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Peace Like a River
Folks who read my blog on a regular basis probably get tired of me talking about the river that runs by our property. It’s nothing grand. It’s not like we live on the Amazon or the Mississippi. Or the Seine (I can only dream!). It’s a little spring-fed river called the Santa Fe that meanders…
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Old Soul
According to my online dictionary, an “old soul” is a term often used to describe someone who exhibits wisdom, maturity, and a depth of understanding that seems beyond their years. People who identify as old souls may feel more connected to the past, prefer deeper conversations over small talk, and possess a sense of empathy and…
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Not Our Ways
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. Isaiah 55:8 In the Our Daily Bread devotional for February 12th, the writer describes a trip her husband had planned to take to Africa years ago. The trip was unexpectedly cancelled at the last minute, but they were able…
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Absence
I’ve had a really hard time this week with writer’s block. I’ve sat down at my computer several times to write my blog post, and the words just wouldn’t come. I prayed for God to guide me. I looked through my list of post ideas. Nothing felt right. I blamed my fuzzy-brainedness on the nasty…
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Take Backs
I like to be in control. I’m a planner and detail oriented, so I feel comfortable taking a lead position. Because then I have control of what plan we follow and can ensure every “i” is dotted and every “t” is crossed. Of course, my being in control is a façade. There is so much…
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Better Than I Can
I’ve mentioned before that one of the devotionals I read each morning is Our Daily Bread. The devotional on Saturday, January 25th was titled “God’s Perfect Care” by Elisa Morgan. The prayer at the end of the piece said: Dear Father, please help me to trust you with my loved ones, knowing that You can…
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Replacements
This past October I had the opportunity to attend a retreat for bereaved mothers hosted by Melanie DiSimone. She is a writer, the leader and moderator of a Facebook group for bereaved parents entitled Heartache and Hope: Life After Losing a Child, author of a blog The Life I Didn’t Choose, and, most recently the…
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I Miss Them
This past Saturday marked thirty years since my mother went to Heaven. She died of breast cancer in 1995 at the age of 62. I’m older now than she was when she died. She would be 92 now and few of her contemporaries are still living. Yet, her mother lived to be 95 and was…
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Happy? New Year
A fellow bereaved parent expressed surprise that the New Year hit her harder than Christmas did. She was prepared to be sad and emotional at Christmas, but she got through it okay. Instead, she found herself weeping on New Year’s Eve and waking up depressed the next morning. I commented that even almost eight years…
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Friends
I have commented more than once that one of the hardest things about losing my daughter was that I also lost a friend. Rachel was thirty years old when she died in a car accident just two months after her marriage. She and her older sister had very distinct personalities. Her sister liked to please…
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 