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Stories, Articles, and Resources by Adriel Booker

Adriel Booker - Author, Speaker, Advocate, Community Builder

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Adriel Booker

I’m just never going to be a dog person. But I a

I’m just never going to be a dog person. But I am a *my* dog person. Frankie love forever. 😍😍😍
#frankiebooker

A few days ago was World Oceans Day and dear frien

A few days ago was World Oceans Day and dear friends of ours—Tim and Trina—managed to pull off the most spectacular art exhibition I’ve ever seen on the sails of the Sydney Opera House. They gathered world class artists (painters, illustrators, photographers) to contribute work to raise awareness for marine life and conservation and put on an incredible display of beauty in one of the most gorgeous spots in the world—our own Sydney Harbour.

Straight after the light show kicked off we gathered with close to 200 people at the @TargonaZoo for the first annual @CollaborOCEANS benefit gala with a gallery showcasing the work of @craigparryphotography @charlottepiho @blakdouglas @jamespeterhenryart @seagloryswim @timothyjohnston.artist @_valerietaylor and a three course meal and fundraiser hosted by seven time world surf champion @laynebeachley. (An absolute legend in her own right.😍) Best of all we got to honour the “Queen of the Ocean” herself, 85 year old Valerie Taylor.

What a phenomenal event this was filled with the creative talent and energy of so many—not just the celebs and big names, but also those who contributed other creative talents behind the scenes: animation, floral arrangements, lighting and design, live music, marketing, food and wine, event photography/videography, event management, and much more. (Which I could show more pics here than 10!)

Everyone has their own reasons to care about the oceans and marine life, but my reason rests right within one of the greatest assignments and privileges God ever gave to humankind: Look after what we’ve been given and do our part to help sustain flourishing on the earth and beyond. This is holy work and it belongs to all of us.

So friends, this is what’s keeping me #tetheredtohope this week—seeing so many people from all walks of life come together around something important: Caring for our oceans and the life they sustain for all of us (and generations to come). It was our absolute privilege to do our small part in helping this vision come to life. Congratulations Tim and Trina. We are incredibly proud of you!

#collaborOCEANS #kingdomofcoral #sydneyoperahouse #valarietaylor #playingwithsharks

Seven years ago I was invited to a dream trip for

Seven years ago I was invited to a dream trip for writers in Italy. It had only been six months since I made the leap to fight imposter syndrome and changed my instagram bio to include the word “writer.” I still knew very little about the industry.

I didn’t know the facilitator of the trip was a literary agent at the top of her game. (To be honest I had to ask what a literary agent even was when I first met her the month before at my first writers’ conference.) I didn’t know any well known writers. I had no book deal. I’d never pitched an article or written anywhere other than my own website. I didn’t realize nearly all of the other writers on the trip were agented and contracted. (Once I figured this out, I felt wondrously small and wondrously grateful, because somehow @jenni_burke invited me anyway.)

I gained so much on that trip. I gained friends and colleagues. I gained a stellar agent who would become like a sister as well as an important career advisor. I gained vision. Confidence. Insight into an industry that seemed a mystery.

I lost a lot too. I lost some of my pretenses, a few illusions, plenty of misconceptions. I also lost a baby. (I had a miscarriage under the monastery stairs.) I lost what felt like a dream too good to be true.

Last week I was journaling about my tendency to have Imposter Syndrome and the fear that my next book won’t live up to my own expectations, and I was taken right back to Tuscany in 2014. I’m not that different now and yet in some ways I am.

Swipe the slides to read what I would tell that excited, hopeful, scared, rookie writer from 2014 before I was agented or published or sold my first book.

___

Most of us are our own self’s harshest critic. What do you wish your younger self knew?

#tuscanywritersretreat #hopewriters #redbudwriters

Our first post-Covid (lockdown) wedding. 🎉 A ye

Our first post-Covid (lockdown) wedding. 🎉 A year ago we watched our friends get married with just the celebrant, photographer, and witnesses. The rest of us—including their families overseas—tuned in via zoom. It was such a beautiful ceremony and for all that was (sadly) missing, there was also something really special about how it all played out. The ceremony itself felt so intimate, so purposed, so focused on the actual marriage. It was beautiful. And now on their one year anniversary we all got to gather, celebrate, and enjoy this good gift of marriage God has given them. Even though I watched online last year I teared up again last night when seeing the bride walk down the aisle on the video recap their amazing photographer shot and edited. What a strange year. But what a wonderful life regardless. Happy one year anniversary to our friends Matt & Krista. We are so happy to celebrate with you both online and in person. But I must say, nothing replaces getting to watch the bride and groom get their groove on the dance floor surrounded by friends. What an absolute joy.

