The phone startled me as I put the final touches on my weekly leadership training presentation. “Hi, sweetheart.” It was Mom. I could almost see…
Stars didn’t sparkle in the night, and a limousine didn’t pick us up, but Eileen and I were dressed as though we were on our…
An accident has happened. John, my husband of thirty-six years, is gone. A widow I’m now called. Grief and Sorrow — unwelcome, uninvited guests —…
I had a recurring nightmare as a child. From about five years of age to 12, I dreamed about my mother drowning and being unable…
Sounds filtered through the painful haze. Lights, out of focus, flashed overhead, and a hum filled the room. “Knock me out, please,” a voice, strangely…
I have seldom found myself in the slump that I have suffered this fall. As the weeks pass, I seek strength from within myself to…
Life so far had gone as we’d planned. We had a cozy little home, satisfying careers, and an amiable network of family and friends. Anchored…
The doctor’s silence thundered through the telephone wires. My husband’s first biopsy results were negative, so we had assumed the secondary testing would also reveal…
For Survivors of Suicide Loss American Foundation for Suicide Prevention: www.afsp.org American Association of Suicidology: https://suicidology.org/ Survivors of Suicide: www.sosabq.org For Mental Health Saddleback Church…
St. John of the Cross called it the “dark night of the soul,” a term one woman didn’t understand until her son took his life and her faith in God went into crisis mode. She discovered it is possible to survive such a tragedy and renew trust in the One who is in control of life.
My wife of 50 years, Norma Jean, dies in September. She is cremated in a pressboard container “as soon as practicable after the expiration of…
“How are you doing — really?” my pastor-friend asked. “It’s been three years since your daughter died, hasn’t it?” I nodded. It would have been…
Grieving loss through death takes its toll on individuals, but even good changes can bring stress and depression. One woman discovered God’s preparation for a time she wasn’t expecting.
Praying Our Goodbyes — Joyce Rupp A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 — Phillip Keller A Grace Disguised — Jerry Sittser Gift of the Red…
As the woman walked into the room, eyes puffy from crying, my normally chatty group of friends fell into a deafening silence. Glances were averted,…
So this is what executor means. I guess I signed up for this. When my husband died after an intense year of illness, I was…
How can a spouse survive the loss of a life partner? By taking it slowly, learning from God and leaning on Him.
Death was Grandma’s hobby. To her, funerals were a celebration of life — heavy on the word celebration. White bun pinned tight, she attended every…
Her mother’s untimely death causes a daughter to lean on her faith in her journey of survival.
Three days after our daughter died, my sister-in-law telephoned from out of state. “I’ve been trying to get your brother to call,” she apologized, “but…
“I looked for . . . comforters, but I found none” (Psalm 69:20). The day my husband, John, and I traveled homeward from a trip,…
“Ten, nine, eight . . . ,” recited the dispassionate voice. What’s ahead for me? Could all this be a mistake? What if the baby…
“Lord, why did You let me get pregnant? You knew my baby would die within me. What can I learn from this miscarriage that I…
Moving ahead after any great loss requires a plan. You must find new dreams, look at new options, and paint a new picture on your…
January 27, 1978. A normal day at my nurse’s job; no hint of calamity. Separated from my first husband at the time, I had left…
We never know where life will take us. Within minutes, our course can change dramatically, and we’re left picking up the pieces. After her husband’s unexpected death, one woman learned that though he was gone, God was present in many ways.
His name was James. At sixteen weeks, my pregnancy was going fine, and I did all the right things. But one day when I went…
“Diane, Michael’s mom is here to see you,” the school secretary said, interrupting my kindergarten classroom one Monday morning. I turned and looked at the…
The silence in the room was eerie, the stillness unreal. I stabbed at the fried egg, angled my fork to my mouth, and dropped it…
The paperwork looked routine until the words marital status leaped off the page. I paused, tears streaming down my cheeks. This was the first time…
We are never really ready for the death of a loved one. This woman realized a simple trip to the beach prepared her for her husband’s death years later — a situation she never dreamed would show her God’s special provisions.
When my husband, Brian, and I were first married, we lived around the corner from his grandparents. These were no ordinary grandparents. As a boy,…
I studied the return address on the letter, then turned to my wife, Mary. She clasped my hand as I pulled her onto the sofa…
My son and I play a game in which we pick a color, then list everything we can think of in that hue. It’s surprising…
Does God know what we’re going through when we plunge into the depths of grief? One woman discovered how God reached out to her in specific ways in her despair and desperation.
I have been awed by miracles my whole life — mostly secondhand accounts of healing, people accomplishing impossible feats, special communications from God. I never…
Eight years had elapsed, and the shards of my fractured soul were beginning their reformation. I had distanced myself from God during that time, blaming Him…
I stared at my hand and knew I needed to remove my rings. My husband was dead, and everything normal in my life was altered….
“One day at a time.” I’ve always heard people say this is how we should live. It doesn’t sound too hard – until you’re forced…
A wave of nausea swept over me as I prepared breakfast. Simultaneously, a troubling thought soared through my brain. I couldn’t be pregnant! Not now…
Death: How uplifting! The ultimate experience! Of course, this is ridiculous. Death is not inspiring; it is depressing. Death is revolting, ugly, morbid, and cold….
There are times when silence is golden, when we are at a loss for words because, simply, any word chosen would be grossly inappropriate. Often…
The cardiologist walked into the room, glanced at my chart, and asked, “So you didn’t get an abortion?” As I was 34 weeks pregnant, it…
As soon as the pain released my body from its unyielding grasp and before I exhaled with exhausted relief, they placed the baby, all slippery…
My mother’s screams startled me out of sleep that November morning in 1978. When I scrambled out of bed and ran to my parents’ room,…
When the death of her newborn grandson rocks her world, a grandmother is the most alone she’s ever been, until she experiences the loving care of God the Father.
“First stop, Mississippi!” I adjusted my rear-view mirror and backed out of my driveway. “Let’s listen to Harps and Halos first.” I handed Jessica the…
I’d known Randy Wilson* for twenty years when he was stricken with a brain tumor. Early in the course of his illness, the highlight of…
Coping with death is one of life’s most difficult tasks. All of us will have a friend or family member who will need our support…
Shoving my sermon notes aside, I reached for the phone with a sigh. Seems like its cue to ring is linked to my quiet time….
I woke with a surge of fear. My hands, balled into tight fists, gripped the sheets as my breath came in ragged gasps. The chill…
Darkness after death and divorce is normal and can engulf a person for years. Having gone through her personal darkness in a series of losses, a woman realizes God’s compassionate care for all His creation.