When we are faced with the shock of child loss, literally every part of us is out of whack – our thoughts, our bodies, our emotions, and even our relationship with God.
Most of us start looking for some sort of hope, that life will not always be like this. We look for a way to try and make sense of why a good God would allow this to happen. Unfortunately, these things can be hard to find.
For almost three years, Laura has been working on a book to help pareavors find hope in all these areas, and she is thrilled to announce that Reflections of Hope: Daily Readings for Bereaved Parents is now available.
In today’s episode, Laura brings on two guests, Sara Nelson and Vickie Hickox, who were part of a team of twelve bereaved parents that stuck with her for over a year, reading every entry and giving valuable feedback. Sara and Vickie share their thoughts on Reflections of Hope, so the listeners can hear from other pareavors how this book will help them in this difficult journey, no matter the age of your child, how he or she died, or how long or short of time it has been.
Sara Faith Nelson taught elementary and middle school 
grades for 15 years. Now she enjoys pursuing her love of writing. The primary focus of her writing has always leaned toward themes of hope, faith, and trust in the goodness of God. Since the death of her daughter and only child, she writes about her grief journey and surviving a devastating loss. She continues to write about trusting in God’s goodness and grace while grappling with the hard questions. Sara and her husband, Dennis, live in Arizona.
Vickie Hickox lost her son, Dominic, from this earth on 
June 22, 2019 from brain cancer, which sent her on a journey to rediscover who God is in the midst of such a horrible tragedy. She was a correctional officer in a county jail in Georgia for ten years and recently moved, continuing her career in Florida to be closer to her other children and grandchildren. Whenever she can get away from her job, Vickie enjoys spending time with her family, and time on a beach somewhere.
(Note: The views and opinions of our guests outside of this podcast may not be in agreement with GPS Hope.)
Links Mentioned in this episode:
Click here to find out more about Reflections of Hope: Daily Readings for Bereaved Parents. This is where you will also find how to participate in the preorder bonus of joining Laura live for four Mondays in May.
Join Laura and Dave, as well as Sara and Vickie on The Grief Cruise in October! Click here for information.
Birthdays:
Briana Martinez was born on April 17 and is forever 17.
Christopher Schofer was born on April 21 and is forever 25.
Adam Sharp was born on April 21 and is forever 19.
Shannon Chevalier was born on April 21 and is forever 27.
If you would like your child mentioned on the podcast the week of his or her birthday, click here to fill out the short form with the needed information.
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.
It doesn’t help that the further away we get from our child being gone, it seems the fewer people want to continue celebrating with us, which really hurts. Far too many people question why we still want to find a way to acknowledge our child’s birthday when they are no longer here with us. The reason is pretty simple. It is because we gave birth to a human being which is a big deal! (Or we adopted a child who became like our own flesh and blood, and their birthday is the day they came into the world as our special chosen gift.) Just because he or she is no longer on this earth does not erase that fact, or our memory of it, nor does it take away our instantly fierce and intense love for the little bundle of joy that came into our lives that day.
If no one wants to share it with you, take it to a homeless shelter and let them know it is in honor of your child’s birthday. (The people there know what it is like to be going through a rough time. They will appreciate your thoughtfulness and probably want to hear you share about your son or daughter.)
How do you feel about your child’s birthday? Some of you may not want to celebrate his or her birthday because it is just too painful to not have them here. I understand that, but I want to gently remind you that your child’s life is still worth celebrating. Please ask the Holy Spirit to help you still see the blessing of this very special day when it comes.
Sharing Hope (
Right now, we still have the stinger in us. The pain from the “poison” of our child’s death is still affecting us and will continue, until we join our child on the other side of eternity. That is where the “sting of death” will be pulled from us, and we will no longer be under the effect of that poison and continue feeling the pain of our child’s death.
that we can count on in the life we are living here on this earth. Not only does He love you, but He is right smack dab in the middle of your grief with you, and He is excited about you, knowing your future and the good things He still has for you.
your firm foundation. He is also a very present help in time of trouble and the giver of hope. Ask Him to open your eyes to see those things in a very real way. And not only can you have hope in your future here on earth, the most truly wonderful part happens when we leave this sinful world and move to eternity with Jesus. And just think, as a side note, we have someone very dear and close to us who has beat us there.
