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GPS Hope

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May 9, 2023 by Laura Diehl Leave a Comment

210: I Feel Like I Am Dying In the Wilderness

In the darkness of child loss, we feel like we are wandering in a wilderness with no hope of ever getting out. It is a very vulnerable place to be, and the enemy knows it.

In this episode, Laura talks about Jesus’ wilderness experience at a time when He was also extremely vulnerable. There are several things that can help us as pareavors, when we take the time to really look at what was happening with Jesus at that time.

 

Links Mentioned in this episode:

Click here to find out more about Reflections of Hope: Daily Readings for Bereaved Parents.

Please give a rating and review here on Amazon for Reflections of Hope.

Get information about the last room available for the GPS Hope & Healing retreat here.

Join Laura and Dave on The Grief Cruise! Click here for more information.

Birthdays:

Marc Cerundolo was born on May 7 and is forever 49.

Michael Slater was born on May 8 and is forever 26.

Sarah Wilber was born on May 10 and is forever 34.

 

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!

www.gpshope.org

 

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.

 

May 2, 2023 by Laura Diehl Leave a Comment

209: Being Okay with Being Broken

As a pareavor (parent who is bereaved of their child) we are broken. Deeply broken and our hearts are shattered. We don’t think it is possible to ever have our hearts be put back together.

In today’s episode, Laura shares her thoughts and experience in being broken after child loss, and being okay with being broken.

Today’s episode is sponsored by Stephen and Ariel Kostrna in memory of Milo Liam Kostrna.

“From the moment we knew he was alive, we loved him. We felt such longing to meet him and to hold him, especially when we knew the time was drawing near. At last, our dear little boy was flawlessly born on May 3rd last year. We learned so much about him in those first few minutes. He was beautiful, he was cuddly, and we were and are so glad that he is ours. 

Milo, we know you are alive, and we love you. We feel such longing to meet you and to hold you, I’m sure it will be especially strong when our time is drawing near. At last, our dear little boy will see his parents flawlessly born anew. We will learn so much about you in those first few minutes. You will still be beautiful, you will still be cuddly, and you will still be ours just as we are yours.”

We love you, little boy.

Links Mentioned in this episode:

Click here to find out more about Reflections of Hope: Daily Readings for Bereaved Parents.

Please give a rating and review here on Amazon for Reflections of Hope.

Please share the following with others!

Podcast episode 106: International Bereaved Mother’s Day

Podcast episode 156: A Special Day for Bereaved Mothers

A Letter to My Child on Bereaved Mother’s Day

Click here to sponsor an episode in memory of your child.

Birthdays:

Milo Kostrna budded on earth to bloom in heaven on May 3.

Rosalie Marstall was born on May 4 and is forever 4.

Blake Anthony Wellmaker was born on May 5 and is forever 28.

Adam Walker was born on May 6 and is forever 28.

 

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!

www.gpshope.org

 

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.

 

April 25, 2023 by Laura Diehl Leave a Comment

208: Our Dark Thoughts After Child Loss

The Grieving Parents Sharing Hope podcast’s first episode was released on April 23rd, four years ago.

Today you will hear Laura read the April 23rd entry in Reflections of Hope: Daily Readings for Bereaved Parents, which talks about how our thoughts affect the process of finding our way out of the suffocating darkness of our grief.

 

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.

BE a grieving parent sharing hope with a financial gift or become a monthly partner with GPS Hope here.

 

Birthdays:

Jude Como was born on April 23 and is forever 19.

Aminu Christopher was born on April 23 and is forever 41.

Abigail Jane (Abi) was born on April 25 and is forever 18 months.

Michael Roach was born on April 26 and is forever 28.

Bradley Brown was born on April 27 and is forever 17.

Christi Gayheart was born on April 29 and is forever 49.

 

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!

www.gpshope.org

 

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.

 

April 18, 2023 by Laura Diehl Leave a Comment

207: Reflections of Hope After Child Loss (with Sara Nelson and Vickie Hickox)

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!

www.gpshope.org

 

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.

April 14, 2023 by Laura Diehl 8 Comments

Their Birthday is So Hard!

Forever 29. Every bereaved parent reading this knows exactly what that means.

