Title: as the Sparrow flies

Author: Grace E. Kelley

Contributor: Bethanie Pack (Artwork)

Publication Date: February 20th, 2024

Through poetic snapshots from her own life, Grace E. Kelley seeks to catalogue all the multifaceted pains and unexpected joys that come with loving broken beings in a broken world. When distance parts, loss separates, betrayal destroys, and the deep ache required of sacrificial love feels too heavy and holy to bear—let the Sparrow lead the way. Perhaps, it is not so far after all.

Accompanied by exquisite, original artwork by the talented Bethanie Pack, as the Sparrow flies takes the reader on a journey through the nuanced layers of the grief of love. Over distance, through death, and in wounds—discover something Divine amidst all the ache. And perhaps even more importantly, discover that you are not alone.

For the lonely and the grieving.
For the betrayed and the anguished.
For the questioning and the curious. 
For the doubter and the mystic. 
For those who pray and for those who have forgotten how. 

“I am a chaser of sparrows
         and I am the Sparrow 
         and I wrote this for you.”

Here’s what others are saying about as the Sparrow flies:

“This is a beautiful book for the lonely, the grieving, the heartbroken, and those who are healing. As Grace elevates ordinary, everyday experiences of loss and change, friendship and motherhood, we are invited to look life’s painful realities right in the face and see love looking back at us.” —Christie Purifoy, author of Placemaker and Garden Maker 

“We need the poets to help us translate our biggest feelings, our worst days, our highest highs our ugliest doubts. Grace wraps language around the pain of friendship fractures, “she didn’t have time just then / so I let her go/ hot tears in my throat”, the ache of mothering “your roots spread and shred / and break me apart,”  and all the colors of love, “Holy is the heart that breaks.” Whatever you’re in the middle of, Grace will keep you company there and help make sense of it.” —Lisa-Jo Baker, bestselling author of Never Unfriended and co-host of the Out of the Ordinary Podcast 

About the Author:

Grace E. Kelley is a follower of Jesus, a wife, and mother of five, including a set of boy/girl twins. She graduated from Colorado State University with a Bachelors in Creative Writing and a double emphasis in Poetry and Creative Non-Fiction. She writes poetry and stories—both fictional and non-fictional, and occasionally enjoys the opportunity to speak. She is also a farmer, a foodie, an unrepentant mug addict, and a deep believer that incredible beauty can come from the compost heap. You can find more of her work at her Substack graceekelley.substack.com. 

About the Artist: 

Bethanie Pack is a contemporary landscape painter located in Denver, Colorado. She began her art career as an abstract artist fascinated with the challenge of creating form from the formless—asking questions such as “what is the color of innocence?” or “how can line depict ache or desperation?” This fascination with abstraction and mark-making followed Bethanie into her current representational landscape work, begging her to consider the intangible feelings a person experiences in nature, such as awe and wonder, when making decisions on form and color. You can check out more of Bethanie’s work at her website bethaniepack.com.