When our child leaves this earth before we do, it can feel like everything inside of us has died too. But God has already planted a small seed of hope deep within our hearts, because Jesus, the giver of Hope lives in us (through the Holy Spirit). However, we need to water that seed of hope after child loss. It is a seed that needs care, connection, and time to grow.
In this heartfelt episode, Laura shares how healing begins to take root when we stay connected with God and with others who understand our pain. You will also hear from other pareavors what they have done to water that seed of hope.
As we water the seed of hope in our own hearts, we will find that sharing our hope with others actually multiplies it. In this episode, Laura also shares how you can do that through GPS Hope, the ministry behind the Grieving Parents Sharing Hope podcast, and how together, we can build a community where no grieving parent walks alone.
Links Mentioned in this episode:
Join the community who are making sure this podcast continues, giving hope to others the way you have received hope. Choose your level here on Patreon.
Order your signed copy of My Grief Journey here.
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Ask to join the My Grief Journey Facebook group here.
Birthdays:
We lovingly remember and celebrate the lives of:
Chione Beverly McNeil was born on October 31 and is forever 15.
Chaney Patrich was born on November 4 and is forever 20.
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.
How writing can help heal grief after child loss is something many bereaved parents never consider, at least not at first. When your child dies, you can barely breathe, let alone pick up a pen or open a blank document. But writing can become a lifeline, a safe place for the heart to speak what your voice cannot form into words.
John’s son, Stephen, died at just 22 years old. His death was sudden, heartbreaking, and life-shattering. Like many of us, John and his wife grieved very differently, and it would have been easy to drift apart. Instead, they learned not to judge each other’s grieving style.
Before his son died, John was already a journalist and author. But his writing changed after his loss. He discovered that writing wasn’t just something he 
When you put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard), things you didn’t even know you were holding often come out.
If you feel something stirring in you to write, even if it scares you, pay attention to that whisper. You don’t have to be “a writer” to write. You just have to be willing to show up on the page with honesty.
Even though writing is something you do alone, you are not alone on this journey. If you do start writing, I would love to hear about it in the comments below. If you get a special journal to write in, you can even share a picture of it 
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John Dedakis is a writing coach, an award-winning novelist of six mystery-suspense-thriller novels, and manuscript editor. He is a former White House correspondent and former editor on CNN’s “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer.”, John regularly leads writing workshops at literary centers and writers’ conferences. He is also the host of the video podcast “One-to-One with John DeDakis”. Originally from La Crosse, Wisconsin, John now lives with his wife Cindy in Baltimore, Maryland. In his spare time, what little he has of it, is a jazz and rock-and-roll drummer.
Healing after pregnancy loss is a journey that can feel both lonely and sacred. Too often, this kind of loss isn’t acknowledged for the deep heartbreak it truly is. But whether the pregnancy loss was early or late, whether you held your baby or not, your love was real, and so is your grief. Today, I want to share a story that beautifully captures both the pain and the redemption that can come through 
Shelley shared how she and CJ spent years in ministry, serving as missionaries and then stepping out in faith to travel full-time in an RV. They dreamed of raising a family, but after several years, pregnancy didn’t come. But it finally did, only to end in devastating loss.
Eventually, Shelley came to a place of surrender, where she could tell God, 
Healing after pregnancy loss isn’t only a mother’s journey. Shelley shared that while she began to heal after that first year, CJ hadn’t yet processed his own grief. A counselor encouraged them to hold a ceremony together. They wrote a letter, prayed, named their baby C
Over the years, Shelley has found peace in trusting that God’s plans, though different from her dreams, are still good. “Because we didn’t have children, we’ve had the gift of time,” she said. “God has used that time in ministry and in ways we couldn’t have imagined.”
Shelley Hitz is an award-winning and best-selling author of over 40 books. However, most importantly she is a wife, daughter, sister, friend and follower of Christ. She has been ministering alongside her husband, CJ, since 1998 and her main passion is to share God’s truth and the freedom in Christ she has found with others. She does this through her books, websites and speaking engagements. 
