Well, surprise! I wasn't planning to release an episode with ALL new content until after the holidays, but last week I had an idea to start a monthly "Joy Report"...sharing some of the things that are bringing me joy right now! I share some pretty heavy stories on this podcast so I thought it would be fun to add a shorter, lighter episode once a month. Today, on my first "Joy Report", you'll hear me share a list of 5 things that are bringing me joy here in November!

A few links from the episode:

OXO Brew Conical Burr Coffee Grinder - https://amzn.to/43D92tz

Ninja Hot and Cold Brewed System - https://amzn.to/4r5QImT

My ESV Journaling Bible - https://amzn.to/4oVBD5R

*The Fighting for Joy Podcast is sponsored by Better Help, an online counseling service that pairs you with a professional licensed therapist who will combine Biblical wisdom with their clinical expertise in mental health to help you address your unique situation. As a Fighting for Joy listener, you can receive 10% off at: betterhelp.com/fightingforjoy. Christian counseling is a worthy investment and can be such a powerful tool in the fight for joy!

On this encore episode with my dear friend of 36 years, Cathy Brown, you’ll get a glimpse into the difficulty of losing your mom too soon. Shortly after graduating from college, Cathy was at work waitressing when she got the awful news that her mom had died while traveling home from Paris.

Cathy was my very first guest on the podcast and I’ve pointed quite a few people to this episode over the years as they’ve shared their own stories of losing their moms too soon. I’ve heard over and over how helpful Cathy’s insight and encouragement is around fighting for joy not just in this particular kind of grief, but grief in general. Cathy shares good insight about the "both/and" of healing and grieving - how healing doesn’t mean that you won’t still have pain...and how pain doesn't mean you aren't healing. You'll appreciate her encouragement around experiencing healing, progress, and joy, even with a hurting heart. We also spend some time reflecting on how grief changes and affects so many different aspects of your life, including faith and relationships.

Since we recorded this episode 7 years ago, Cathy has become a Certified Clinical Trauma Specialist, trained in EMDR Therapy, and sees clients as a Licensed Professional Counselor (I need to have her on again!). If you are struggling with the aftereffects of losing a loved one, especially if it was an untimely death, I encourage you to listen to Cathy's story of losing her mom and beginning her fight for joy.

*The Fighting for Joy Podcast is sponsored by Better Help, an online counseling service that pairs you with a professional licensed therapist who will combine Biblical wisdom with their clinical expertise in mental health to help you address your unique situation. As a Fighting for Joy listener, you can receive 10% off at: betterhelp.com/fightingforjoy. Christian counseling is a worthy investment and can be such a powerful tool in the fight for joy!

On this encore episode, you’ll hear a conversation that I recorded with my friend Leanne Ballinger almost 7 years ago! Listening to us share, still early in our grief, I can hear the tears remaining right at the surface for both of us throughout our conversation. Its a little hard for me to go back to where we were then, but at the same time, I’m just so in awe of all that God was already doing - and so proud of those versions of us! Brave Leanne and Brave Jodi trying our best to keep running towards God, not from Him. Trying our best to be grateful. Looking for God’s goodness in it all. Wanting to share in hopes of helping someone else. And working so hard to care for our living children and our hurting husbands, all while trying to figure out how to press forward in hope ourselves. And learning how to fight for joy!

In this episode you’ll hear us talk about Christian counseling, intentional gratitude, grieving differently than our spouse, the difference between internal and external processing, the downward spiral of comparison, and how to deal with real feelings of disappointment with God - knowing he is able to heal, but doesn’t.

Eric and I met Leanne and her husband Mike at a grief retreat. Their son Drew passed away the same summer that our son Jackson did. Their sweet Drew had some complications and was given a 25% chance of survival after birth, and after enduring 7 and 1/2 months of traumatic ups and downs, he went to be with the Lord. Our stories are different and our sons died at different ages and through different circumstances, but God gave us such a strong connection from the start. It has been such a help to have a kindred spirit to walk through grief with. For almost 12 years now we have walked with each other through death days, birthdays, and special days that our boys should’ve been a part of. We've also celebrated the times that life felt brighter - helping each other accept happiness again, and clinging to hope as sisters in Christ.

As we chatted this week about the episode and putting it out there for you again, one of the comments we both made had to do with the TREASURE our friendship has been in grief…and the absolute blessing that finding some sort of grief community, some other grieving friends, can be when you have had to bury a loved one. That's why I decided to rename this episode "Friendship in Grief". Maybe you aren’t grieving the loss of a loved one but have other struggles and burdens. We hope that our friendship gives you inspiration to keep working to make meaningful connections yourself - we need each other!! It’s so tempting to pull inward and put up walls up when we are hurting! But letting people in, reaching out to others, and walking together through the dark days will help your progress! It will build your hope. And it will help your fight for joy!

