Holidays

Entering a new year without our child bring heavy emotions for bereaved parents. The turning of the calendar can feel like we are leaving our child behind, especially if this is the first new year since their death. Even years later, the weight of time passing can still take our breath away. In this episode, […]

As Christmas draws near and a new year approaches, this episode is a gentle pause; a sacred moment set aside to pray over grieving parents who are carrying love and loss side by side. The heart of the episode is a heartfelt Christmas prayer, spoken just two days before Christmas, acknowledging the unique pain this […]

The holidays can highlight our grief in painful ways when our child is no longer here with us. This week, Laura talks about how gratitude and grief can coexist — especially during the holiday season — and how God gently meets us in both. You’ll hear Laura share a deeply personal story about Becca’s last […]

During the Christmas season, we are surrounded by the sights and sounds of being joyful. For many of us who have lost a child, we just want this time of year to be over. We don’t see joy being part of our lives ever again. In this episode, Laura shares from week three in her […]

This was an unplanned episode, but Laura wanted to share some things before the week was over. With this being the week of Thanksgiving (here in the US) Laura started wondering if there is a difference between being thankful and being grateful. After listening to what she has to share, Laura would love to hear […]

The holidays can be absolutely brutal to those of us who have lost a child, especially those first few years. Even as we get further down the road, we never know how this time of year is going to affect us. In today’s episode, Laura talks to two different pareavors on how they have navigated […]

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 […]

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 […]

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. […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Forever 29. Every parent who has lost a child from this earth knows exactly what that means. Since this is the birthday week of Laura’s daughter, Becca, she decided to talk about how difficult their birthdays can be, especially when those around us think we should be “moving on” and don’t understand why this day […]

This is the time of year when we are surrounded by people talking about having goals for the new year and how to achieve them. For those of us who are in the darkness of child loss, we are probably not making lists of lofty goals. We just want to know how to simply survive […]

After child loss, it can feel like the dagger in our hearts is being twisted as we head into a new year without our child, especially that first year. We feel like we are leaving them behind on a whole new level. Life is going on without our child and it isn’t supposed to! We […]

This is a short episode, but an intimate and deep one as Laura reads a poem she wrote a few years after her daughter, Becca, died. Laura also closes out today’s episode with a prayer over the listeners, as they may be struggling heading into a new year without their child. Links Mentioned in this […]

With the Christmas season in full swing, it can make missing our child brutal. Finding the right gift to give others may not be on your radar right now, much less giving any gifts to yourself. However, those who have been on this journey for a while know how important it is find helpful ways […]

Last week Laura was talking with Lynda Cheldelin Fell about ten tips to help bereaved parents get through the end-of-the-year holiday season. They only got through eight of the ten. (You will want to listen to episode 186 first to catch up, plus it is full of things that are good to know, emotionally, mentally, […]

As we come into the end-of-the-year holiday season, it can help to hear from others who are further down the road and can offer some encouragement and guidance. Lynda Cheldelin Fell is one of those pareavors. Lynda has ten tips to share with us as we go through the emotional kaleidoscope of missing our child […]

All the holidays are a struggle, but Thanksgiving is unique in that the entire purpose is to be thankful and grateful for the ways God has blessed us. If you are in those first two to three years of child loss, you may not feel even remotely blessed, believing it is impossible to have anything […]

Today’s episode is a continuation from last week with two dad pareavors, Dave Diehl and Steve Martindale. Today’s discussion includes Dave and Steve sharing what they wish they had done differently in the early months of their grief. They also answered Laura’s question if the death of their daughters changed their theology or what they […]

Most of you do not need to be reminded that Father’s Day is this coming weekend. For many dads, it is the hardest day of the year with the pain of missing their child. Today and next week, we are going to hear from Laura’s husband, Dave, and their friend, Steve Martindale, who also lost […]

Did you know the first Sunday of May is International Bereaved Mother’s Day? Yes, it is a real thing. A day just for us. Today’s episode talks about this special day. Laura also shares some real and honest thoughts and feelings about the following week, which is Mother’s Day. It is one of the hardest […]