In those first few months (or even first two or three years) many pareavors (bereaved parents) have a hard time believing they will get to the point where they are not in the place of suffocating grief they have found themselves thrown into.
There are thousands of pareavors who are several years down the road, who thought the same thing. But once they find themselves out of that dark pit, is it healthy to purposely put yourself back into a place of painful darkness, remembering the depth of who and what you have lost, like listening to podcasts, or attending a retreat, or something like going on The Grief Cruise?
As Laura’s friend, Sara Nelson, recently experienced this when she attended the GPS Hope Weekend of Hope, Laura realized it would be good to have her on the podcast to talk about this.
Sara Faith Nelson, has been on this journey for ten years. 
She taught elementary and middle school grades for 15 years. Now she enjoys pursuing her love of writing. The primary focus of Sara’s 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, Jeanette, 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.
(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 Laura’s book When Tragedy Strikes: Rebuilding Your Life With Hope and Healing After the Death of Your Child.
To look at the Hold On Pain Eases: There is HOPE shirts, click here.
Join us in February of 2025 on The Grief Cruise. Find out more here.
Birthdays:
Stephanie Wright was born on September 1 and is forever 26.
Bryanna Dugan was born on September 5 and is forever 22.
Alyshia DeFranco was born on September 6 and is forever 24.
Brady Keith Herbert was born on September 7 and is forever 30.
Jacob Sorouri was born on September 8 and is forever 32.
Emma Ho was born on September 9 and is forever 10.
Paul Murphy was born on September 9 and is forever 21.
Zachary Tyler was born on September 11 and is forever 18.
Petrina Charlean Bostic was born on September 12 and is forever 23.
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.
Another fantastic podcast! Thank you for putting all of my feelings into words. I just don’t have them! I am so grateful for the descriptions and analogies. I am not a writer and when I am overwhelmed with emotion, often I just want to disappear into music or a book. I am trying to take a step back and just take an assessment of my body – what I am thinking, what I am feeling and just trying to move through it or with it…. but depending upon where I am (work, an event etc.) I can’t always do that. Today is the day that four years ago our son was overcome by the horrific disease of substance misuse. Sept 11th is the day that he was taken off of life support. I am so grateful for these podcasts and for the friends and support that I have received from GPS Hope.
Hi ReNae, I am so glad this was helpful, and that you are connected to us. I love the fact that you are also trying to pay attention to your body and what it is telling you… so important. Love, hugs and prayers as you are in such a difficult time of year.