Several years ago, when we had only been married about two and half years, I was really struggling with idea of a new year – another new year with no living baby, but three little saints. With each gathering, I couldn’t help but think of the little ones who were missing. … More A New Year’s Kiss
Go home my love, go home my love
To the place where you belong.
You’re home my love, you’re home my love
Because you were so strong. … More Go home, my love
The glory is that God used my brokenness and suffering to lead me to freedom. I was desperate for God to save my son, but instead God saved me. … More On the Twelfth Day of Christmas
It never occurred to me that my child might also go through stages of grief when they start to realise that they are different from their peers or when they learn about their diagnosis. My little one understands they have a diagnosis and has been in tears from frustration, not understanding why they react a certain way in specific situations. … More Autism, Grief, and Surrendering to the Lord
Remember there is no time like the present. When we find the ‘what ifs’ creeping in, use that opportunity thank the person now in your heart. Write them a letter telling them how much you appreciated everything they did for you. Have a Mass said for them. You can do acts of service in their name. … More If I Had Only Known: Grieving the Moments We Took for Granted
Sorrow is not a punishment, nor is it a state of being (as I used to believe) but sorrow allows the soul to remove or eradicate that which has kept us prisoner. When Jesus carried his cross, He fell three times, but each time he got back up. When he was nailed to the cross, He could not escape. His sorrow was great. But without being crucified He would never have had the resurrection, and the greatest story on earth could have never been told. “For God so loved the world, that He gave his only Son.” (John 3:16) … More Lessons I’ve Learned in Grief
As I have grown in faith, and in grief, I have come to realize that part of taking up one’s cross is acknowledging its heaviness in your own life. … More Comparison: The Thief of Grief
These two deaths were like bookends of grief. One sudden loss, and one slow, drawn-out period of waiting for death. One a wake-up call to re-orient myself, the other inspiration to keep living. Both, the profound loss of a friend. … More Bookends of Grief: Friendships and Farewells
Without much support, where do fathers of child loss turn? After all, fathers are supposed to be the strong ones, or so they say. The one whose shoulder his wife cries upon. The one who seems unfazed by suffering as he hides his pain from others because few will understand. … More Forgotten Fathers of Child Loss
It is a knowing of the world and myself that comes only with loss, the kind of wisdom written into the leaves that know when to blaze brightly and when to let go. … More October Helps Me Grieve