All Episodes

In the darkness of child loss, we feel like we are wandering in a wilderness with no hope of ever getting out. It is a very vulnerable place to be, and the enemy knows it.

In this episode, Laura talks about Jesus’ wilderness experience at a time when He was also extremely vulnerable. There are several things that can help us as pareavors, when we take the time to really look at what was happening with Jesus at that time.

Click here to find out more about Reflections of Hope: Daily Readings for Bereaved Parents.

Please give a rating and review here on Amazon for Reflections of Hope.

Get information about the last room available for the GPS Hope & Healing retreat here.

Join Laura and Dave on The Grief Cruise! Click here for more information.

Marc Cerundolo was born on May 7 and is forever 49.

Michael Slater was born on May 8 and is forever 26.

Sarah Wilber was born on May 10 and is forever 34.

If you would like your child mentioned on the podcast the week of his or her birthday, click here to fill out the short form with the needed information.

The special song written for our children’s birthdays I Remember Well can be heard 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.

As a pareavor (parent who is bereaved of their child) we are broken. Deeply broken and our hearts are shattered. We don’t think it is possible to ever have our hearts be put back together.

In today’s episode, Laura shares her thoughts and experience in being broken after child loss, and being okay with being broken.

Today’s episode is sponsored by Stephen and Ariel Kostrna in memory of Milo Liam Kostrna.

“From the moment we knew he was alive, we loved him. We felt such longing to meet him and to hold him, especially when we knew the time was drawing near. At last, our dear little boy was flawlessly born on May 3rd last year. We learned so much about him in those first few minutes. He was beautiful, he was cuddly, and we were and are so glad that he is ours. 

Milo, we know you are alive, and we love you. We feel such longing to meet you and to hold you, I’m sure it will be especially strong when our time is drawing near. At last, our dear little boy will see his parents flawlessly born anew. We will learn so much about you in those first few minutes. You will still be beautiful, you will still be cuddly, and you will still be ours just as we are yours.”

We love you, little boy.

Click here to find out more about Reflections of Hope: Daily Readings for Bereaved Parents.

Please give a rating and review here on Amazon for Reflections of Hope.

Please share the following with others!

Podcast episode 106: International Bereaved Mother’s Day

Podcast episode 156: A Special Day for Bereaved Mothers

A Letter to My Child on Bereaved Mother’s Day

Click here to sponsor an episode in memory of your child.

Milo Kostrna budded on earth to bloom in heaven on May 3.

Rosalie Marstall was born on May 4 and is forever 4.

Blake Anthony Wellmaker was born on May 5 and is forever 28.

Adam Walker was born on May 6 and is forever 28.

If you would like your child mentioned on the podcast the week of his or her birthday, click here to fill out the short form with the needed information.

The special song written for our children’s birthdays I Remember Well can be heard 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.

The Grieving Parents Sharing Hope podcast’s first episode was released on April 23rd, four years ago.

Today you will hear Laura read the April 23rd entry in Reflections of Hope: Daily Readings for Bereaved Parents, which talks about how our thoughts affect the process of finding our way out of the suffocating darkness of our grief.

Click here to find out more about Reflections of Hope: Daily Readings for Bereaved Parents. This is where you will also find how to participate in the preorder bonus of joining Laura live for four Mondays in May.

BE a grieving parent sharing hope with a financial gift or become a monthly partner with GPS Hope here.

Jude Como was born on April 23 and is forever 19.

Aminu Christopher was born on April 23 and is forever 41.

Abigail Jane (Abi) was born on April 25 and is forever 18 months.

Michael Roach was born on April 26 and is forever 28.

Bradley Brown was born on April 27 and is forever 17.

Christi Gayheart was born on April 29 and is forever 49.

If you would like your child mentioned on the podcast the week of his or her birthday, click here to fill out the short form with the needed information.

The special song written for our children’s birthdays I Remember Well can be heard 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.

When we are faced with the shock of child loss, literally every part of us is out of whack – our thoughts, our bodies, our emotions, and even our relationship with God.

Most of us start looking for some sort of hope, that life will not always be like this. We look for a way to try and make sense of why a good God would allow this to happen. Unfortunately, these things can be hard to find.

For almost three years, Laura has been working on a book to help pareavors find hope in all these areas, and she is thrilled to announce that Reflections of Hope: Daily Readings for Bereaved Parents is now available.

In today’s episode, Laura brings on two guests, Sara Nelson and Vickie Hickox, who were part of a team of twelve bereaved parents that stuck with her for over a year, reading every entry and giving valuable feedback. Sara and Vickie share their thoughts on Reflections of Hope, so the listeners can hear from other pareavors how this book will help them in this difficult journey, no matter the age of your child, how he or she died, or how long or short of time it has been.

Sara Faith Nelson taught elementary and middle school grades for 15 years. Now she enjoys pursuing her love of writing. The primary focus of her writing has always leaned toward themes of hope, faith, and trust in the goodness of God. Since the death of her daughter and only child, she writes about her grief journey and surviving a devastating loss. She continues to write about trusting in God’s goodness and grace while grappling with the hard questions. Sara and her husband, Dennis, live in Arizona.

