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How I Cope with Child Loss

By on Apr 3, 2017 |

Since my last post I have heard from many mothers who have lost children.  As I read their stories I feel honored that they would share their heart with me.  I was so touched by their stories. Although their hearts are broken, they somehow have found peace and gratitude for the lessons their children have taught them.  They have the ability to share their love and offer encouragement to me. These children who have passed have taught us so much. They teach us to cherish the ordinary moments in life. Standing at the sink washing dishes with my other children no longer feels like a chore; it feels like intimacy and love. It has taught me that the jumble of shoes kicked off at the front door is a sign of life.  It’s taught me that sharing a meal is communion. It has shown me that the small stuff really doesn’t matter. About three months after my son passed away, I was still in...

It’s Been Six Months

By on Mar 29, 2017 | 17 comments

April 1st will mark six months since my son passed away.  As I approach this date it is hard to imagine it has been half of a year.  I have a lot of emotions about this. One thing I know for sure is that I am forever changed. The loss of my son has changed me in profound ways.  As I move through the shock and try to make sense of what has happened, I realize I am never going to be the same.  As I move through the process of trying to accept this loss I realize that I have a new relationship with God. It is almost as if my son has made a formal introduction,  “Mom,  this is  God. God, this is my mom.” I was already acquainted with Him.  But this is a new type of relationship.  I feel as if I have have had a peek behind the curtain. The experience of losing a child has been a stripping away of everything that I thought life was about.  Life was something that happened in the...

Joy In The Midst Of Pain

By on Mar 19, 2017 | 6 comments

Is it possible for joy to exist at the same time as adversity and pain?  How is that possible?  It would seem that you are either joyful or sorrowful. In Psalms 28:7 – “The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and He helps me.  My hearts leaps for joy, and with my song I praise Him.” I can only share from my own experiences.  At the exact moment of bad news, my heart drops, my stomach hurts, and I start feeling anxious. I want to lay down and never get up.  It’s not as if I have been planning an “In Case of Emergency Survival Guide”.  I’m just like everyone else.  It knocks me off of my feet.  Then the reality sets in and I think, “God, what do you want me to do?” In Galations 5:22, Paul writes that those who believe in Christ are filled with the Holy Spirit.  A by product of this is we are given the Fruit of...