All Episodes

We can get very frustrated (even angry) when someone tries to compare their loss to our loss of the death of our child. No one can possibly know the suffocating pit it hurls you into, unless you have found yourself in that same pit of child loss. There is another comparison that can frustrate us, and it is one we can make among each other – if not out loud, then sometimes silently. In today’s epis...

Sometimes God uses a movie or TV show to speak something to our hearts. In today’s episode, Laura shares how there are some things based on Dorothy’s journey in the classic movie Wizard of Oz , that can open our eyes to see some things about God we might be having a hard time seeing after the death of our child.   Links Mentioned in th is episode: Click here to leave a review for Reflections...

When our child dies, many of us struggle with not wanting to continue living here on earth. We want to go be with our child, even if we know in our heads there are reasons to stay, such as other children or a spouse, friends, ministries, or a job we enjoy. How can we get past that feeling and be okay with being here (for who knows how long) without our child? In this episode, Laura shares some of...

For many of us who have lost a child, it seems like God is silent when we need Him the most. We can be very angry how God seemed to be absent to keep our child from dying, and now He is absent in helping us through the darkness. Today is part two of this topic, with looking at how there was a painful silence for the disciples after Jesus died a cruel death at the hands of the Romans. Links Mention...

Why is God silent when I need Him more than ever? Does He not care? Has He abandoned me? Have I done something that has made Him mad at me? This week Laura shares from a book that addresses these thoughts, based on when God was silent after His Son was tortured and died a painful death. Links Mentioned in th is episode: Click here to go to the GPS Hope store and look at the various Hold On Pain Ea...

Laura recently heard something that caused her to see God’s love in a different light than she has before. The statement, “God loves us all the same”, isn’t really a comfort to most of us after the death of our child. Laura digs into this, as she also shares some recent communication between herself and a pareavor along this line.   Links Mentioned in th is episode: Click here to leave a revi...

Everyone who has lost a child is affected in some way in the area of grandchildren, making it a big topic with many angles. In last week’s episode, Laura talked about those who have grandchildren through their child who is no longer here, and how quite often those grandchildren are removed from our lives (which Laura has personal experience with.) She also talked with Sara Nelson about what it is...

Everyone who has lost a child is affected in some way in the area of grandchildren, making it a big topic with many angles. In today’s episode, Laura talks about those who have grandchildren through their child who is no longer here, and how quite often those grandchildren are removed from our lives (which Laura has personal experience with.) She also brings on Sara Nelson, who lost her only child...

When our child leaves this earth, we feel so very lost in our identity. Who am I now? Does it even matter? How can I go on? Do I even want to? So much of our identity is wrapped up in being a parent, but we are still so much more than being a parent, even if it doesn’t seem like it. In today’s episode, Laura reminds us of this, along with helping us discover a key to who we can be, as we continue...

“What does this whole child-loss-thing look like, years down the road?” Believe it or not, this is a question Laura has been asked a few times. Those first few years, we are just trying to get through the next minute, much less the next day or the next year. But after a while, when a pareavor realizes they have to figure this thing out for however long they remain here without their child, some di...

In today’s episode, Laura talks with a guest who questioned if God was punishing her with child loss because of an abortion she had in her younger years (based on the shame of losing her image as a good Christian girl). This is an excellent talk for those who have the same question, wondering if God allowed your child to die as a punishment for something in your past. Debra Lynn Hayes is an author...

Many of us struggle with our faith in God after He didn’t answer our prayers for our children. We may have prayed daily for protection, but he or she was in an accident that took their life. We may have prayed for healing from an addiction, or a mental illness like being bi-polar or manic depressive, but our child is no longer here because they were not freed from their struggle and even died by t...

Seven years ago this month, Laura’s book When Tragedy Strikes: Rebuilding Your Life with Hope and Healing was released with Morgan James Publishing. We are very excited to announce that the audio version has finally being released. In today’s episode you will be listening to the audio of another chapter, which is Chapter 11, The Pillars of Thoughts and Words. And like last week, you will also hear...

