Laura Diehl, Author at GPS Hope Page

September 27, 2022 by Laura Diehl Leave a Comment

178: Looking for the Extraordinary Moments (with Teresa McCloy)

The discussion between Laura and Teresa McCloy is a gold mine of depth and richness that is so desperately needed when facing the painful darkness of child loss.

In this episode you will hear:

The wisdom and heart of a mom whose son battled addiction for many years before succumbing to a heroin overdose.
The importance of coming to a place of “being” instead of constantly doing.
How a popular child’s storybook can help us understand the painful rawness of living a life of meaning and purpose again after the death of our child.
A short interaction about the Enneagram and grief.
Finding moments in your day to help stay connected to yourself, others, God, and your child.

This is a good one, so after listening, be sure to pass it along to other pareavors!

Teresa McCloy is the creator and founder of the REALIFE Process®, as well as an author. Her first book Do What Matters, Live from Rest Not Rush will release this fall. In the book, Teresa shares her authentic story of a recovering workaholic and her journey, through the loss of her son to drug addiction, to a new way of truly living. Teresa’s passion is to help others outline for themselves sustainable behaviors, rhythms, and routines, so they can live from an internal place of rest.

Teresa loves to travel. When she is not on the road speaking, coaching clients, recording her podcast, or training new facilitators, Teresa enjoys being on the fourth-generation family grain farm in central Illinois with Dale, her husband of forty years, tending her wildflower garden, or enjoying a great cup of coffee with a friend.

(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 Teresa

The Real Life Process website

Do What Matters book

Teresa’s Facebook page

Teresa on Instagram

Other links mentioned:

The Velveteen Rabbit read by Meryl Streep (This is only a partial reading. I could not find a version of the full book.)

Click the Amazon link below for the version of the Velveteen Rabbit book that I keep in the Hope Mobile. NOTE: If you buy the book through this link, a small portion of the purchase price will be sent to GPS Hope as an affiliate link.

Go on a cruise with GPS Hope! Find out more and watch last year’s video.

Birthdays:

Michael was born on September 22 and left us at age 36.

Brittany Evans was born on September 25 and left us at age 26.

Cody Simmons was born on September 25 and left us at age 25.

Bethany Patton was born on September 25 and left us at age 31.

Kara McLeod was born on September 27 and left us at age 23.

Cherie Martinez was born on September 28 and left us at age 31.

Shea Thomas Patno was born on September 29 and left us at age 15.

Giovanna Giannini was born on September 30 and left us at age 20.

Aaliyah Henderson was born on October 1 and left us at age 4.

Corey Ryan Woodrich was born on October 1 and left us at age 31.

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

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.

September 20, 2022 by Laura Diehl 2 Comments

177: Heroes of Hope After Child Loss (with Shirley Thiessen)

Shirley Thiessen is one of Laura’s first returning guests, which is saying a lot since the Grieving Parents Sharing Hope podcast has been going for over three years now!

In the previous episode, Shirley shared an incredible story, about a little black funeral dress, and then she and Laura start discussing five things Shirley wishes she had known about grief before the death of her son, Jordan.

It is highly recommended to listen to that episode first, (episode 176) since this discussion picks up where they left off, talking about the third thing Shirley wishes she had known, which is the fact that deep grief has no timeline.

Twelve days after her son’s wedding, Shirley Thiessen was thrown into the unimaginable task of planning his funeral. Grief threatened to extinguish her purpose. Hope and resiliency gradually emerged as she chose to participate with God to recycle her pain for His good purpose. Because most people are uncertain how to support those who grieve, Shirley founded the grief ministry, CornerBend Ministries, along with creating a playbook of best practices to build confidence and effectiveness.

Shirley and her husband Carey live in Calgary, AB, Canada. Their daughter, Chantel, is also active in the grief ministry.

(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:

Shirley’s websites: Corner Bend Ministries and shirleythiessen.com

To email Shirley: shirley@cornerbend.com

Look at the H.O.P.E. shirts and mug here.

Click here to help GPS Hope continue providing support and resources to pareavors. Every dollar helps! (You can also become a monthly supporter, becoming a grieving parent sharing hope with the same link.)

Birthdays:

Rodney Lorenz was born on September 18 and left us at age 49.

Alistair James Fleming was born on September 19 and left us at age 26.

Nathan Young was born on September 19 and left us at age 19.

Acacia Goertzen was born on September 19 and left us at age 15.

Brittany Melton was born on September 19 and left us at age 25.

Justin Balducci was born on September 19 and left us at age 35.

Maya Tarbet was born on September 20 and left us at age 13.

Nicole Zanoni Romualdo was born on September 21 and left us at 16 months.

Ryan Bradley was born on September 22 and left us at age 25.

Alyssa Barker was born on September 22 and left us at age 33.

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.

September 18, 2022 by Laura Diehl 2 Comments

Events that Trigger Our Grief after Child Loss

This past week was our oldest son’s birthday.

What I don’t share very often is that our three-year-old daughter, Becca, was diagnosed with cancer on my due date with this baby. I went ten days overdue, with my water breaking around 3AM while sleeping in a chair next to Becca, who was going to be coming home from the hospital that morning after her first round of chemo. (She had not been home for two weeks since the testing and her diagnosis.)

The labor was only about forty-five minutes from the time my water broke, and the delivery was very rough. It was discovered the baby was coming feet first, but he came so fast there was no chance to do a C-section. They almost lost both of us because he was so large (8 pounds 10 ounces), and the cord was being pinched as he got stuck coming out.

