Stories Matter
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Embracing Lament: Cultivating a Heart Skill for Healing
Lament isn’t a one-time event — it’s a heart skill that helps bridge sorrow and faith. Here’s how God brought me back to it, and how you can begin too.
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August’s Ache: Celebrating Life In The Midst Of Loss
August holds both celebration and ache for my family—birthdays, anniversaries, and the reminder of who is missing. Faith assures me Bryan is alive with Christ, yet sorrow remains. In this tender space where joy and grief meet, God’s presence brings hope.
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Learning to Hope Again When Grief Reopens Old Wounds
This summer, I’ve been working through a Bible study with a friend: Hope For The Hurting Heart, by Linda Dillow. It’s a gentle, faith-based companion for those walking through grief. With honesty shaped by deep loss, Dillow offers more than advice—she offers presence. Her “Heart Skills” are not spiritual checklists. They’re anchors for when sorrow threatens to pull you under. We haven’t made it far in the book yet, but one chapter—on Hope—stopped me in my tracks. Honestly, it would’ve been worth the entire book just for that one lesson. Because if I’m being honest… The search for hope may be my greatest struggle in life. Especially during times of grief.…
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Tea For The Heart, A Grieving Mother’s Gathering
Seven years and four months ago, I entered a new world, the world of child loss. I never would have imagined that what followed would be filled with so many unexpected moments. Moments of tears of sorrow and joy. Moments of deep connection over honest conversations. Moments of gratitude for those who understood and could never understand my heartache. April 26th, my “community” hosted a special tea for moms and grandmothers who have experienced the loss of a child of any age or stage of life, along with moms in waiting who struggle with infertility. I used the term “my community” to mean my church family, our care director, and…
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Beauty From Ashes: Reviewing My Year
2024 is rapidly coming to an end. It is a year full of changes, challenges, and comfort. So, before moving into 2025, I wanted to stop and remember. To thank God for the times He has met me, for the friends he has put in my life along the way, and for reminders that seven years down the road, there is beauty in the midst of ashes. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others (1 Peter 4:10) A considerable part of my life since Bryan died has been about helping others in the midst of their grief. During the Spring semester, we trained a new…
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As One Parent To Another, What’s Your Story?
Grieving as a parent is one of the hardest roads we walk. But sharing our stories helps us remember the life, not just the loss. Telling our stories keeps memories alive—it’s how I hold on to my sons, David Michael and Bryan Marcus, and how I also celebrate the lives of my daughters, Robin and Sara. Earlier this year, I had the chance to share my personal story of grieving as a parent on the podcast “While We’re Waiting.” I am forever grateful to Brad and Jill Persenaire Sullivan and Janice and Larry Brown for how they walk alongside bereaved parents through this powerful ministry. In part one of this…
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Presuppositions and Grief: It Might Be Time to Take Another Look
Have you ever been in one of those situations where you heard a word or sentence that piques your curiosity, and then the same idea comes up several times in a short period? As a Christ follower, I take that as God trying to get my attention. What might that idea be right now? It is the idea of “presupposition.” Two weeks ago, during bible study, our teacher explained that when we study the Bible, we often come with presuppositions. A presupposition is something we assume to be true based on our background. If you are raised Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, Lutheran, other world religions, or no religion, you were taught…
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Growth In Loss: Loss Can Trigger Loss, But It Doesn’t Have To
“Loss triggers loss. If you don’t learn the art of helpful grieving now, future losses will compound – and continue to derail you.” Rebuild, week 6 Remembering when When it comes to child loss, my first experience came at 20 weeks of pregnancy. I was pregnant with my 3rdchild and went in for my “normal monthly check” when they discovered nothing was “normal” about it. There was no heartbeat. My world crashed in around me. I found out I was having a boy and that he was gone, all in a matter of moments. Darkness overtook me as I waited three days to deliver my long-anticipated son, David Michael. I had…