Seven years ago this week, Laura’s book When Tragedy Strikes: Rebuilding Your Life with Hope and Healing was released with Morgan James Publishing. We are very excited to announce that the audio version is finally being released this week. In today’s episode you will be listening to Laura’s audio, reading one of the chapters from the book, which is Chapter 3, The Garage of Tears. You will also hea...

When our child dies, we may have many reasons to “stick around” but none of them seem to matter. We cannot imagine being here for any length of time without our child here with us. Most of us are not suicidal, we just don’t want to be here anymore and would be fine with something happening that would take us out of here to go be with our child. Laura has experienced this same thing, when her daugh...

In this episode, Laura talks about something most parents who have lost a child think about. “I am not the same person I used to be. I will never be that person again. Who am I now? Why do we have a word for someone who has lost a spouse, or someone who has lost both parents, but there isn’t a word for me… someone who has lost a child?” Of course, we all know the suffocating darkness we find ourse...

Today’s episode is a continuation of Laura’s conversation with Melanie DeSimone on the topic of when people around us try to help, but end up hurting us. In today’s chat, the two talk about: being in the “range” of normal grief of child loss within the first three to five years when we are made to feel shame by others (who have never lost a child) by not being back to doing things in our lives aft...

When our child dies, it is more than just a moment in time for us. It is a continual, ongoing loss. However, most of the people around us see it as an event; as something we should be able to “get over,” and it can really hurt. People we thought who would be there for us seem to go on with their lives, forgetting about our child and the huge gaping hole it leaves in our lives and in our hearts. To...

Last Sunday, May 28 was Pentecost Sunday. This is when the Holy Spirit fell on those in the upper room with power and anointing, fifty days after Jesus’ resurrection. As believers in Christ, we are familiar with who Jesus is and what He did for us. We hear a lot about who God is as well. But how much do we know about the third part of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, who lives in us when we receive t...

Do you feel guilty for laughing after your child died? Are humorous things that used to make you laugh no longer funny? How do we get past that? What if we don’t want to ever laugh again? Laura’s guest, Nancy Weil, is a certified laughter specialist, who combines it with being a certified grief worker. Laughter is something that is needed in our lives as soon as possible because of the physical, m...

As parents who have faced the loss of a child, our world comes to a screeching halt. It can feel devastating to see life going on as normal with those around us. In today’s episode, Laura’s guest, Kim Peacock talks about this, along with dealing with the many triggering activities that go on this time of year, such as graduations and weddings.   Kim Peacock is the author of Victorious Heart ,...

In the darkness of child loss, we feel like we are wandering in a wilderness with no hope of ever getting out. It is a very vulnerable place to be, and the enemy knows it. In this episode, Laura talks about Jesus’ wilderness experience at a time when He was also extremely vulnerable. There are several things that can help us as pareavors, when we take the time to really look at what was happening...

As a pareavor (parent who is bereaved of their child) we are broken. Deeply broken and our hearts are shattered. We don’t think it is possible to ever have our hearts be put back together. In today’s episode, Laura shares her thoughts and experience in being broken after child loss, and being okay with being broken. Today’s episode is sponsored by Stephen and Ariel Kostrna in memory of Milo...

The Grieving Parents Sharing Hope podcast’s first episode was released on April 23rd, four years ago. Today you will hear Laura read the April 23rd entry in Reflections of Hope: Daily Readings for Bereaved Parents , which talks about how our thoughts affect the process of finding our way out of the suffocating darkness of our grief.   Links Mentioned in th is episode: Click here to find out m...

When we are faced with the shock of child loss, literally every part of us is out of whack – our thoughts, our bodies, our emotions, and even our relationship with God. Most of us start looking for some sort of hope, that life will not always be like this. We look for a way to try and make sense of why a good God would allow this to happen. Unfortunately, these things can be hard to find. For almo...