Here are some links for a few of the grief resources we mentioned:

What Grieving People Wish You Knew by Nancy Guthrie

Suffering: Gospel Hope when Life Doesn't Make Sense by Paul Tripp

Holding on to Hope: A Pathway through Suffering to the Heart of God by Nancy Guthrie

I Will Carry You: The Sacred Dance of Grief and Joy by Angie Smith

Shattered Dreams: God's Unexpected Path to Joy by Larry Crabb

*The Fighting for Joy Podcast is sponsored by Better Help, an online counseling service that pairs you with a professional licensed therapist who will combine Biblical wisdom with their clinical expertise in mental health to help you address your unique situation. As a Fighting for Joy listener, you can receive 10% off at: betterhelp.com/fightingforjoy. Quality counseling is a worthy investment and can be such a powerful tool in the fight for joy!

I believed from the start of our grief journey that our faith would allow us to fight for joy in the midst of our sorrow. But happiness? Laughter? It sure didn't seem possible, or even appropriate, for a long time. But today we share a little bit about how laughter HAS returned, even though our grief continues. And, because of all of the tears and darker days, our laughter feels especially sweet now. Richer. More meaningful. More hope-filled.

If you are in the midst of difficult circumstances and feel like genuine laughter is unattainable, we understand - and we want this episode to bring you hope. We have a big God who restores, helps, heals, comforts, and redeems. Wait upon Him. In the meantime, let the tears flow. Keep pressing forward. Take one day at a time. Work to fight bitterness and despondency. And keep fighting for joy, asking God to eventually bring some laughter along with it.

*The Fighting for Joy Podcast is sponsored by Better Help, an online counseling service that pairs you with a professional licensed therapist who will combine Biblical wisdom with their clinical expertise in mental health to help you address your unique situation. As a Fighting for Joy listener, you can receive 10% off at: betterhelp.com/fightingforjoy. Quality counseling is a worthy investment and can be such a powerful tool in the fight for joy!

I'm so excited to be back for Season 8! Listen in for a quick update and what you can expect to hear on the podcast this fall.

Have you tried Better Help yet? Don't forget that as a Fighting for Joy listener you can receive 10% off of your first month of counseling. Check out my Fighting for Joy link at betterhelp.com/fightingforjoy. Counseling can be such a huge help in this broken world and a major tool in the fight for joy.

A couple of weeks ago we hit the 12 year mark in our grief. 12 years without Jackson. Without Tyler and Trey. 12 years since we got “the phone call” and so many lives were forever changed. 12 years on this painful journey. And, it still hurts. It’s still hard. Sometimes I think, “of course our hearts still hurt”, and other times I’m completely surprised by it.

As I’ve said before, these set apart dates on the calendar that bring our heartache and grief right back up to the surface, and mark the passing of time without our son, are daunting - the lead up to the day, fumbling through the actual day, and then the weariness of soul in the days and weeks to follow…it’s all just plain exhausting, even now in the second decade of our loss. In light of this, and as a way to bring Season 7 of the podcast to an official close, I wanted to come on and share a little bit from my heart - a grief update, of sorts. Proof of life. Testimony of God’s continued care and healing. Things we continue to learn. And more insight into what is helpful during these tougher times of the year.

I’m so glad you found this episode. Thank you for taking the time to listen. In many ways, it’s like we are sitting down for coffee today. Or out on a walk…and you ask, “What’s your grief been like lately?” An unscripted hour of hearing me share about what my personal fight for joy feels like now in hopes of encouraging you to keep pressing forward in your own journey, or to continue walking with your grieving friends.

Also, don't forget that as a Fighting for Joy listener you can receive 10% off of your first month of counseling services from BetterHelp, my podcast sponsor. Check out my link at betterhelp.com/fightingforjoy. Counseling can be such a huge help in this broken world and a major tool in the fight for joy.

Are you living under the constant pressure of feeling like you should be doing MORE? Or feeling like you should BE more? That you’re always letting people down. Or letting GOD down. If guilt and overwhelm have become a big part of your life, I’m glad you found this episode! As my guest today writes in his new book, You Were Never Meant to Do It All: A 40-Day Devotional on the Goodness of Being Human, “God has not designed us to do everything, be everywhere, or know everything. We can value our work, our bodies, and our relationships without thinking we must have endless energy, always be strong, or have unending emotional reserves. God simply didn’t create us in this way.”

I’m excited to introduce you today to Dr. Kelly Kapic. Eric and I met Kelly and his wife, Tabitha, through mutual friends while our daughter was attending Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia, where Dr. Kapic is a professor of theological studies. Kelly is also a speaker and an award-winning author. His books have greatly impacted our family, so for this episode, I asked my husband Eric to join me in this helpful conversation about accepting and finding freedom in our limitations as humans. There is much to be gained by leaning into God’s good design for us. To realize that we CAN’T “do it all”, not because something is wrong with us, but because we are created to be dependent on God and on others. Only God Himself is without limits and fully in control. As we more deeply settle into this way of thinking and living, we can experience greater growth, a deeper sense of community, and more peace, rest, and JOY!

