On the last episode, Eric and I talked through some tender and candid reflections on what would’ve been our son Jackson’s 25th birthday. Every April 12th without him here is painful (we have endured 9 of them now), but as we shared on that episode, his 25th birthday felt especially hard for me. So as the date on the calendar was approaching, I began working on a social media post to share, not just to express my own thoughts, sorrow, and grief, but truly in hopes of helping others who may be facing difficulties of their own. On today's episode, I thought that it might be helpful to just read the post that I wrote, providing a sort of resource for you. Something that can help you when you face "your April 12th", whatever that may be. So, I invite you to listen today and soak in these truths, but I also encourage you to come back and listen again and again...whenever you need hope. When you feel alone. When God feels distant. When you are discouraged. And when you just need to be reminded of God’s promises!

*The Fighting for Joy Podcast is sponsored by Faithful Counseling, an online Christian counseling service. As a Fighting for Joy listener, you can receive 10% off at: faithfulcounseling.com/fightingforjoy. Quality counseling is a worthy investment and can be such a powerful tool in the fight for joy!