The holiday season brings many dark and painful emotions to the surface for those of us who have lost a child from this earth. It is a time of year where the pain of who is missing can be so much greater than the joy of who is still here. Many of us don’t even want to acknowledge Thanksgiving (or Christmas), but it is hard to ignore because we are surrounded by reminders everywhere we look.

Specifically, this is the time of year where “thankfulness” abounds. Everyone is telling us to be thankful and to count our blessings. They even say things like, “You can at least be thankful that you are breathing.” If you are like Laura in those first couple of years, she did not want to be breathing, so it was not helpful for others who had never lost a child tell her things she should be thankful for.

So, what do we do, when thankfulness is the furthest thing from our minds, and not in our hearts? That is what Laura talks about in this episode, along with touching on the Christmas season, which we know is just around the corner as well.

Click here for more information about the book Hope for the Future: An Advent Journey for Bereaved Parents.

Send your written or recorded scripture message to [email protected]. (Give your name, your child’s name, the scripture and what it means to you now. If sending a recording, please add “Hold On Pain Eases. There is HOPE”.)

Please consider giving a special gift to keep this podcast going.

Chaney Partrich was born on November 4 and is forever 20.

Beau-Dean Gordon was born on November 10 and is forever 23.

David Shelton was born on November 11 and is forever 23.

Nathan Theriault was born on November 11 and is forever 2.

Austin Augustine was born on November 14 and is forever 16.

Casen Sancraint was born on November 14 and is forever 10.

Fill out the short form with the needed information to have your child’s birthday shared with our listeners.

The special song “I Remember Well“, which was written by Laura for our children’s birthdays, can be heard on your favorite music app. To hear samples of Laura’s other songs, click here.

www.gpshope.org

To have Laura come and minister at your event, contact us at [email protected].

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.