You can learn more about Dr. Kapic's work and writing here: https://www.covenant.edu/academics/bible/faculty/kapic.html

Also, don't forget that as a Fighting for Joy listener you can receive 10% off of your first month of counseling services from BetterHelp, my podcast sponsor. Check out my link at betterhelp.com/fightingforjoy. Counseling can be such a huge help in this broken world and a major tool in the fight for joy.

I thought it would be helpful to re-release this episode with Mother's Day weekend approaching. For many women, this is a complicated holiday that can hold a wide range of emotions. Celebration AND tears. Joy AND sadness. It's now been almost 12 years without Jackson and 5 years without my mom - continued grief. AND, since this episode originally aired a couple of years ago, our family has grown - new joy! When Mother's Day comes this year, I'll have a new daughter-in-law, AND, with Grace's recent engagement, a new future son-in-law. Everything that I speak over my kids at the end of the episode rings true for Mercedes and Cameron now as well.

Listen in as I share 5 practical ways to approach the "both/and" of Mother's Day. These are tools that I personally implement and I know they will help you fight for joy too!

*Don't forget that as a Fighting for Joy listener you can receive 10% off of your first month of counseling services from BetterHelp, my podcast sponsor. Check out my link at betterhelp.com/fightingforjoy. Counseling can be such a huge help in this broken world and a major tool in the fight for joy.

** If this episode was encouraging to you, I’d like to ask you to please consider rating the Fighting for Joy podcast, and even leaving a review. Once you find my show, scroll down to where it says “tap to rate” or “write a review”. Tapping to rate literally takes a second or two, and writing a review can be quick as well. Just sharing that you enjoy listening, or that it’s an encouragement to you is enough. The longer I do this the more I understand how helpful those ratings and reviews really are, so thanks for considering this. It means a lot!

Today I’m privileged to bring you a tender story of grief from a local friend of mine, Mary Glowacki. Mary was only 15 years old when her mother died. There are not too many things for young girl to face worse than losing her mom and having to grow up without a mother’s distinctive instruction and special care. When you face a future without such a key figure there to help and guide, life can become a real fight for joy. It’s been 40 years since Mary’s mother died, but as you hear her share today, you will get a glimpse into just how impacting and long lasting grief truly is. I know you’re going to love hearing Mary’s heart and be helped by her insight, experience, wisdom, and vulnerability. As she shares some of the practical ways that she fights for joy, I think you'll be encouraged in your own difficult situations. Thank you for listening today!

*Don't forget that as a Fighting for Joy listener you can receive 10% off of your first month of counseling services from BetterHelp, my podcast sponsor. Check out my link at betterhelp.com/fightingforjoy. Counseling can be such a huge help in this broken world and a major tool in the fight for joy.

** If this episode was encouraging to you, I’d like to ask you to please consider rating the Fighting for Joy podcast, and even leaving a review. Once you find my show, scroll down to where it says “tap to rate” or “write a review”. Tapping to rate literally takes a second or two, and writing a review can be quick as well. Just sharing that you enjoy listening, or that it’s an encouragement to you is enough. The longer I do this the more I understand how helpful those ratings and reviews really are, so thanks for considering this. It means a lot!

Well, guess who I have back on the podcast with me today? My favorite guest and yours, my husband Eric! Today we have a conversation about the grief that is experienced when you lose a grandparent. It’s a topic that I haven’t covered in depth on the podcast yet, but for many people a grandparent dying is their first experience with grief.

One of the things that we hope you take away from this episode is the reminder that death at any age is not the way that its supposed to be. In this broken world, death is an enemy. Processing a grandparent's death, even if they had a long, full life is still hard. Its okay to lean into the brokenness of it all - to hate what death does to our hearts and to acknowledge the void that a grandparent can leave.

Listen in as Eric and I share a little bit about our grandparents and our special relationships with them, and then later in the episode as we talk about how we grieved and processed their deaths. I’m glad you found my podcast today and I hope it brings some encouragement to your heart, especially if you are grieving the tender loss of a grandparent.

*Don't forget that as a Fighting for Joy listener you can receive 10% off of your first month of counseling services from BetterHelp, my podcast sponsor. Check out my link at betterhelp.com/fightingforjoy. Christian counseling can be such a huge help in this broken world and a major tool in the fight for joy.

** If this episode was encouraging to you, I’d like to ask you to please consider rating the Fighting for Joy podcast, and even leaving a review. Once you find my show, scroll down to where it says “tap to rate” or “write a review”. Tapping to rate literally takes a second or two, and writing a review can be quick as well. Just sharing that you enjoy listening, or that it’s an encouragement to you is enough. The longer I do this the more I understand how helpful those ratings and reviews really are, so thanks for considering this. It means a lot!