After the death of a child, the idea of joy can feel unreachable, or inappropriate. In this tender episode, we explore a deeper understanding of joy that does not cancel grief or require happiness.
Joy is not the same as happiness. Happiness depends on circumstances, but joy is a quiet, steady work of God within us. It is something that can exist even while sorrow still weighs heavily on the soul. Drawing from Scripture and lived experience, this episode offers hope to grieving parents who wonder if joy can ever return, and reassurance that joy may look different now, and that’s okay.
This conversation offers hope for grieving parents who are asking hard questions, holding onto faith, and wondering what healing might look like now. If you are searching for hope after loss and reassurance that joy may return, even if it looks a bit different, this episode meets you where you are.
Links Mentioned in this episode:
This episode includes a session from the Rebuilding Your Life After Child Loss online workshops, created specifically for grieving parents navigating life after child loss. The workshops are based on the award-winning book When Tragedy Strikes.
Learn more at gpshope.org/wtscourse
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Birthdays:
We lovingly remember and celebrate the lives of:
Ryan Hines was born on January 7 and is forever 27.
Visit gpshope.org/birthdays to submit your child’s name and date so we can honor them, too.
The special song written for our children’s birthdays I Remember Well can be heard here.
Remember to Hold On Pain Eases; there is HOPE!
To have Laura come and minister at your event, contact us at office@gpshope.org.
Grieving Parents Sharing Hope (GPS Hope) is here to walk with parents through the darkness of child-loss, guiding them to a place of hope, light and purpose.
It is a safe place for anyone who has lost a child from this earth. There is no shame or judgment in where you are in this journey, including if you are struggling in your relationship with God or your faith has been completely shattered.
Knowing that each year we will remain apart.
I
The holidays can be painfully overwhelming when you’re grieving. Many parents quietly search for guidance on 
If this is your first year facing the holidays without your child, the season may feel impossible. Even years later, many pareavors say they want to sleep through the last two months of the year and wake up when it’s all over. While others decorate trees, bake cookies, and talk about joy, you may feel the shadow of grief following you into every room.
Holiday traditions often carry years of meaning… and years of memories. When your child is no longer here, those traditions can feel like they belong to another lifetime.
Journaling can be a powerful way to stay connected to your child during the holidays. Write to them. Tell them what you miss. Share memories. Cry if you need to. Tears are not a setback, they are a release.
While it is absolutely okay to skip draining events, staying connected to supportive people is essential. Other grieving parents often become a lifeline because they truly understand. When you’re learning how to get through the holidays after child loss, you don’t need a large circle, just one or two safe people who allow you to show up exactly as you are.
You may hear people say, “There is always something to be thankful for.” But when your child is gone, that phrase can wound more than help. Gratitude does not cancel out grief. It simply softens it. Some pareavors find comfort in writing down three small things they’re thankful for each day, not to erase their sorrow, but to remind themselves that God’s goodness has not left them.
The truth that has carried me through many painful holidays is the name Emmanuel, God with us. Not God watching from afar. Not God waiting for you to “be okay.” But God with you, in you, and beside you in every moment of this unwanted journey.
