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You Couldn’t Bear It
In the daily devotional for June 27th, the author Sarah Young writes as Jesus speaking to us and says: I designed time to be a protection for you. You couldn’t bear to see all your life at once. “Jesus Calling” by Sarah Young One of my earliest blog posts was titled “The Blessing of Not…
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Idols
I’ve written several times about concerns that bereaved parents have. My main reason for doing so is I don’t want grieving parents to add to their heartache and worry with thoughts that they are not normal or they are displeasing God. A frequent concern expressed by parents is that they don’t want to make an…
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It Could Happen Again
I belong to two private online groups for bereaved parents. Private in that membership is strictly limited to people who have lost a child. Not a parent, a spouse, sibling, or even a grandchild. This may seem unnecessarily limiting to some, but the reasoning is that child loss is unique. Bereaved parents face enough external…
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Benediction
I’ve always loved benedictions. If I’m really honest, when I was a child, the reason I liked them was because they signaled the end of my trying not to fidget in church. As an adult, I find them uplifting and always such a perfect encapsulation of the Lord’s grace towards us. The secular definition of…
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I’m Not Over It
Sometimes history repeats itself. Not always in a good way. I frequently look back at my journals from past years, especially the years since Rachel died. It helps me to see how I was feeling at certain points so I can let other grievers know that where they are in their struggle is normal. It…
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Will She Know Me?
A fellow bereaved mother hosts a private social media group for grieving parents. She also writes a daily blog sharing her experiences and her faith. She has inspired and encouraged me to keep going when I feel like this path of grief is too long and dark. A few days ago, in her blog she…
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Milestones
This past week we had a family celebration for my oldest granddaughter’s 8th grade graduation. Now, to be honest, I think it’s a little silly for schools to have preschool, Kindergarten, or 8th grade graduation ceremonies. Not that these milestones aren’t important to the students. I remember being excited about going to high school. But, I think…
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Charity
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines charity from a secular sense as “generosity and helpfulness especially toward the needy or suffering.” The Encyclopedia Britannica states that, in Christian thought, “charity is the highest form of love, signifying the reciprocal love between God and man that is made manifest in unselfish love of one’s fellow men.” This definition goes…
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Life Lessons
So, I wrapped up last week’s post with these words: Then I will wake up early Monday morning and check my post to be sure it’s published and that I didn’t miss a typo. And, I will have gotten through another holiday. I mean, it’s just a day, right? And, I did just that. I…
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Not Just Another Holiday
By the time this post publishes we will be past another holiday. But, not just any holiday; this past Sunday was Mother’s Day. Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are hard for bereaved parents. So hard, in fact, that there are International Bereaved Mother’s and Father’s Days. Bereaved Mother’s Day is always commemorated (I can’t say…
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 