My doctor did some heavy duty yanking and pulling to save us both. I was in so much pain during those life-and-death moments and so weak and sick afterwards, since there was no time for an epidural or pain meds. We did not realize how close we came to death until a nurse talked to us about it the following day.

For the next nine months, I hardly ever saw my newborn son, since much of my time was spent an hour away, staying with our little girl at the hospital while getting her chemo. Her amputation made her stays there even more of a challenge.

It was years later when we found out that the long-term effects of one of the drugs Becca had been given was heart damage, which is what eventually caused her death.

All of that to say, it is next to impossible to think of the day our son was born without thinking of Becca and what we were going through with her during that time, which ultimately caused her death, twenty-six years later.

So, what do we do when our child’s death date falls during a time when we should be celebrating something important? Or a celebration is a trigger to our deep loss?

I make time to acknowledge the pain of the “bitter” however I need to. Each time it might look different, but it almost always comes with tears at some point. (My eyes are filling with tears right now as a matter of fact as I type this.) After allowing myself this time, I then do my best to lean into the “sweet” instead of the bitter. I put my attention and focus on whatever good thing is in front of me.

I need these event reminders that even though there will be bitter times for the rest of my time here on earth, my life isn’t only bitterness. There is still sweetness and there are still good things to live for and enjoy.

I have found that the more often I choose to put as much focus as I am able on the sweet, the bitter becomes more tolerable and happens less often. That does not mean it is easy, but with determination, it can be done. I have also discovered that it eventually gets easier to choose the sweet most of the time, but I admit that I still have my moments of leaning into the bitter, and sometimes I still just need to have a good hard cry!

Yes, there may remain an undercurrent of sadness, but I refuse to let things like my son’s birthday be overshadowed by something in our past that cannot be changed, no matter how painful a reminder it may be.

He needs to be celebrated and loved on. Not only does he need it, but I need it as well!

Bittersweet… that is us for the rest of our lives. Which one are you going to choose to focus on, as often as possible? I hope you join me and choose the sweet. The bitter happens enough on its own. Let’s do our best to ask God for the desire and the strength to lean into the “sweet” during those times. Are you with me?

Let the sunrise of your love end our dark night. Break through our
clouded dawn again! Only you can satisfy our hearts, filling us with songs of
joy to the end of our days. We’ve been overwhelmed with grief; come now and
overwhelm us with gladness. Replace our years of trouble with decades of delight.
Psalm 90:14-15 (TPT)

This was taken from Laura’s newest book of daily readings for bereaved parents, which will be available in December. If you would like to receive weekly emails of encouragement (which will also let you know the progress of this book and to know when it comes out), let us know below.

FYI, we do not spam our GPS Hope family, and you can easily unsubscribe when you no longer want to receive the Weekly Word of Hope.

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.

September 13, 2022 by Laura Diehl Leave a Comment

176: Five Things I Wish I Had Known About Grief (with Shirley Thiessen)

Shirley Thiessen is one of Laura’s first returning guests, which is saying a lot since the Grieving Parents Sharing Hope podcast has been going for over three years now! Her previous interview is our number one listened to episode, so it makes sense to have her back on, doesn’t it?

In this episode, Shirley shares an incredible story, about a little black funeral dress, and then she and Laura start discussing five things Shirley wishes she had known about grief before the death of her son, Jordan.

Shirley and Laura talked for over an hour, so this interview is in two parts, with the completion of their discussion being aired next week.

Shirley and her husband Carey live in Calgary, AB, Canada. Their daughter, Chantel, is also active in the grief ministry.

(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:

Shirley’s websites: Corner Bend Ministries and shirleythiessen.com

To email Shirley: shirley@cornerbend.com

Listen to previous podcast with Shirley Thiessen: God Can Recycle Your Pain after Child Loss

Podcast 111: Why Bother Praying Anymore?

Look at the H.O.P.E. shirts and mug here.

Birthdays:

Zachary Tyler was born on September 11 and left us at age 18.

Petrina Charlean Bostic was born on September 12 and left us at age28.

Haleigh Douglas was born on September 15 and left us at age 42.

Justin Seehafer was born on September 16 and left us at age 28.

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.

September 6, 2022 by Laura Diehl Leave a Comment

175: The Grandparents (Our Parents) in Child Loss

Since September 11 is National Grandparents Day, Laura decided to do an episode about our parents, who are obviously the grandparents of our children who have died.

The relationship between grandparents and grandchildren is very unique and special. With the death of a precious grandchild, the grandparents get hit with a double whammy. They’ve lost a big piece of their heart that will never be filled, and they also have the added agony of watching their own child be plunged into an abyss of darkness.

This is a bit of a longer episode, as Laura talks about both sides, not only seeing things from the grandparents’ view, but also from the pareavors view who feel either supported or not supported from their parents.

Links Mentioned in this episode:

Listen to referred podcast episode Why Bother Praying Anymore?

Check out our HOPE – Hold On Pain Eases shirts here.

Join over 2000 other pareavors and receive a weekly Word of Hope.

I would like to sponsor an episode in honor of my child.

Birthdays:

Toni was born on September 4 and left us at age 24.

David Hector Toledo was born on September 5 and left us at age 41.

Francesca Anne C. Agravante was born on September 6 and left us at age 8.

Alyshia DeFranco was born on September 6 and left us at age 24.

Brady Keith Herbert was born on September 7 and left us at age 30.

Jacob Sorouri was born on September 8 and left us at age 32.

Emma Ho was born on September 9 and left us at age 10.

Kelli Diane Kirby was born on September 10 and left us at age 31.

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.