April 13th is my daughter, Becca’s, birthday. She would have turned 41 this week. She died at age 29, so knowing she would be in her 40’s now makes it seem like she has been gone for much longer than eleven years. Wow! How is that even possible? I have a hard time wrapping my head around it or imagining Becca that old.

I should have already called her to make plans. “What are you doing for your birthday? Do you want me to make something, and you and your family come over here for supper?” I should have already gone shopping for the ingredients of her favorite cake – chocolate filled angel food.

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.

The day our children entered the world was a special gift from God, and it should be celebrated, even if no one wants to join in. You may want to do the same thing every year, such as bake their favorite cake. 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.)

You may want to do something different each year, depending on the circumstances. Right now, that is easy for me, since we live in the Hope Mobile (a 38-foot motor home), which means we are literally in a different place each year. One year I got my guitar out and wrote a song, honoring the day our children came into this world and into our lives. (It is called I Remember Well, which has since been recorded. You can find it on most listening apps such as Spotify, Pandora, iHeart radio, etc. or click here to listen.)

This year, we will have the blessing of spending it with Becca’s twenty-year-old daughter who now lives in Tennessee. I am making Becca’s favorite chocolate-filled angel food cake and we will remember and celebrate Becca together, which I am looking forward to, in a very bittersweet way for sure.

Happy Birthday, Becca! I celebrate the day you entered this world, with all the emotions that now come with it, but most of all with the same deep love I had, and will always have, for you.

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.

It doesn’t mean you won’t cry, or not feel your heart breaking. It just means you are acknowledging the gift given to you, and showing how thankful you are that you got to be your child’s mom or dad, no matter how short that time was.

And you don’t have to wait for his or her birthday. You can take time right now to celebrate in your heart and thank God for the gift of the day your child came into this world.

As a final note: I love to help pareavors celebrate their children’s birthdays and do so by announcing your children on my Grieving Parents Sharing Hope podcast the week of his or her birthday. If you would like me to share your child who is no longer here with our thousands of listeners, click here and submit the needed information.

Since this is the birthday week of Laura’s daughter, Becca, Their Birthday is So Hard! is also this week’s topic on the Grieving Parents Sharing Hope podcast.

Along with talking about how difficult their birthdays can be, Laura shares some encouragement in this area, as well as various ideas on how to celebrate our child’s birthday, even while deeply missing them. You will also get to hear Laura sing the entire song that she wrote, “I Remember Well” which plays in the background of each week’s birthday segment. Listen to it here, or find the Grieving Parents Sharing Hope podcast on your favorite listening app.

Today’s blog was taken from Laura’s book being released later this month called Reflections of Hope: Daily Reflections for Bereaved Parents. If you would like to know more, click here.

 

Expressions of Hope is provided by Grieving Parents Sharing Hope (GPS Hope). The founders, Dave and Laura Diehl, travel full time in their Hope Mobile (a 38-foot motor home) to be more easily available for speaking and ministry requests, and bringing intimate weekend retreats to bereaved parents. Laura is also a singer/songwriter and the author of multiple award-winning books.

If you would like more information about bringing Dave and Laura to you for an event, please send an email to office@gpshope.org.

If you are interested in bringing GPS Hope to your area for a weekend retreat click here.

 

  • Check out the Grieving Parents Sharing Hope weekly podcast
  • Subscribe to Laura’s YouTube channel. 
  • If you are a bereaved parent, we encourage you to connect with us on our private Facebook page or our public Facebook page. 
  • If you are not a bereaved parent but want to support those who are, or want to follow us as we give hope to these precious parents, please connect with us at Friends of GPS Hope on Facebook.

Filed Under: Expressions of Hope Tagged With: acknowledging grief, Becca's birthday, bereaved parent birthday, bereaved parent resources, birthday celebrations for lost children, birthday grief support, celebrating a child’s life, child’s birthday after death, emotional support for bereaved parents, Forever 29, GPS Hope grief support, GPS Hope podcast, grief and birthday, grief and healing, grieving parents podcast, honoring child’s birthday, how to celebrate child's birthday, I Remember Well song, Laura Diehl blog

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Recent Posts

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  • Is God Punishing Me for My Past? A Word for Grieving Parents Struggling with Guilt



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