Mourning Glory Grief Podcast

How did the Apostles feel after Jesus' ascension into heaven? What might have it been like those last 40 days to see our savior return home? Experiencing loss can bring about many feelings. Loss can make one feel hopeless, unsure of what direction to turn. In this episode Jennifer Thomas and Andrea Bear talk about why we can feel hopeless after loss and how looking at the Early Church can be a...

After listening to Part One of this two-part series, Andrea and Jennifer sit down with developmental psychologist, Dr. Mary Ruth Hackett to discuss the different elements children often face when dealing with grief and loss. Dr. Hackett shares her insight and wisdom from both a scientific aspect as well as that of being a mom about some of the different ways kids process grief compared with adults...

In Part One of this special two-part series, Jennifer sits down to have a candid conversation with three special guests: her three children. They share what it was like losing their beloved dog, Max back in September, giving listeners a glimpse into what it is like to lose a pet or loved one from their perspective. Be sure to tune in next week for Part Two when Andrea and Jennifer chat with Dr. Ma...

Join Andrea and Jennifer as they pray the Seven Sorrows of Mary Rosary. Link to the Seven Sorrows of Mary Rosary as recited in this episode: MGP The Seven Sorrows of Mary . Share your prayer intentions with Andrea and Jennifer at the Mourning Glory Podcast Website.

"As we forgive those who trespass against us," are the words Jesus shares in the Our Father prayer, and yet these words become hard to practice when serious offenses are committed. How do you forgive someone if you don't condone the act? How do you show love when you feel grief and sorrow? For Rachel Muha forgiveness was not a feeling, or an option. It was an act of love and something she knew wit...

Most people go through life thinking little of their own death. But the reality is we will all face this one day, and how we die and what we do to prepare for the end of our life has great meaning. The Saints refer to this as Memento Mori , a happy death. In this week's episode, Andrea interviews Stephen Doran, author of To Die Well: A Catholic Neurosurgeon's Guide to End of Life. Dr. Dora...

Loss comes in many forms and the pain of losing a loved one through adoption is no exception. In this episode, Jennifer interviews Antony Barone Kolenc to discuss the pain he endured after losing his grandson to adoption. With insight into the complexities of loss when there is no death, Antony shares how this loss as well as the death of his father continue to influence his writing. Antony Barone...

Sometimes we need to let our old self die in order to become who God fully wants us to be. Guest Brooke Taylor shares with Jennifer and Andrea how sometimes our past has to die in order for new life to emerge. Listen in as she shares her life experiences and how letting go of past experiences, identities, and expectations allows acceptance of what God has planned for us. Brooke Taylor is a radio p...

We know that therapy with loss has been proven to be quite helpful. In the last decade a new trend in coaching has taken shape and covered a multitude of support systems. If coaching is helpful, what's the difference between coaching and therapy and when you should use one or the other? Andrea and Jennifer sit down with Grief Coach Johanna Stamps to talk about Grief Coach and who can best bene...

Lent is a time of redemptive suffering. Yet how can suffering offer joy and glory? This week's episode, Jennifer and Andrea interview author and speaker Maria Riley, a woman who experienced redemptive suffering through the loss of four miscarriages and the loss of her father. Even in her darkest moments, Maria's steadfast faith was able to help her through these recurring losses for the plan God h...

Are there times you feel overwhelmed? As if you carry the weight of the world is on your shoulders? This feeling can manifest into our jobs, family, even health. Jennifer and Andrea talk about what comes with the feelings of being overwhelmed and provide tips they have found useful when dealing with the weight of the world. How do you deal when you feel like life is all on your shoulders? Share wi...

Andrea continues her interview with guest Chris Curtis, a man who was given exceptional gifts at any early age, but for many years lived a double life. Drugs, alcohol, womanizing, even food addiction led him down a dark path until eventually he had to come face to face with who God was calling him to truly be.  Andrea and Chris sit down and discuss his journey. We've broken his story into a tw...

