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Advent Through the Lens of Grief: Week Four – Love
Love can feel complicated in grief. In this Week Four Advent reflection, we explore God’s love through loss, the incarnation of Christ, and the hope that love did not stay distant—it crossed over.
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Advent Through the Lens of Grief: Week Three — Joy
Joy often feels out of place in grief. This Advent reflection explores how Christian joy is not happiness, but quiet confidence that God is still doing something good—even now.
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Advent Through the Lens of Grief: Week One — Hope
Christmas can feel especially heavy when we’re grieving. Advent meets us in that place—not with pressure to celebrate, but with an invitation to breathe and remember that hope still comes. In Week One, we look at the Hope candle, exploring how even the smallest flame can steady us in seasons of sorrow.
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Thankful in the Midst of Grief
Navigating the holidays after loss is never easy. This Thanksgiving, I’m learning that being thankful in the midst of grief doesn’t erase the hurt—it reveals God’s nearness. Rebuild Session Ten offers gentle guidance for these difficult seasons.
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Grieving Into The Holidays – Ragers and Gapers
Part Two As you drive through the holidays, you not only face speedbumps (things you can anticipate may be headed your way) and potholes (things you don’t see coming) but there are other drivers on the road. Every driver you pass is on a journey as well. Each can potentially cause a challenge for you to arrive safely at your destination. So, avoid one and embrace the other. Avoid this…Road Rage We’ve all been driving down the road and seen drivers overreact to being cut off. It is called road rage. Road rage is the violent anger caused by the stress and frustration involved in driving a motor vehicle in difficult conditions. When it…
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Grieving Into The Holidays – Speedbumps and Potholes
Part One The holidays are a complicated part of life in the midst of grief. Holiday festivities and holiday grief don’t usually mix well. Families gathering around a Christmas tree and someone missing are awkward. What are some tips to help “drive through the holidays” with as minor damage as possible? When it comes to hard days and holidays, beware of speedbumps and potholes. Speedbumps I know it is a word-picture and might be silly, but go with me here. If you think about a speed bump, they are forseeable changes. It is usually well-marked. A sign typically warns you it is coming. It is put there intentionally to “slow you down.” And if you…
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Grief Isn’t A Disease To Be Cured
Grief is complicated. We search for answers, but the most beneficial things that can occur aren’t the answers but those we meet along our search. When Bryan died, I knew ONE PERSON who had lost a child, Joan. I met Joan five years before as I became involved with a lifemaping ministry called Listen To My Life. Joan helped so much in the early days, weeks, months, and years. While she was a wealth of knowledge with loads of resources, the most helpful thing Joan did (and does) was walk beside me. It is a “walking beside you” experience of not having to have the answer or even explain the…
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Happy Birthday In Heaven
August 22nd will be my son’s 21st birthday. It should be a time of celebration, but not this year. Or ever again. You see, Bryan has spent his last four birthdays in Heaven. On the morning of December 16, 2017, we were making plans for the holidays, Christmas shopping online, and preparing for the upcoming wedding of our oldest daughter Robin. Late that afternoon, my life changed forever. What started as an evening with friends turned into a nightmare as we discovered our 16-year-old son, Bryan, hung in the shower. I can remember it like yesterday. I was sitting on the couch, writing Christmas cards and watching a Christmas movie. My husband came in from…
