her husband Zack have a sweet daughter Isabella in heaven and plan to adopt in the near future. To add to the chaos, Tara sells book with Usborne Books and More with the mission of spreading literacy to as many kids as possible. The Amis family are also huge nerds and love playing games of all kinds with the desire of spreading the Gospel to the local gaming community.