(* Note: Some content in this week's episode might not be suitable for some listeners. Individual discretion is recommended.) This week's guest is 52 year old Chris Curtis. A man who was given exceptional gifts at any early age, but for many years lived a double life. Drugs, alcohol, womanizing, even food addiction led him down a dark path until eventually he had to come face to face with...

We know that writing has been a proven therapeutic way to process grief. Some journal, others write letters and some write stories. Our guest this week is award winning Catholic teen author Leslea Wahl. Leslea is known for many of her teen novels including Where You Lead, and The Blind side. Like Jennifer and Andrea Leslea has experienced the loss of her parent(s). As a way to commemorate their le...

After six long years of constant chemotherapy, painful procedures, many relapses, and a brush with death from the chickenpox virus, Donna MacCleod’s daughter Erynne , died of leukemia at age 9. Her love of life, cheerful spirit, and devotion to Jesus inspired many. Being in her presence changed Donna as Erynne was a child of hope. In her early periods of grief, Donna began to write a spiritual com...

When you’re in the grief club, other grievers can be the most supportive because they “get it.”  So it makes sense that even  the Church acknowledges Saints who’ve experienced loss. After all, Saints are people just like us, enduring sadness, anger, loneliness and suffering. If there’s one saint who understands loss, it’s none other than St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. Losing her mother at an early age,...

Listen in as Jennifer and Andrea look back at the start of the podcast in early September and the knowledge they've learned from guests in their experiences of loss along with their thoughts going into the new year. Both ladies also discuss their Word of the Year ; a concept they have come to know through other Catholic podcasters including Abiding Together Podcast and the Jen Fulwiler show. W...

What happens when you experience more than one loss in a short amount of time or don't address your grief? Do multiple losses shorten your grief of one experience or prolong another? How can you reasonably manage both when it feels like dominoes where everything falls down together? Join Jennifer and Andrea as they discuss what is commonly referred to as compound grief , a period of time when...

We know that in grief there can be unspeakable pain. A pain that sometimes is so hard to endure that there seems no way out. And its in those moments its easy for people to want to numb or escape the pain through drugs or alcohol. Belinda Mooney understood this all too well, when she experienced addiction in her own family. And as a result she has made it her mission to share the effects that addi...

In this week’s episode, Jennifer and Andrea have a candid conversation with author Kate Wicker about her experience with the loss of her dear friend, Misti, and explore how grief can be different when it is a lifelong friend. How does it feel different and how can you cope, especially when the person wasn't just a part of your life, but probably a part of your entire family's life? What ar...

How does grief affect our relationships with other family members including our children and spouses? How does one continue leading a family on the path to holiness after a tragedy? And, more importantly, how does one go about maintaining a relationship with God after the significant loss of a loved one? In this week’s episode, Jennifer interviews Mark Myers, author of Missing Kylie: A Father'...

The Holidays are a time of joy and celebration, but for many they can also be a time of sadness or even loneliness, especially if its the first holiday after a loved one has passed away. Today’s episode Jennifer and Andrea talk about "the do's" and "the don'ts" when trying to navigate the holiday season. Listen in as both ladies share tips from their own past holidays a...

During times of loss, it is more important than ever to remember that we have so many resources available to us that can help us find hope. Especially during that time after the dust settles after the initial shock of whatever loss we are experiencing, whether it is the loss of a loved one through death or any other relationship, it can be difficult to remember where to go. In this episode, guest...

PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) is a very real disorder and something many veterans deal with on a daily basis. So how do we cope when someone we love has died or taken their life because of PTSD? For Chanthou Thoeun this became her reality when Rico, her daughter's father succumb to suicide. Consumed with grief and emotions, she tried to navigate this loss as well as care for her daughter....

Guest Teresa Tomeo shares about her book Everything's Coming Up Rosie, 10 Lessons my Feisty Italian-American Mom Taught Me About Living a Godly Life, written about her late mother Rosie and the life lessons she taught her. In the book, Teresa admits that she and her mother did not always see eye to eye, but toward the end of her life she grew to understand her and admire her for all the life l...