We need time alone—not just to grieve but also to rest. It’s normal to think we have to keep going. There are people who need us. Things that must be done. Responsibilities that don’t stop just because our hearts have been broken. Other people may not even realize how exhausted we are because grief isn’t always something they can see. … More Has Grief Made You Tired? Take a Restful Boat Ride with Jesus
I know how I feel when I have been crying for days and am emotionally drained. I picture Mary Magdalene, exhausted from watching the Man who changed her life be brutally murdered. I’m sure she got little to no sleep the night before. Her eyes were probably swollen from crying. Her shoulders likely sagged under the weight of grief. Every step toward the tomb must have felt heavy. … More What St. Mary Magdalene Teaches Us About Loving Through Grief
Jesus does not stand at the finish line of your healing, waiting for you to figure it out. He meets you in the middle of the ache, in the fatigue, in the desire for it all to stop hurting. Rest is not something you earn by doing grief “right.” It is something you receive, little by little along the way. … More When You Just Want Relief From The Pain
Are we open books? Do they see our story?
Now they understand what we didn’t say.
Is that part of their peace and glory
While ours remains to hope and pray? … More Two Feet Below
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
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
When a common grief becomes a shared grief, we make space for healing. Not because our suffering goes away, but because we are not alone in it. A common grief doesn’t make our grief less, but gives us the courage to look our loss square in the face and say, “Yes, it is this bad. It does hurt this much. I don’t have to pretend it doesn’t because I know you feel it too.” … More A Common Grief
As I reflect on how I held my babies in my womb, my body embracing and carrying them through their short lives and beyond their moment of death, it dawns on me that if there is anyone who can understand the pain of holding one’s child after they have passed through this life, it is our dearly beloved and holy mother, Mary. … More Empty Womb, Empty Tomb
Before I lost 3 babies to miscarriage, I did not know what it was to question the goodness of God, to feel my faith falter and my heart physically ache with sorrow. After I buried my children was when I began to understand how truly wonderful and terrible the cross of Christ is. … More Before and After
The breakthrough I made in my grieving was when, through gentle guidance from the Lord, He showed me what was a healthy and emotional response. The Lord showed me how to acknowledge my emotions and then let them go, surrendering the present moment to Him. This revelation of faith has been a significant turning point in my healing journey. … More Blessed are Those who Mourn