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Bittersweet
Well, I made it through another one. Holiday, that is. Boy, that sounds cynical, doesn’t it? I really don’t mean for it to. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with my older daughter and her brood plus several other family members – 14 of us in all. We ate way too much delicious food, played silly […]
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A Hard Week
This has been a hard week emotionally. A classmate of my 15-year-old grandson took his own life on Wednesday. There are almost no words to express the tragedy of a person that age thinking that life is not worth living. There is nothing that a 15-year-old could do, say, think, or feel that a parent […]
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Crying
Of all sports related movies, I like baseball ones best. And of the many baseball movies, my favorite is “A League of Their Own.” On the remote chance that you haven’t seen it, the movie centers around the formation of a women’s professional baseball league during WWII to keep the sport alive while so many […]
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When Grief Consumes Us
Grieving is hard work. In most cultures, especially in years past, mourners were given deference and allowed space and time to themselves to grieve. Some people might dress in a certain way (in all black, for example) or wear a black armband for a specified period of time so they could be recognized as being […]
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Tu Me Manques
Today (October 31st) is Rachel’s birthday. Here on earth she would be turning 36 years old. In her Heavenly home she is timeless. Forever 31 ½? I don’t know. I’m not sure how age works in Heaven. I know how it works here – every day I get a little older. Farther away from the […]
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Worrywart
I’m a worrier by nature. A worrywart. What an odd word! It originated from the name of a comic strip character (Worry Wart) and was used to describe someone who constantly pestered people. It evolved into meaning someone who worries incessantly. My husband would say both meanings apply to me. I would say he exaggerates. […]
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Fruit (Part 2)
Last week I wrote about how I came to better understand who the Holy Spirit is and how I am working to allow God’s Spirit (the Comforter and Advocate) to grow fruit in my heart. What specifically are these fruits and what does the Bible say about each of them? The wording from Galatians 5:22-23 […]
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Fruit (Part 1)
A couple of years ago I read a multi-part devotional teaching about the Holy Spirit. I confess to having a harder time understanding the Spirit part of the Holy Trinity than I do God the Father or God the Son. I soon realized that I needed to concentrate more on relying on this amazing gift […]
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Hard Lessons
Three years ago I read a passage in a devotional that struck me as something I might want to write about at some point, so I kept a note of it. “Rick Warren writes, ‘God loves to turn crucifixions into resurrections. The things you wish were most removed from your life are often the very […]
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It’s the Little Things
Last week’s post about grief seasons talked about whole periods of time, sometimes spanning months, when we may feel our grief more deeply. Conversely, there seem to be little things that pop up unexpectedly at random moments that tweak a memory, spark a smile, or prompt a tear. Like most daughters, Rachel liked to tease […]
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 five years 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 five 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 