Related: I’m still floored by how good @ryanbooker74 looks in his suit. 😍

#loveinthetimeofcovid

HONOURING MABO—Today is Mabo Day. In 1992 the Hi

HONOURING MABO—Today is Mabo Day. In 1992 the High Court of Australia overturned the doctrine of Terra Nullius, which translates to “land of no-one.” This is the theory that declared there were “no people” who occupied Australia when the colonists arrived in 1788 even though they stood face to face with our First Nations People. The overturning of this doctrine made way for the Mabo Act, an important step forward for Indigenous land rights in Australia and upending the doctrine of Terra Nullius. We honour Eddie Koiki Mabo, a Meriam man from Mer in the Torres Straights Islands who campaigned for Indigenous land rights and was instrumental in the landmark decision of the High Court, though he did’t live to see the day the Mabo Act was passed.

As National Reconciliation Week here in the lands now called Australia comes to a close, we recognize that Australia still groans with the residual effects of the Terra Nulius doctrine. Black lives and experiences and culture and land have been stolen and oppressed and there continues to be social, economic, and political disparity—unequal justice in our institutions, communities, and attitudes.

As immigrants on Gadigal Land, we recognise our Indigenous brothers and sisters as the original and rightful custodians of this land now called Australia, and we honor Elders past, present, and emerging. We see our Indigenous community as deeply spiritual, resilient, persevering, determined, and full of ingenuity and creativity as they have cared for and cultivated this home we love. They lead with wisdom in the stewardship of our land, and carry a deep spirituality and experience that we honour and need to learn from.

My family and our team at @ywamsydneynewtown affirm that there’s a deep, open wound in our nation that can't simply be covered up, and we wholeheartedly accept that our job is to listen intently and act intentionally to right our wrongs and create something beautiful together.

WE HONOUR MABO.

Illustrator: @olafhajek
#maboday #nationalreconciliationweek #indigenousrights #blacklivesmatter #aboriginallivesmatter #mabo #ywamsydney #fortheloveofsydney #indigenouslivesmatter #aboriginalaustralia #listenlearngrowact

“The color of springtime is flowers; the color o

“The color of springtime is flowers; the color of winter is in our imagination.” -Terri Guillemets

For those of you headed into summer, may your spring transition to full bloom. And for those, like us, who just stepped into winter, may our imagination be given room to flourish. (And when it falters, may we find a four year old to help.)

#winterdownunder #firstdayofwinter #smallstyle #ootdkids #sydneymums

I used to think mental health was “thought healt

I used to think mental health was “thought health.” Now I know it’s brain health. These two things are different (though connected of course). The more I learn about the brain and how God designed it to work, the more I realize I still have yet to learn.

As mental health awareness month comes to a close, I wanted to share some of the Tethered sessions that specifically help open up conversation around mental health, particularly as it intersects with faith. To be sure, nearly every session at Tethered touches on both mental and spiritual health in some form, but these sessions are where to start if you want to learn more:

• Disarming Our Knee-Jerk Reaction to Grief — @drmekel (types of grief; knowing when to access professional help)

• Lament as an Offering — @loribrownharris1 (bipolar mania; mental illness and marriage)

• Waking Up from Addiction and Misplaced Adoration — @sethhaines (addiction; attachment)

• Managing Expectations in Grief, Loss, and Disappointment — @nicolezasowski (coping mechanisms)

• Bipolar Faith & Navigating Mental Illness with Hope — @revdrmonica (how religion, race, and gender can reinforce stigma)

• The Rebirth of Hope after Trauma — @michaela.evanow (relationship between grief and trauma; how trauma impacts the body; postpartum depression and anxiety)

• Hope in the Wake of a Loved One’s Addiction — @deborahbeddoe (impact of addiction on spouse; mental illness)

• Companions in the Darkness of Doubt and Depression — #dianagruver (depression and faith)

I’m thankful for these generous folks willing to share their stories, expertise, and experiences with God, and for helping me continue to learn how to be a person of faith that embraces the connectedness of our whole beings—mental health and all—and recognize and appreciate the deep connection to our spirituality and life of faith.

#tetheredtohope

Sunday vibes. I’ve had a weird week. This is nic

Sunday vibes. I’ve had a weird week. This is nice. You?

© 2021 - Adriel Booker. All Rights Reserved.

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