Laura Diehl, Author at GPS Hope Page

October 25, 2022 by Laura Diehl Leave a Comment

182: God Does Not Say He Will Give Us Joy for our Grief

Laura is taking a few episodes to dig into Isaiah 61:3 from the view of child loss. This week she is excited to share how the Holy Spirit shed new light on God giving us the oil of joy in the place of our deep grief.

If you are a bereaved parent who struggles with the thought of having joy in your life again, be sure to listen.

To comment or join in the conversation, click here.

Links Mentioned in this episode:

Click here if you would like to know more about Laura’s health journey.

Email Laura at laura@gpshope.org if you would like to be added to the GPS Hope & Health group.

Don’t forget about joining Laura and Dave on the Grief Cruise! Find out more here.

Birthdays:

Dustin Clements was born on October 26 and left us at age 21.

Dawson Morris was born on October 29 and left us at age 19.

Donice Vaughan was born on October 29 and left us at age 30.

Marisa Diaz was born on October 29 and left us at age 20.

Kyle Samuel Donnelly was born on October 29 and left us at age 21.

Fill out the short form with the needed information to have your child’s birthday shared with our listeners.

The special song “I Remember Well“, which was written by Laura for our children’s birthdays, can be heard on your favorite music app. To hear samples of Laura’s other songs, click here.

Remember to Hold On Pain Eases; there is HOPE!

www.gpshope.org

Would you like to have Laura come and speak to your group? 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.

October 18, 2022 by Laura Diehl Leave a Comment

181: Healing Under God’s Sovereignty (with Carol Keefer and Pat Wentworth)

In today’s episode, Laura is joined by two ladies who have together, as a team, faithfully served those who have lost a child for twelve years.

Carol Keefer and Pat Wentworth have been connected with GPS Hope from the beginning, inviting Laura to speak to their support group in Florida when Laura’s book When Tragedy Strikes first came out, which was even before GPS Hope became a full-time ministry with Laura and her husband, Dave, traveling in the Hope Mobile.

Carol and Pat have learned how to go from that place of mourning to a place of joy in their lives. You will hear them share nuggets of encouragement and wisdom from their place of being seasoned pareavors and feel their heart’s desire to walk with others who are on this same journey.

Carol Keefer (pictured right) is married, lives in Deltona, Florida and will celebrate her 70th birthday this December. She is the mother of three and grandma to one. Carol lost her sweet 15 1/2-year-old daughter in a car accident on Mother’s Day weekend in 2004. She started H.U.G.S. (Healing Under God’s Sovereignty), as a co-leader with Pat Wentworth in 2010. Carol’s desire is for everyone to know Jesus and the unconditional, never-ending love of God.

Pat Wentworth (pictured left) is married, a mother of three and Nana to six boys. She has been a computer analyst and consultant for 43 years, originally in Massachusetts but is now in Central Florida. Pat keeps busy with exploring the outdoors, cooking, gardening and family get-togethers. H.U.G.S. (Healing Under God’s Sovereignty) was cofounded with Carol Keefer after the death of Pat’s youngest son, Brian, in March of 2010. They have met weekly since that time, helping other pareavors in the surrounding communities know they are not alone, they are not crazy and there is hope to be able to live with this devastating loss of a child.

(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:

Email Carol: mitmom1@yahoo.com

Email Pat: pat.wentworth@yahoo.com

Information about the October 2023 Grief Cruise.

Birthdays:

Bub Amis was born on October 16 and left us at age 36.

Carissa Ellen Hunsaker was born on October 19 and left us at age 1.

Taylor Contreras was born on October 20 and left us at age 16.

Mckenzie Aucapina was born on October 21 and left us at age 7.

Matthew Anthony Sulikowski was born on October 22 and left us at age 36.

Nate Wilson was born on October 22 and left us at age 30.

Fill out the short form with the needed information to have your child’s birthday shared with our listeners.

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.

October 11, 2022 by Laura Diehl Leave a Comment

180: Can We Ever Have Beauty in our Lives Again after Child Loss? (with Lin Findlay)

This episode is the first of three, which will discuss the familiar verse of Isaiah 61:3 that says God will give beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning and a garment of praise for a spirit of heaviness.

Laura begins this mini-series by bringing back Lin Findlay, to join her by talking specifically about beauty for ashes. Lin has been on this journey of child loss for over thirty years, which gives her a lot of personal experience on this topic.

Lin Findlay has worked with grieving families for over 30 years. After losing her daughter in 1989, she started a resource and referral service for grieving families. Soon after she began providing personalized aftercare solutions for hundreds of funeral homes across the nation. Lin is now an aftercare specialist who has created, facilitated, and coordinated hundreds of workshops, services, and support groups. As a Christian lay counselor, Lin’s highest honor is to enter people’s lives and help make a difference. To date, Lin has supported over 158,000 people on behalf of funeral homes across North America.

(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:

Connect with Lin by email: lf6643@yahoo.com

Connect with Lin by phone: (315) 725-6132

Information about the October 2023 Grief Cruise.

Sign up to join Laura live to talk about our health after child loss on Thursday evening, October 13.

Birthdays:

Joshua Nicholson was born on October 9 and left us at age 29.

Niyam Deloatch was born on October 10 and left us at age 20.

Jeff Dunkleman was born on October 10 and left us at age 53.

James Fielding was born on October 10 and left us at age 28.

Laura Rodríguez was born on October 10 and left us at age 33.

Mitchell Ang was born on October 12 and left us at age 17.

Isaac Cojocarescu was born on October 14 and left us at age 10.

Fill out the short form with the needed information to have your child’s birthday shared with our listeners.

