When our child dies, most of us don’t believe we can find our way out of the darkness, much less have a life with meaning or purpose again.
Or if we believe it is possible, we don’t know how to get there.
That is one of the purposes of Grieving Parents Sharing Hope (GPS Hope). We are here to walk with parents through the suffocating darkness of child-loss, guiding them to a place of hope, light and purpose.
Host, Laura Diehl, recently heard Glen Lord teach a workshop titled Finding Your Direction Again. It was so good that she invited him on the podcast to share it with the listeners.
Be sure to grab paper and pen, as you will be asked to pause the podcast to write some things down as Glen takes you through some practical steps of finding purpose and meaning after the death of your child.
Glen Lord was on the fast track to accomplishing
his goal of being a CEO of a fortune 500 company. The death of his son, Noah, in 1999 put brakes on the life he had so carefully planned. As Glen sought a new path, he realized that there was a need for genuine, accurate grief information. This realization, plus his extensive business experience, fueled the founding of The Grief Toolbox and creation of the Walking Through Grief® program, both offer a community of grief resources around the world and a marketplace of grief and memorial products. Glen is past president of the national board of directors of The Compassionate Friends. He is a sought after keynote, inspirational presenter and workshop leader.
(Note: The views and opinions of our guests outside of this podcast may not be in agreement with GPS Hope.)
Birthdays
David Hector Toledo was born on September 5 and is forever 41.
Francesca Anne C. Agravante was born on September 6 and is forever 8 years old.
Brady Keith Herbert was born on September 7 and is forever 30.
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. (It is the song that plays in the background of the birthday segment.)
Links referred to in this podcast episode:
Find out more about sponsoring an “In Loving Memory” heart on the Hope Mobile, in honor of your child.
Please remember to give this podcast a rating and a review on iTunes or where ever you listen to it.
To go to the Grief Toolbox or contact Glen Lord, click here.
Remember to Hold On Pain Eases; there is HOPE.
I want to partner with GPS Hope financially to help give support to grieving parents.
You are safe here. No masks needed…
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 judgement in where you are in this journey, including if you are struggling in your relationship with God or your faith has been completely shattered.
To have Laura come and speak or sing at your event, contact us at office@gpshope.org.
WOW! JUST WOW GOD!!
Laura…Another AMAZING outstretched hand doling out a powerful change of perspective and introspect of what this great loss of my precious daughter Carissa has BROUGHT instead of what I thought had ROBBED me…these podcasts and your ministry has from day one been a clear vision of Fellow Journeymen placed along the way on of my path of grief..and you were the FIRST ONE God had waiting for me !! ..propelling me …strengthening me.opening my eyes from the darkness into the Light..and navigating my Soul in getting through this until we are reunited in our eternal home…God has been so faithful through His Promises and His Word and through the trials and tribulations and pain and suffering we all endure as humans on this Earth…the sharing of your stories and the courage to tackle and face the GRIEF WORK has been lightened to the degree of me being able to say…I can do this!! ..By looking at things in a new healthy and realistic viewpoint.. that the loss of my daughter brought a halting stop to everything I thought I knew…became something so differant out this tragedy…it is true…I am becoming a better person because of Carissa and Love her so much more for bringing LIFE back to me in a way I never knew or appreciated more than I do now! Thank you for these tools Glen!! What a HUGE Lightbulb for me and a way to THANK CARISSA and God for her presence and the gift of her life He blessed me with…these questions and answers that I will seriously dive into will no doubt bring an incredible healing and I am so full of Hope! God Bless YOU my dear friends in Christ ??
Heidi, you always amaze me with how hard you are working through your grief! Such a tragic loss of Carissa, and yet you are already able to see a glimmer of how her life still guides you in a way that brings honor to Him and to her. Hugs!
Having just reached the first anniversary of my daughter Sarah’s death at age 34 on the 6th, this podcast (as they all do – but this one in particular) made me really stop and think about how I can live my life in honor of my daughter. To that end, before I even listened to this today, I was on vacation in Maine a few weeks ago where my family has vacationed for five generations now, and as I walked along the beach every morning, I could almost feel Sarah walking with me, and it was at those moments that I made a vow to myself and to her to live my life not sweating the small stuff (which I am very guilty of) and to honor her memory by trying not to wallow in sorrow but to put what I learned from HER into action in my own life. And one thing I learned form her is to never give up on your dream – she wanted to be a veterinarian from the time she could speak, and she followed that dream and was able to live it with passion for five years. I was always so proud of her for that, and while I don’t have a dream to be a veterinarian, I have tried to apply the passion she had for her career into my own career and always do it with a smile and love as she did. It’s baby steps, but I am doing it, and it has helped to lessen the grief around her death.
Hi Sue, I love this! So much in here that you shared. Five generations…. that is amazing for sure! I am so glad you are walking in a way that would make Sarah proud of you, and how you are doing your best to honor her life through your own. Thank you so much for sharing this!
Not too long after Dominic passed I started thinking of ways to honor him and because of what he wrote in his journal for one of his high school classes about curing cancer if he could I decided that it would be something to do with cancer. At first I wanted to start a run (he ran cross country in high school and enjoyed running) in his honor to raise money for the type of brain cancer he had, and that could still be a possibility and a stepping stone to a much bigger idea I had. Then I started thinking instead of donating the money to cancer research I could give the money to a family with a child or a family member of any age that had a terminal cancer diagnosis to help with things they may need. Then I started thinking about trying to open a home for people of any age with a terminal cancer diagnosis. A place where they could stay if needed and receive the help they need. I have thought about doing some research and talking to families that have taken care of a family member with a terminal cancer diagnosis to see what they would want in a facility that would be focused on the families and their sick child no matter the age. I thought about calling it Dominic’s House but that would take more money than what I have right now. So for now I am going to concentrate on taking care of myself because it doesn’t seem like I can do or really have the energy to do anything right now.
That sounds wonderful! And yes, you need to put it on the back burner because that’s way too much to take on this early. I believe when it is God’s timing, you will find yourself taking steps toward it, without even realizing it.