A few short months after Joshua died, I was scheduled to speak at a weekend retreat. The organizers contacted me and asked if I still wanted to speak or if I would prefer they find someone else. I asked them to let me think about it. To be honest, I didn’t just think about it. … Continue reading Life Lessons from Grief – Criticism
Tag: Grief
When Words Hurt
Today, we are going to tackle a difficult topic: Things that are not helpful to those who are grieving. If it happens that you recall saying something similar, please don’t beat yourself up. It is very difficult to watch someone carrying such pain and not being able to help them. As onlookers, we feel so … Continue reading When Words Hurt
Loving the Grieving
A loved one dies, hordes of people descend on the family with food, paper products and promises of being there if the family needs anything. And they mean it. They truly want to help. What you are signing up for is no easy task. Those who are grieving are complicated. They are moody. They do … Continue reading Loving the Grieving
Joy comes in the Mourning
Over the last seven days, we have looked at ways that we can move forward with our grief. Grieving is hard work. The loss of a loved one changes us. I will never be the same person that I was on October 28, 2013. That’s not necessarily a bad thing; however, I do want to … Continue reading Joy comes in the Mourning
Moving F.O.R.W.A.R.D. with Grief (Part 8)
D - DIVE INTO GOD'S WORD Dive into the Word. David had quite a life. He started out as a shepherd boy and then became a king. Over the years, he faced many storms. Some of them he caused, some of them he had no control over. He sinned; he wasn’t perfect. Yet, he is … Continue reading Moving F.O.R.W.A.R.D. with Grief (Part 8)
Moving F.O.R.W.A.R.D. with Grief (Part 7)
R - REACH OUT Reach out for help! It is not by chance that there are countless scriptures in the Bible about encouraging one another. God created us. He knew that we would need each other to overcome the struggles of this earthly life. We are not meant to do this alone. One of the … Continue reading Moving F.O.R.W.A.R.D. with Grief (Part 7)
Moving F.O.R.W.A.R.D. with Grief (Part 6)
A - ACTIVITY I have never been athletically inclined. Oh, I tried a thing or two here or there, but it is just not one of my abilities. Joshua was an avid runner. He started running in the 6th grade. He was so young that I didn’t want him to run by himself so I … Continue reading Moving F.O.R.W.A.R.D. with Grief (Part 6)
Moving F.O.R.W.A.R.D. with Grief (Part 5)
W - WATER AND FOOD Grief does not just affect us emotionally, it also affects us physically. This may seem like a basic step to many, but remembering to eat isn’t easy when we grieve. The truth is that people who are grieving often don’t feel hungry. They may go hours before they realize that … Continue reading Moving F.O.R.W.A.R.D. with Grief (Part 5)
Moving F.O.R.W.A.R.D. with Grief (Part 4)
R - REST Before Joshua died, anytime we sat down to watch TV, I would crochet. If I weren’t constantly doing two or three things at the same time, I felt like I was wasting time or being lazy. After Joshua died, I didn’t have the energy to hold the crochet hook or the yarn. … Continue reading Moving F.O.R.W.A.R.D. with Grief (Part 4)
Moving F.O.R.W.A.R.D. with Grief (Part 3)
O - OPEN YOUR EYES In the beginning of our grief, I couldn’t understand how the earth could continue to spin on its axis when my heart was so broken. I would be out somewhere around town and people would be laughing and talking. How could they do that? Don’t they know. My life has … Continue reading Moving F.O.R.W.A.R.D. with Grief (Part 3)
With Eyes on the Cross 