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.

October 4, 2022 by Laura Diehl Leave a Comment

179: Health and Self-Care After Child Loss

When our child dies, we don’t want to be here so we just don’t care what happens to us. Our health suffers dramatically because of that, plus our bodies are out of whack for a long time.

After child loss, many of us turn to comfort foods in a big way, and we don’t feel like being active, which causes our weight to become out of control. When we get a few years down the road, at some point we realize how badly our unhealthy habits have affected us, and we know we need to get it under control but it is so very difficult. We know what to do, we just don’t do it.

In this episode, Laura allows herself to become vulnerable as she shares her health journey, both where she has come from and where she is now, encouraging other pareavors to take care of themselves. Laura believes so much in how important our health is on our grief journey that she has decided to walk with pareavors who are ready to join her in getting healthy.

Links Mentioned in this episode:

The Hope for Your Health Webinar date has now passed. However, if you would like to have Laura do a personal one-on-one health assesment with you, click here.

Find out more about how to join GPS Hope on The Grief Cruise in October 2023.

Birthdays:

Joshua Konaszewski was born on October 2 and left us at age 24.

Joshua Cripps was born on October 3 and left us at age 44.

Paul Meyer was born on October 4 and left us at age 29.

Joshua Kirkendall was born on October 6 and left us at age 14.

Daniel Bryce Briggs was born on October 6 and left us at age 19.

Fill out the short form with the needed information to have your child’s birthday shared with our listeners.

Remember to Hold On Pain Eases; there is HOPE!

www.gpshope.org

Would you like to have Laura come and speak to your group? 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.

October 2, 2022 by Laura Diehl 10 Comments

Taking Back Your Health after Child Loss

When we are in a place of emotional stress after the death of our child, it is all we can do to handle life day-to-day (or even minute-by-minute). We are in survival mode, and it is very common during that time to stop taking care of our bodies.

Unfortunately, that is one of the worst things we can do, because some of our emotions are tied up in our physical health. Think about it. When we are getting enough sleep, eating healthy food that is fuel for our bodies and moving around (even if it is just getting outside for a short walk), it can lift our spirits a bit, causing us to feel stronger emotionally.

I know at first, when the tragedy takes us to our knees, we don’t have much of a choice. Our body just kind of seems to take over as a response to the intense grief. Some of us find ourselves eating unhealthy “comfort foods” constantly. Others discover they don’t eat anything at all for a few days. Some of us can’t seem to stay awake and all we can do is sleep. Others want desperately to sleep, but even with sleep aids it still seems to elude them.

Me? I slept a lot and continually grabbed the comfort foods, which added another unwanted thirty pounds on my body. I struggled for ten years, trying to get my health back under control.

We all get to a point where the fog starts to lift, and we are left with the reality of the depth of our pain and horrific loss. Many of us continue in the pattern we found ourselves in, convincing ourselves we are helpless to stop.

I want to encourage you that is not true. What is usually happening, is that we see ourselves as a victim of the circumstance and let that become our identity. (My identity became, “I am the mother of a child who died.”) If we continue to believe that is our identity, we will continue to believe things won’t change, and we will continue to struggle, both emotionally and physically.

At some point, we will come to a place where we start making the choice. “Do I want to stay a victim and let that become my identity? Or do I want to figure out how to climb out of this pit of darkness and back into a place of hope and light and life?”

Is it time for you to make that choice of climbing out of the grief pit, taking a look at some of your unhealthy habits that can make it even more difficult to find your way out? Even if you are not at that place yet and are still in those early times where the grief consumes you, it is possible to start making your way out with teeny tiny baby steps, by taking back your health.

Take a minute and think: What is one small thing you can do, that you have let go? I’m not talking about making a commitment to doing this thing every day from now on. What can you do today, and maybe tomorrow? Then tomorrow ask yourself the same question.

If you miss a few days, don’t feel guilty. When you are ready again, just do one small thing toward taking back your health. Just keep working toward it, because it is worth the effort, no matter how small, as it begins to build!

As I shared, it took me over ten years to get serious about wanting to get healthy after my daughter, Becca, died. I have been able to lose over forty pounds (not quite down to my high school weight) and keep it off for several months now. But it has been more than just weight loss. There have been so many “non-scale” victories, as I am still learning how to live a healthy lifestyle that goes beyond just the food I put (or don’t put) in my mouth.

I knew what to do; I just wasn’t doing it, which is true for most of us. Surrounding yourself with those who are on the same journey, having others who are ahead of you cheering you on, learning how to change your mind set about things like food and healthy movement (notice I did not say working out) and having an easy way to fuel your body, could make all the difference for you, just like it did for me.

For several years, GPS Hope has had support and resources available to help with the spiritual, emotional and mental well-being after the death of our child. It has bothered me that we had nothing to offer for our physical well-being though, as I personally continued to have my own struggles in this area. Until now!

Because I am so convinced at how crucial it is that GPS Hope also has a way to provide support and resources for pareavors to get their health back, I have committed myself to being a health coach for pareavors who want extra help in this area.

Weight loss is difficult, but it is only one part of a true health journey. I would be happy to do a health assessment with you, to help you see where changes can be made on your health journey as a pareavor. We can also figure out if I would be a good fit as a health coach for you, and what that entails.

I have been able to go from destructive unhealthy habits in my grief that had me dragging, to a place of flourishing energy and good health, and have helped other pareavors do the same. Are you ready to make that same change of paths?

Click here to schedule a thirty minute one-on-one health assessment.

To hear more on this topic, listen to the Grieving Parents Sharing Hope podcast, episode 179: Health and Self-Care After Child Loss.

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.