Four years ago, Hadley Eddings was nine months pregnant with a two-year-old in the backseat. She felt a nudge to turn around and say, "I love you." After that, life as she knew it turned upside down.

In a tragedy that made headlines, a multi-car accident injured both Hadley and her husband, Gentry, as they drove home from a family wedding. Rushed into an emergency c-section alone, Hadley awoke to learn her oldest son, Dobbs, hadn't survived; days later, after a life-flight to a NICU in another city, they lost newborn Reed as well.

The Eddingses’ story of grief, forgiveness and restoration has changed lives, and hearing it myself was as emotional as I've ever been in an interview. 

Hadley shares practical take-aways for how we can help those around us who are grieving, as well as what we shouldn't ever say. She walks us through the days and years after her loss, learning she was pregnant again, the birth of her twin sons, and the day she realized they were older than their brothers would ever be on this Earth. 

You'll hear us discuss the Dobbs and Reed Eddings School in Haiti, run by Mission of Hope. If you'd like to learn more, visit missionofhope.com. You can even select a student to sponsor by age, grade or gender; it's nearly impossible to look at their sweet faces without wanting to hop a flight and hug every last one yourself.

Hadley and Gentry are passionate about adoption as well. Their sister and brother-in-law, whose wedding ceremony we discuss in this episode, brought baby Eli home this fall, their second adoption in two years. If you would like to contribute to their adoption fundraiser, you can do so at gofundme.com/thejusticefamilyisgrowing.

This week's episode was sponsored by The Campbell Collective, an online art showroom that has offered a one-time 10% discount for our listeners; just use "atonce" when you check out at campbellcollective.co. You can see more at @thecampbellcollective on Instagram.

As always, you can email me at [email protected] and find me as @butnotallatonce everywhere else.

Thanks for being here, y'all! I'd love your thoughts, questions, ideas, and everything in between. You can find me at @ButNotAllAtOnce on social media or ButNotAllAtOnce.com.

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