In this episode, hosts Lele and Kathy cover a heavy topic with guests Shanna and Savannah. What does grace look like in times of grief, specifically in the grief of losing your child? This is not something that these women take lightly, but they offer some peace through insight into their own personal stories and the struggles they faced in hopes that other mothers will know they are not alone. Lele starts us off with her personal story, and then our beautiful guests give us a glimpse into their lives before diving into their stories of grief and grace. Shanna tells her story of her first pregnancy, the excitement, and the new feeling of new parenthood. Hearing the emotion in her voice as she begins telling us about Elijah and the process of deciding to carry him as far as the Lord would allow, listeners can feel the pain of losing a baby so soon. Savannah speaks of her most recent pregnancy, the struggle of knowing something was wrong, and finding out all alone that her daughter, Saylor, had passed. Savannah explains that she and her family are still in the recent process of this grief, and it is something she thinks about daily. The strength of these women to share these stories is something to be recognized and we thank them for their openness and their allowing us to be a small part of this journey with them. Savannah speaks to God providing and being an absolutely unexplainable peace, the lifting of weight off her shoulders. She references Isaiah 43:2, that we will go through hard times, but the Lord's presence is always with us and will always bring us through. Shanna talks about trying to reshape things to show others we are joyful. This is not one of those things where you just tell yourself "It's going to be okay, I'm going to be fine." The strength to survive will only come from the Lord. These women do not shy away from the depression and the anxiety and the depths of dark places that they reached--but they knew the Lord would heal and survive.
They do not shy away from the difficulty of this, and they want others to know that yes, it is going to be hard. But somehow you will survive this. Your timeline is your timeline. This will change you, and that is okay. It is okay to grieve the person you were. It's not all bad. It will get better, it won't always be so hard. Seek counseling, mentors, other women who are going to speak truth into you and hold you up when you do not think you can do it on your own.