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Confirmation
This coming weekend we will celebrate our younger grandson’s confirmation. (Actually, by the time this post publishes on Monday, we will have just returned from our celebration.) Confirmation is a milestone for young people in the Catholic Church and some Protestant churches. I still remember my confirmation in the Presbyterian church when I was 12…
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When Do I Get to Start?
Grief is a necessary and expected emotion in response to a loss. When the loss is the death of a significant loved one, the grief is going to be heavy and prolonged. The depth of our grief is in proportion to the depth of love we felt for that person. Indeed, grief, in varying forms,…
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Just Like That
One of the difficult aspects of grief is how it can catch you unawares. I can be having an average day (not a “trigger day”) walking through the grocery store, driving down the highway, or having a casual conversation with a neighbor and out of the blue a random comment, a song, or a memory…
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Would Have Been
I read devotionals from several sources each morning. One of them is Proverbs 31 Ministries. In 2021 I began to entertain the thought of sharing my journey of child loss through a blog site. I just wasn’t sure how to start. I felt like my grief was still too raw and I didn’t want to…
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Fall
A sweet friend gave me a bracelet for my birthday with the inscription from Psalm 46:5, “God is within her, she will not fall.” I wear it every day along with my bracelet inscribed with the fruits of the spirit. Both these verses on my wrist are nearby to comfort and inspire me. I wish…
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Don’t Give Up
A couple of years ago I wrote a post titled “What I Write About.” My impetus for this blog was the loss of my younger daughter Rachel in April of 2017. My initial writing was mostly just pouring out the emotions that were going to break me as a person if I didn’t find some…
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Tenderhearted
I cry easily. Books, movies, music, sermons, words of scripture can all move me to tears. I’m also a sympathetic crier. If someone I care about is hurting or scared, I cry for and with them. When I was younger, I was often embarrassed by how easily my tears came. I’ve grown to realize that’s…
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Bless You
The morning devotion I read a few days ago talked about how we should strive to be a blessing to our neighborhood, our town, and to the people who live around us. Even if we know that we are not going to put down long-term roots where we currently live, we should be good citizens…
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Honor
A dear friend of mine lost her infant granddaughter last week. This friend is no stranger to child loss. In fact, we met through her blog and Facebook group for bereaved parents. She lost her middle son a year before my Rachel died. He was a talented musician and on track to graduate from law…
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What’s So Happy About It?
A lot of people wake up on January 1st looking forward to the new year. It’s a new beginning – a time to start fresh. To put last year’s mistakes and worries behind you and start over. Just like that new calendar you hang in your kitchen or office, you’ve got 365 blank squares to…
A Light for My Path
Carrying the torch for bereaved parents.
“Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105
Why I’m Here
It feels impossible that I have lived for more than eight years now (ed. 2025) without one of my children in my life. Yet, here I am. And, here I will be for however many more years I have in this world.
I’ve learned a lot in these ensuing years. Some lessons I didn’t want to learn and some I wouldn’t have learned any other way than through losing Rachel. I would give anything to have remained ignorant. I have learned that losing a child changes you fundamentally, just as becoming a parent does. I have learned that those changes can be hard on relationships. That members of the same family will grieve differently, and we have to give each other grace. That deep and lasting grief can be frightening or uncomfortable to others. That some of those others will pull away. That many more others will stand beside you even when your changed self is hard to be around, awkward, talking too much, silent, laughing inappropriately, or crying uncontrollably.
What doesn’t change is God’s grace and mercy. He is here in the midst of the deepest grief. His Spirit groans for us when we don’t know what to pray. And, in my case, He led me to a wonderful group of other hurting hearts who shared their loss experiences, their faith struggles, and their recognition that though we grieve, we grieve with hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13).
I’ve decided that just maybe I’ve attained enough life lessons to be of some help to other grieving parents. To that end, I launched this blog site and a companion Facebook page. They are open to all, but the target audience is parents who have lost a child and those who love and want to support them. My posts reflect my Christian beliefs and will follow Biblical principles. I welcome questions, comments, humor, soul-baring, vulnerability, doubt, strength, and support.
Laura 3/28/2022
We are all just walking each other home.
Ram Dass
A Light for My Path 