Vickie Hickox lost her son, Dominic, from this earth on June 22, 2019 from brain cancer, which sent her on a journey to rediscover who God is in the midst of such a horrible tragedy. She was a correctional officer in a county jail in Georgia for ten years and recently moved, continuing her career in Florida to be closer to her other children and grandchildren.  Whenever she can get away from her job, Vickie enjoys spending time with her family, and time on a beach somewhere.

(Note: The views and opinions of our guests outside of this podcast may not be in agreement with GPS Hope.)

Click here to find out more about Reflections of Hope: Daily Readings for Bereaved Parents. This is where you will also find how to participate in the preorder bonus of joining Laura live for four Mondays in May.

Join Laura and Dave, as well as Sara and Vickie on The Grief Cruise in October! Click here for information.

Briana Martinez was born on April 17 and is forever 17.

Christopher Schofer was born on April 21 and is forever 25.

Adam Sharp was born on April 21 and is forever 19.

Shannon Chevalier was born on April 21 and is forever 27.

If you would like your child mentioned on the podcast the week of his or her birthday, click here to fill out the short form with the needed information.

The special song written for our children’s birthdays I Remember Well can be heard 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.

Forever 29. Every parent who has lost a child from this earth knows exactly what that means.

Since this is the birthday week of Laura’s daughter, Becca, she decided to talk about how difficult their birthdays can be, especially when those around us think we should be “moving on” and don’t understand why this day is still so important to us.

Laura shares some encouragement in this area as well, along with various ideas on how to celebrate our child’s birthday, even while deeply missing them.

You will also get to hear Laura sing the entire song that she wrote, “I Remember Well” which plays in the background of each week’s birthday segment.

Today’s episode was sponsored by Dave and Laura Diehl, in memory of their daughter, Becca Diehl Howard. If you would like to sponsor a podcast episode for your child, click here. 

Click here to know more about Laura’s book Reflections of Hope coming out soon!

To find out more about My Grief Journey for Kids click here.

To go directly to order My Grief Journey for Kids and automatically receive the matching book for pareavors click here. (This offer is only good from April 9-15, 2023.)

(GPS Hope is a 501c3 nonprofit and runs on the financial support of those who believe in passing along the hope they have received to others.)

Brandon Matos was born on April 13 and is forever 23.

Becca Diehl Howard was born on April 13 and is forever 29.

Mylei Birdinground was born on April 14 and is forever 15.

If you would like your child mentioned on the podcast the week of his or her birthday, click here to fill out the short form with the needed information.

The special song written for our children’s birthdays I Remember Well can be heard 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.

1 Corinthians 15:55 is a verse we hear every year around this time at Easter, which says, “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” As parents who have lost a child, we can tell you exactly where that sting is, can’t we?

In this episode, Laura talks about this, along with some thoughts about how the death and resurrection of Jesus affects us in such a deep way after the death of our child.

Click here to know more about Laura’s book Reflections of Hope coming out in April.

(GPS Hope is a 501c3 nonprofit and runs on the financial support of those who believe in passing along the hope they have received to others.)

Jonda Steinkamp was born on April 2 and is forever 4 ½ months.

Amie Bichard was born on April 5 and is forever 45.

Greg London was born on April 8 and is forever 34.

If you would like your child mentioned on the podcast the week of his or her birthday, click here to fill out the short form with the needed information.

The special song written for our children’s birthdays I Remember Well can be heard 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.

This is the time of year we start heading into spring… at least that is what the calendar tells us. It might take a while for the weather to get the message though.

God can use nature to teach us many things about life, as well as death and grief. Laura talks about this in today’s episode, giving some comparisons with things in nature and the changing of the seasons to our grief, after the death of our child.

Click here to know more about Laura’s book Reflections of Hope coming out in April.

(GPS Hope is a 501c3 nonprofit and runs on the financial support of those who believe in passing along the hope they have received to others.)

Dakota Crandall was born on March 27 and is forever 25.

Tommy Simmons was born on March 29 and is forever 59.

Miles DiGiannantonio was born on March 30 and is forever 20 months.

If you would like your child mentioned on the podcast the week of his or her birthday, click here to fill out the short form with the needed information.

The special song written for our children’s birthdays I Remember Well can be heard 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.

For those of us who have lost a child from this earth, there is no way we can put words to the pain and suffocating darkness we find ourselves hurled into. As Laura has been known to say, “I didn’t even know that kind of darkness existed!”

How do you even try to explain to someone who has never faced child loss what our grief is like, not just the first few months, but the first few years?

In today’s episode, Laura shares several illustrations or comparisons that not only help us describe what our grief is like to those around us, but helps other pareavors realize they are not alone in these crazy and dark emotions that seem to hang on for so long.

Click here to know more about Laura’s book Reflections of Hope coming out in April.

Preorder the children’s book Laura is writing with her granddaughter and help them get it funded here.

