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Platitudes
A few days ago, a young mother joined one of the bereaved parent groups I’m in. She posted that she had gone into premature labor at 21 weeks pregnancy. Her little girl only lived a few days. Her child’s death was three months ago, and she is in deep grief. She is having an especially…
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Memorial
Today is Memorial Day in the United States. The day we honor and commemorate the men and women who sacrificed their life in service to our country. Most of us (I hope) are grateful to the members of our armed forces serving and protecting us. Many of us have family members who committed several years…
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Everlasting
Psalm 139 is chockfull of wisdom. Probably the most quoted verses from this song by King David are: I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made (v 14). and … Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and…
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Enough
I am writing this post on the Friday before Mother’s Day. By the time it’s published Mother’s Day will be past us. But, for now I have just prayed, as I always do before I start to write, that God will bless my words and that they will be acceptable in His sight. I’m also…
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Forevermore
The Book of Psalms contains many of the most recognized and quoted verses of the Bible. Many of us were taught passages like the 23rd psalm in Sunday School or Vacation Bible School. While we may have recited those memorized verses from rote without really paying much attention to their meaning, for most of us,…
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Smile
There’s a little nook in my dining room that has four small shelves on the wall. Each shelf has pictures of my two daughters at varying stages of growing up. The bottom shelf has a picture of each of them in her wedding dress before the ceremony. In each picture, both girls are looking down,…
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New Every Morning
When Rachel first died, I had an awful time sleeping. I had a hard time getting to sleep even when I was exhausted. I tended to toss and turn and sleep restlessly. I often had nightmares that jarred me awake, my heart pounding, and my lungs gasping for breath. My panic would wake my husband…
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Distracted
I’m writing this on April 11th, 2026. Today marks nine years since my younger daughter went to Heaven. Even nine years down the road, certain dates weigh heavy on me – Rachel’s birthday, her wedding anniversary, Mothers’ Day, and the day she left this world. I always try to plan something to distract me on…
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Dedication
Back in September of last year, I wrote a post called Coffee. I talked about how when my daughter Rachel was in college, she started attending a campus outreach that was part of a fledgling local church. She quickly became a regular attendee at the church and its “home groups.” Rachel volunteered to be part…
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That Time Again
This time of year is always painful for me. My younger daughter, Rachel, died in a car accident the Tuesday before Easter nine years ago. The date April 11, 2017 is etched in my soul. But, because Easter isn’t a set date like Christmas, and instead varies with the liturgical calendar, my heart is also…
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 