All Episodes

When our child dies, we want to die ourselves so we can go be with them. It may not make sense to others, or even ourselves, especially when we know in our heads that we have reasons (people) to live for.

It is important for you to know that this is “normal” for someone who has lost a child, and also that you will get past those feelings at some point and start seeing that life is worth living again.

You are not alone. There are others who have felt the same way. We didn’t think we could make it, but we did, and so can you! I pray this episode is an encouragement and brings at least a glimmer of hope into the dark pit you found yourself thrown into, after the death of your child.

Suicide prevention lifeline 800-273-8255

Find out more about EMDR (Rapid Eye Movement therapy for trauma and PTSD)

Click on the episodes below you would like to hear:

12 – Facing our Fears After the Death of our Child

13 – I Am Afraid No One Will Remember My Child

14 – I Am Afraid to Enjoy Life Without My Child

15 – I Am Afraid of Losing Another Child

16  – The Fear of Grief Triggers

17 – I Am Afraid I Am Losing My Mind

18 – I Am Afraid My Child Might Not Be in Heaven

Page with a downloadable copy of To the Newly Bereaved

Be sure to check out all the resources we have at gpshope.org

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.)

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

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

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

The day this episode is released, my daughter, Becca, would be 39 years old. Instead, she is forever 29. Three of Becca’s siblings are now older than their big sister, with one more sibling yet to hit that marker.

The birthdays of our children are painful and bittersweet. We are so thankful for the day they came into our lives, but we won’t be celebrating with them, doing things like serving them a special cake or buying gifts and a card for them. It hurts more than can be put into words that all we have now are past birthday memories, and won’t be making any new ones. (And if you had a pregnancy or infant loss, you don’t even have that… I am so sorry!)

In this episode, I talk about some of the struggles we have with our child’s birthday, along with some words of encouragement on why it is important to still celebrate the special day our child came into this world, even when those around us don’t understand why we want to acknowledge the birthday of our child who has died.

Having some sort of launch (like bio-degradable balloons, lanterns, or butterflies), eating their favorite food or watching their favorite movie are great ways to celebrate and remember our child on their birthday, but I also share a small handful of unique ideas on other special things you can do that day.

Happy Birthday, Becca-Boo! We love you and miss you like crazy!

Listen to Laura’s song Together Forever.

Don’t forget to give this podcast a rating and review to help other grieving parents find us!

Send Laura your voice recording at [email protected].

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.)

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

Rachel Pilcher was born on April 13 and is forever 40.

Carter Braun was born on April 13 and is forever 15.

Brandon Matos was born on April 14 and is forever 23.

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 episode is a continuation of last week’s topic. We are all very aware that in this life, we don’t always get what we planned. I’m pretty sure as a parent, it wasn’t your plan to be listening to a podcast for grieving parents, and it certainly wasn’t in my plan to host one, or to have a full-time ministry to pareavors.

Something we desperately need, to be able to move forward is hope. This includes eventually having hope that God still has a plan in place to bring blessings into our lives, even with our child no longer here on earth with us.

If you missed last week’s episode, I highly recommend you click here to listen (or find episode 102 on your app), and then come back and listen to this one, because I talk more in depth about hope and I shared three keys on how to move toward those blessings.

So if you have already heard last week’s episode, go ahead and hit play, as I share more of these keys.

Listen to Part One of Child Loss was Not in My Plan

Read more of Becca’s Story.

What is a pareavor?

Join GPS Hope on a cruise! Click here for more information.

Don’t forget to give this podcast a rating and review to help other grieving parents find us!

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.)

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

Michael Rhodes was born on April 11 and is forever 18.

Malish (Caspian) Aurova was born on April 11 and is forever 9 weeks.

Megan Small was born on April 11 and is forever 21.

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.

We just got done having our GPS Hope and Healing retreat in Texas and it was wonderful! (See the link below if you want to find out more about our retreats.) Today and next week’s episodes are one of the sessions from this past retreat.

None of us ever planned to be listening to a podcast for parents who have faced the death of their child! But we know that sometimes things that happen in our lives here on earth are not what we planned.

If you are like me, I had no idea this kind of suffocating darkness even existed. So, if this wasn’t in our plans, it makes sense that we struggle for a very long time trying to navigate our way through it, looking for some sort of light and hope to be able to do more than just barely survive the rest of our time here.

Changing our perspective in certain areas is important to get us through the darkness and back to a place of light and learning how to live in a world without our child. In this episode I share three keys to help with this, and next week I will share a few more.

GPS Hope & Healing Retreats

Book: When Tragedy Strikes

Get a copy of the Forgiveness Prayers 

I Am Afraid My Child Might Not Be in Heaven podcast episode

Join GPS Hope on a cruise! Click here for more information.

Don’t forget to give this podcast a rating and review to help other grieving parents find us!

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.)

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

Jonda Steinkamp was born on April 2 and is forever 5 months.

William Judah was born on April 3 and is forever 40.

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 our child dies, we are surrounded by family and friends who hurt with us, cry with us and pray with us. Some of them will sit with us, call to see if there is anything we need, and we often get a couple weeks’ worth of meals brought to our house.

Then 3 months, 6 months, 12 months later, it seems some of those same people either start avoiding us or start hinting that maybe it’s time to pull ourselves out of our grief pit and start to move on (or they outright tell us that).

In this episode, you will find out that as sad as this is, it seems to be “normal” for most of us who have lost a child. It is very hurtful when that happens, and can be quite discouraging, but I want you to also see that you can still have hope for deep, lasting friendships.

Don’t forget to give this podcast a rating and review to help other grieving parents find us!

Click here to get a Weekly Word of Hope.

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.)

Samuel Hines was born on March 19 and is forever 7.

Jacquelyn Landry was born on March 24 and is forever 18.

Waylyn McRae was born on March 25 and is forever 17.

Michael Young was born on March 26 and is forever 22.

Jacob Vidaurri was born on March 26 and is forever 20.

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

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.