Savanah’s website

Savanah’s Facebook page

Watch the video with Alainah

Join the discussion! Leave a question or comment on today’s talk here.

(GPS Hope is a 501c3 nonprofit and runs on the financial support of those who believe in passing along the hope they have received to others.)

Daniel Wilson was born on March 21 and is forever 30.

If you would like your child mentioned on the podcast the week of his or her birthday, click here to fill out the short form with the needed information.

The special song written for our children’s birthdays I Remember Well can be heard 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.

Today’s episode is a continuation of last week’s discussion with Linda Dillow. If you have not heard episode 201 yet, please do not listen to this one until you go back. It lays the foundation for what will be shared today, which is needed for the topic of sexual intimacy and grief to make much more sense. (You may even be frustrated by what you hear in this episode if you have not heard the previous one.)

One thing you will hear from Linda today is how God gave us the gift of sexual intimacy as a form of comfort for each other, and she shares a situation recorded in the Bible where we see that.

Obviously, today’s (and last week’s) content is not for everyone, but it is extremely needed as no one else is talking about how grief affects our sexual intimacy within our marriage. Thankfully, Linda is someone who is willing to do so.

Linda is the author of several bestselling books, including Calm My Anxious Heart, Satisfy My Thirsty Soul, What’s it Like to be Married to Me? And the co-author of Intimate Issues, Passion Pursuit, Surprised by the Healer and others.

Linda and her husband, Jody ministered in the former East European Communist countries and in Asia for eighteen years training the leadership of the church. They have five grown children (one in heaven) and ten amazing grandchildren. Linda loves to encourage women to hope in God and trust in His faithfulness!

(Note: The views and opinions of our guests outside of this podcast may not be in agreement with GPS Hope.)

AuthenticIntimacy.com

Listen here to the previous episode 201:  God’s Gift of Sexual Intimacy (with Linda Dillow).

Check out Linda’s books (Amazon Links):

Find out more about the GPS Hope & Healing retreats or register to attend.

Join Laura and Dave on The Grief Cruise in October. Click here for information.

Join the discussion! Leave a question or comment on today’s talk here.

Click here to become a monthly partner, giving hope to other parents, or to give a special gift to keep this podcast going, along with providing  other needed resources to bereaved parents.

(GPS Hope is a 501c3 nonprofit and runs on the financial support of those who believe in passing along the hope they have received to others.)

Quintin T. Flowers was born on March 12 and is forever 54.

Matthew Branca was born on March 15 and is forever 23.

Rohit Matthew was born on March 16 and is forever 23.

Adam Block was born on March 16 and is forever 34.

Taraoluwa Chizoba was born on March 17 and is forever 7.

If you would like your child mentioned on the podcast the week of his or her birthday, click here to fill out the short form with the needed information.

The special song written for our children’s birthdays I Remember Well can be heard 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.

Today you are going to hear the start of a conversation with a returning guest, Linda Dillow on a topic that is highly unusual and hard to find, which is sexual intimacy and grief.

This may sound strange, but Linda is highly qualified on the topic of God’s view of sexual intimacy. After studying it out for herself, God led her to write a book, which led to more books and doing over 80 conferences on this topic.

A couple of years ago, her daughter passed away, which now also (unfortunately) qualifies her to talk about this topic within the deep grief of losing a child.

Before we get to the topic of intimacy and grief, the foundation needs to be laid for God’s view of sex, as His gift to us, and why it is important to know and grasp that revelation, which is what you will hear today.

Linda is the author of several bestselling books, including Calm My Anxious Heart, Satisfy My Thirsty Soul, What’s it Like to be Married to Me? And the co-author of Intimate Issues, Passion Pursuit, Surprised by the Healer and others.

Linda and her husband, Jody ministered in the former East European Communist countries and in Asia for eighteen years training the leadership of the church. They have five grown children (one in heaven) and ten amazing grandchildren. Linda loves to encourage women to hope in God and trust in His faithfulness!

(Note: The views and opinions of our guests outside of this podcast may not be in agreement with GPS Hope.)

AuthenticIntimacy.com

Check out Linda’s books (Amazon Links):

Previous episodes with Linda:

195: Trusting God When It Doesn’t Make Sense

196: A Declaration of Hope

Find out more about the GPS Hope & Healing retreats or register to attend.

Join Laura and Dave on The Grief Cruise in October. Click here for information.

Join the discussion! Leave a question or comment on today’s talk here.

Click here to become a monthly partner, giving hope to other parents, or to give a special gift to keep this podcast going, along with providing  other needed resources to bereaved parents.

(GPS Hope is a 501c3 nonprofit and runs on the financial support of those who believe in passing along the hope they have received to others.)

Ava Jenkins was born on March 6 and is forever 2.

Jonathan Van Verdegem was born on March 6 and is forever 19.

Steven Kowalewski was born on March 11 and is forever 28.

If you would like your child mentioned on the podcast the week of his or her birthday, click here to fill out the short form with the needed information.

The special song written for our children’s birthdays I Remember Well can be heard 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.