Because child loss is so devastating and painful, it’s easy to believe the only logical reason for this agony is that it’s punishment. It took me awhile to allow the Holy Spirit to lead me into the truth that it is not. All the punishment for sin was borne by Jesus.

The life I see is not all the life there is.  In fact, it’s not even the best life there is.  The best is yet to come when all this pain and sorrow and hurt will be redeemed.  My heart and my family will be restored.  My tears will be wiped away and I will stand in the glorious Presence of God and Christ forever. I have a choice of what I allow to fill my broken heart.  I will not choose bitterness. Bitterness is buried with the heart that carries it.  But love lasts forever

Dear mama, dear daddy, give yourself permission not to try to figure out what a parent’s heart was never meant to calculate-how to live without the earthly companionship of the child you love-and just breathe.   One day at a time. One moment at a time. One breath at a time.

I work hard to find something for which to be thankful each day. I try to get outside and breathe in the fresh air and soak up the sunshine. And when I have a rainy day-whether it is literally dripping water from the sky or simply dripping tears from my eyes-I try to do something that will help my heart hold on.

It seems unbearable to think ahead to the possible years of doing this hard thing.  And it is- UNBEARABLE.  If I look at the missing writ large across the rest of my life, I will crumble beneath the weight of it. Yet, I only have to live this moment, this breath, this day.

The longer since his leaving, the more I feel I need to have it together in public. My tears are inexplicable to those who've forgotten,

God is for us. REALLY for us. So who can be against us? No one.

So many people think grief grows smaller over time.  But that’s not it at all.  Grief occupies exactly the same space in my heart.

There is no "right way" or "wrong way" to handle holidays after losing a child. For many, there is only survival.

A letter to family and friends that can help them understand (a little) what it's like to face holidays after child loss.

So much of this battle has been fought in my mind. Really, even more than my heart. What I dwell on makes a difference.

Since Dominic ran ahead to Heaven, I find I need even more alone time than before. But I take care that solitude doesn’t become isolation.

In the aftermath of child loss, healthy boundaries are no longer optional, they are necessary for survival.  

I am learning to take anxious thoughts captive, learning to make them live in only a corner of my mind instead of taking it over completely.

I and several other seasoned bereaved parents will share a bit about how to navigate this difficult time of year.

Truth is, unless I face my feelings, give my heart time to experience them and work toward processing them, I cannot even begin to heal.

Sleep is important. I can’t do the work grief requires if I go too long without it.

When faced with a wall of overwhelming and cascading feelings, I do the next right thing-whatever that may be until I see a sliver of light.