All Episodes

Today you are going to hear from a new friend and fellow pareavor, Kim Avery. Kim has so many things to share from a heart that is kind and caring, while encouraging us to learn how to walk from the place of grace that God has for us for the moment we are in. Twenty years ago, Kim moved from being a professional counselor to working as a certified life and business coach. She loved every minute of...

When our child dies, it can feel like God betrayed us. We prayed for our kids, we took them to church, etc. In other words, we did what we were supposed to do, so why didn’t God keep His end of things? In today’s episode, Laura talks about looking beyond what we know here and now, encouraging the listeners to also take into consideration God’s view of eternity. Links Mentioned in th is episode: Jo...

In those first few months (or even first two or three years) many pareavors (bereaved parents) have a hard time believing they will get to the point where they are not in the place of suffocating grief they have found themselves thrown into. There are thousands of pareavors who are several years down the road, who thought the same thing. But once they find themselves out of that dark pit, is it he...

We are very aware of the four seasons of the year, but have you thought about how our grief can have seasons as well? In this episode, Laura shares her thoughts about all four seasons, and how they correspond to the grief we deal with, in the loss of our child.   Note: Laura also shares that for a “season”, she will be releasing a podcast every other week instead of weekly. Links Mentioned in...

Do we know the difference between our soul and our spirit and how each of them affects us? As a bereaved parent, do we have a broken soul, a broken spirit, or both? Does it really matter? Listen in as Laura shares some insights that she believes the Lord has given her recently about this.   Links Mentioned in th is episode: Click here to recieve a personal Weekly Word of Hope from Laura. Join...

Most of the time, when we use the word “hope” it is wishful thinking, as in “I hope our team pulls out a win today.” But when the word “hope” is used in scripture, God has a different meaning. Listen in, as Laura talks about this, and how important it is to be a prisoner of hope, as we find in Zechariah 9:12. A special thank you to Chris and ReNea Trebelhorn, for sponsoring today’s episode in hono...

As parents who have lost a child, we all know people who have said things that are inappropriate or just plain hurtful. In this episode, you are going to hear from two very special ladies in a conversation with Laura, about things people say that are just not true, in their attempt to make us “feel better.” Sara Faith Nelson, has been on this journey for ten years. She taught elementary and middle...

It seems many of us struggle to hear from God after the death of our child. We wonder why He has abandoned us when we need Him more than we ever have before. This was not Laura’s original topic for this episode, but God directed her to change it unexpectedly, a few hours before she was planning on recording. Links Mentioned in th is episode: To get My Grief Journey for only $5 (through July) click...

Have you ever stopped to think that your tears could possibly be a gift from God? That is something Laura explores in today’s talk, along with a few other observations that may be helpful to those who are grieving the loss of their child. Links Mentioned in th is episode: To get My Grief Journey for only $5 (through July) click here . (Be sure to check out My Grief Journey for Kids also.) Cl...

When we are in that dark pit of grief after child loss, we are in a very vulnerable place, making us an easy target for the enemy to get a foothold. It might be through things we were taught about God that make us angry at Him. It could be through our desperate need for peace, causing us to go down a path we would not have gone down before. Today’s guest dealt with both of these things.  Listen in...

After taking a month off for her sister’s illness and unexpected passing, Laura is back. In this episode, she discusses how faith and fear have the same root, and how the choice we make to lean into one or the other will have an affect on our journey of child loss. Links Mentioned in th is episode: Join us for a Weekend of Hope in Wisconsin this August! Find out more  here. To look at or purchase...

When we first lose our child from this earth, memories bring stabbing pain, because we realize that is all we have now. We can’t make new memories. We feel like we will never be able to enjoy life again, even if we have other children, a wonderful spouse, or job or ministry we loved. How can we possibly smile, or ever be happy again after our child dies? Just the thought of it can make us feel gui...

