All Episodes

There are a lot of listeners who know Laura’s daughter, Becca, died from heart issues. There are fewer listeners who know the cause of the heart issues, and not very many who know the full story, because Laura doesn’t share it very often. In this episode, Laura shares from her heart what happened, and the 26 year journey it put them on, wrapping it up with why she can still say God is good and He...

When Laura’s daughter died, she remembers feeling so very shattered that she did not think it was possible to find all the pieces, much less have God put them all back together. But as she continued this unwanted journey, she began to see and understand that brokenness can become something beautiful. In this episode, Laura’s hope and prayer is that each listener will be able to have their own hope...

When our child leaves this earth, there are plenty of unexpected things that happen as we go along on this unwanted journey. Sometimes it is based on things we expected that just don’t happen the way we thought they would, and other times these unexpected things seem to come out of nowhere. In this episode, Laura wants to help pareavors be more prepared to expect the unexpected. Links Mentio...

Many grieving parents who have faced child loss share how hard it is that everyone around them just keeps going on with their life as if nothing has happened, when their own life has come to a screeching halt after the death of their child. Laura shares a specific time and place she had that exact painful thought and how she eventually saw that a change in perspective showed her how that could pos...

Every year, since 1998, Laura has asked the Lord for a scripture of what He wants to work into her life for that year. Several years ago, she also ask Him for a specific word, and many times that word and the scripture flowed together. Laura has shared on this topic before, but felt led to talk about it again, because this past year’s verse for her has been so profound and  so very meaningful, and...

After taking a short break for the first time in four years, Laura is back to share on the topic of hope and how “wishful thinking” is not true hope. Hopelessness can leave us feeling weary and defeated, leaving us caught in a negative circle and not see any way out. In today’s episode, Laura looks at Proverbs 13:12 which implies this very thing, along with the second half of the verse which breat...

Advent is a time of waiting. This time of year, advent means waiting for Christmas to arrive. As bereaved parents, our advent is waiting for the day we can see and be with our children again. Fortunately, Jesus coming to earth was out of God’s love for us, so that our separation is only temporary. In the meantime, we grieve deeply because we love deeply. Along with the fourth (and final) week of t...

Joy is something that seems impossible to have ever again, after the death of our child. In today’s episode, Laura talks about this, along with sharing some details about someone in the Bible who had an extremely difficult life (that included the death of her child) that most of us can relate to. We can have joy in our lives once again, but it is something most of us have to fight for, when we are...

Peace can be hard to come by after the death of our child, and the Christmas season can make it even more difficult to find the peace we so desperately need. In this episode, Laura starts with a recording of the live reading from the book “Hope for the Future: An Advent Journey for Bereaved Parents” (Week 2 Day One) on the topic of peace within the Christmas season. Since the podcast episodes are...

The Christmas season can be brutal for those of us who have lost a child, especially the first few years. One year, when Laura was struggling deeply connecting to the “reason for the season” she found herself crying out to God to show Himself as Emmanuel, God with us. She felt led to dig out the family advent wreath and found herself writing out something every day for the four weeks of advent. In...

When our child dies, we feel like we have been left wandering in a wilderness with no way out. Recently, Laura saw how the wilderness may have more to it than how she has seen it in the past, and that there just might be a different perspective we can have while in this wilderness experience. Links Mentioned in th is episode: See the webpage for the book Hope for the Future: An Advent Journey for...

As we are all very aware, this week is Thanksgiving. As grieving parents, child loss can make it feel like it is impossible to ever be truly thankful again. Laura shares her heart about this family holiday, in hopes that it will be a help and encouragement to you. (Note: Most of this episode is a replay of a previous one on this topic, giving Dave and Laura a bit of a needed break during this time...

Those of us who have lost a child can begin to dread the end-of-the-year holidays way before they arrive, especially the Christmas season. Several years ago, as Laura struggled with this, she ended up putting together her own advent time with God. Today she talks about this, and how you can join her on a special advent journey, specifically for bereaved parents. This podcast episode is sponsored b...

Many believers in Christ struggle with their faith after child loss. It can feel like God did not keep His end of things, and some scriptures feel like a slap-in-the-face reminder of this. Instead of refusing to read the Word because of those verses, Laura discovered there were scriptures that took on a whole new meaning after her daughter died, that gave her the peace, encouragement, strength and...

Today is another topic that can be such a huge struggle for so many of us, which is what to do with our children’s things when they are no longer here. Is it okay that I have left everything exactly where it was? What if I lost an adult child, and I wasn’t given the things I wanted that were special to me? These are some of the things Laura talks about in today’s episode. If this is a hurdle you h...

Last week ( episode 233 ) Laura talked about struggling with guilt after child loss. If you did not hear it, you may want to listen to that one first. In this episode, Laura continues addressing the topic of guilt; specifically about some of the reasons we may have a hard time releasing ourselves from the guilt we carry after the death of our child. Links Mentioned in th is episode: Click here to...

Guilt. It is something we all struggle with after the death of our child. We believe it is somehow our fault and that we should have done something differently so our child would still be here with us. We feel guilty that we did not/could not keep our child safe. Listen in, as Laura talks about this struggle we all face, and why we do not need to continue to carry guilt and self-condemnation. Link...

For most of us, what used to be just a normal date on the calendar has become the worst day of the year. This week, Laura hits that calendar day once again, which is October 12. Listen in, as she shares some of her thoughts on this topic we all have to deal with, as bereaved parents.   Links Mentioned in th is episode: Click here to leave a review for Reflections of Hope on Amazon. Find out m...

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...