In today’s episode, Laura shares how she begged God to end her life after the death of her daughter. Eventually Laura decided that she did not want to live out the rest of her life as the shell of a person just waiting to die. As Laura shares her progression of going from wanting to die, to now living a life of meaning and purpose again, she does it in a way that brings hope to other pareavors, as...

Waiting can be one of the hardest and most exhausting things to do. As parents who have lost a child from this earth, two things we seem to be waiting on the most are for it to stop hurting so much, and obviously waiting to be with our child again. This week Laura talks about waiting for it to stop hurting so much. Next week she will discuss waiting to be with our child again. Links Mentioned in t...

After our child leaves this earth, most of us want to take Romans 8:28 out of our Bibles, especially when people throw that verse at us in a way that is supposed to make it all better. (“Remember, God promises to work everything out for good…”) Laura has been in that place of suffocating darkness, and begged God to take her from this earth when her daughter, Becca, died. In today’s episode,...

If you know Laura, you know that she feels things deeply and tears come easily to her. Somehow, she manages to hold those tears back when recording the podcast episodes… but not this time. A miracle is something only God can do, which is what we wanted (and even expected) for our children, either in a healing or in protection. When that doesn’t happen, our disappointment and even anger with God ca...

Mother’s Day can be one of the most difficult days of the year for a mom after child loss. In this episode, Laura will be talking about both Mother’s Day, and a special day the week before, which is International Bereaved Mother’s Day, which is the first Sunday in May. Laura is  very real and honest about her thoughts and feelings about all of this, in a way that isn’t normally like her.  But Moth...

So much horrific pain and darkness comes with child loss. It doesn’t matter how young or how old your child was when they left this earth. It doesn’t matter if it was sudden or if it was long and drawn out. As pareavors (bereaved parents), we can bristle when others say they know how we feel, because of a different loss. We know what that feels like. But what about when we compare our child’s loss...

After the loss of a child, there are scriptures that used to get us excited that don’t make any sense now.  They seem untrue and maybe even cruel. In today’s episode, Laura talks about one of those verses, Jeremiah 29:11, where God tells us He has good plans for us, to give us hope and a future. Links Mentioned in th is episode:   Click here for all the info and to register for the Ohio GPS H...

Today’s topic is one Laura gets asked about in emails, which is addressing the issue of losing friends we thought would be there for us in our time of grief. Laura and her guest, June Collins, talk about this from June’s experience of losing her 2-year-old son 12 years ago. Their conversation has a lot of nuggets that go beyond what or who we may lose, but also what and who we can gain. Note...

If I am struggling with anger and confusion and my faith is rocky right now, shouldn’t I pass on taking the elements of communion? In today’s episode, Laura digs into 1 Corinthians 11, talking about the purpose of communion and what makes us “unworthy”. Based on scripture, Laura believes that we are not disqualified. Not only that, but occasionally taking the elements is greatly needed and can be...

Easter Sunday can come with many different emotions for those of us who have lost a child. On one hand, we are thankful and want to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, who made it possible for us to be reunited with our children, never to be separated again. On the other hand, many of us struggle with going to a church service for this purpose, for various reasons which can be absolutely valid. I...

When we have a child who is no longer with us here on earth, we can feel like we have no more future – at least not a good one. In today’s episode, Laura looks at Philippians 3:12-14 and other scriptures, sharing that even if our future here is not what we thought it would be, we do not have to live out the rest of our time here with a heaviness that outweighs the joy of the future we still have w...

When we lose a child from this earth, we want to be done here and go be with them. Even if our head knows we have reasons to stay, our heart struggles to accept it. The pain and darkness can be all-consuming, and we cannot believe life will ever be worth living without our child. Podcast host, Laura Diehl, knows what that is like. In this episode, she will share some specific ways to help other pa...

Have you felt frustration that you are not going through the “five stages of grief” that you have heard about? In this episode, Laura shares why that is not only okay, but even to expected. Note: Thank you to Basia and Sebastian for sponsoring today’s episode in memory of their son, Gabriel. Links Mentioned in th is episode: Click here to sponsor a podcast episode in honor of your child. Watch the...