Warrior Moms: Surviving Child Loss

Thank you so much for listening! We'd love to hear from you---what you would love to hear, what you like, what helped, etc. With love, Warrior Moms Michele & Amy

Join us and two of our Warrior Moms, Christine McHenry and Robyn (Noe) Willis, as we talk about how we survived and how we find joy during the holidays while grieving our children. This is uplifting, and we hope you will listen!

To find us online, find us on Facebook and Instagram!
Here's our page:
Facebook: Warrior Moms-The Club No One Wants to Be in
Instagram: Warrior Moms.SurvivingChildLoss

We love that you're listening and are thankful for each of you. We'd love to hear from you, what have helped you, and what you'd like us to talk about!

With love in 2024,
Michele & Amy
Warrior Moms

"Dream Bird" by Jonny Easton

Support the show

Thank you for listening to Warrior Moms podcast. It is an honor to share about our beloved children gone too soon, and we hope by telling of our loss, it may help someone in their grief journey. Please note that we are not medical professionals and encourage those listening to seek help from mental health professionals. 

We'd love to hear from our followers! 

Please help support us, so we can help support other grieving moms. 
Websites: 

https://www.warriormoms.me/

https://www.warriormomssupportfoundation.org/

DONATE * Listen to Other Podcast Episodes * Sign up for Newsletter * Get on our Retreat Waitlist * Invite Us to Speak * Contact us!

With love,
Warrior Moms Amy & Michele

Thank you so much for listening! We'd love to hear from you---what you would love to hear, what you like, what helped, etc. With love, Warrior Moms Michele & Amy

What a tribute to walking with faith! Cathy Semeria speaks about changing pain into ministry. To be witness to such love for her daughter and for God speaks of the ongoing love Tini provides. Cathy shares with us her joy in giving to others in pain, but also speaks candidly about how to give grace to yourself in deep grief and how to BE STILL in order to hear God. Thank you to Cathy for such passion and love, teaching us how to live like Tini...one small act of kindness at a time. 

Cathy shares Tini's writing from a blog post. Tini writes: 
As I close, may you draw strength from Tini’s own words from her own blog – Stirring Heart –“Spark in the Dark,” posted on March 14, 2016 –
“Joy is a difficult thing. It is not, however, to be mistaken with happiness. Happiness is based on circumstances. Joy is an orientation of the heart. It remains even in the most strenuous moments and has no barriers or limitations. It is from a God of unconditional and everlasting love.

These girls freakin had joy. Neither our deepness of friendship nor the circumstances of the day stopped them from spreading as much joy as they could in a matter of 30 seconds. This is how we should all live.
And I compare it to a spark in the dark. As small as a spark in the dark might be, it can be seen by all those around it. And if those sparks encourage further sparks, a tremendous light can be created and overcome any and all darkness. So, as easy as it is to say, “my one life and heart probably won’t make much of a difference, considering how many people there are in the world,” you’re wrong. Sorry, not sorry! There is power in one heart, just as there is power in one spark.” ~ Tini Semeria
 
We hope you will join us to learn about Tini Semeria, and her mom Cathy's life's purpose, and advice for grievers. I know I personally walked away filled with gratefulness for such a moving story, one that does push me to be a spark for kindness, love, compassion, and empathy.  


Tini’s links –
A Stirring Heart – Spark in the Dark blog - https://christinasemeria.wordpress.com/
“Be Still” – Tini’s original song - https://christinasemeria.org/2017/01/29/be-still-download-available/
“Cara” – Tini’s original song - https://christinasemeria.org/2018/02/06/cara-now-available-for-download/
Spark in the Dark 5K – registration link – virtual or in person -
 https://runsignup.com/Race/GA/Athens/TiniSemeriaSparkintheDark5kWalkRun
Tini Semeria Spark in the Dark Scholarship Fund - UGA Endowed Annual Scholarship Giving Fund link - https://gail.uga.edu/commit?search=75668003
Tini’s website - https://christinasemeria.org/
My Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/cathy.semeria/
My Instagram page - https://www.instagram.com/cathysemeria/

To find Warrior Moms: Surviving Childloss online, find us on Facebook and Instagram!
Here's our page:
Facebook: Warrior Moms-The Club No One Wants to Be in
Instagram: Warrior Moms.SurvivingChildLoss

We love that you're listening and are thankful for each of you. We'd love to hear from you, what have helped you, and what you'd like us to talk about!

With love in 2024,
Michele & Amy
Warrior Moms

"Dream Bird" by Jonny Easton

Support the show

Thank you for listening to Warrior Moms podcast. It is an honor to share about our beloved children gone too soon, and we hope by telling of our loss, it may help someone in their grief journey. Please note that we are not medical professionals and encourage those listening to seek help from mental health professionals. 

We'd love to hear from our followers! 

Please help support us, so we can help support other grieving moms. 
Websites: 

https://www.warriormoms.me/

https://www.warriormomssupportfoundation.org/

DONATE * Listen to Other Podcast Episodes * Sign up for Newsletter * Get on our Retreat Waitlist * Invite Us to Speak * Contact us!

With love,
Warrior Moms Amy & Michele

Thank you so much for listening! We'd love to hear from you---what you would love to hear, what you like, what helped, etc. With love, Warrior Moms Michele & Amy

Rae Ann Gruver shares her love for her son Max, the tragedy of losing Max to fraternity hazing, and the strides she has made in educating colleges and parents about the deadly dangers of hazing. #FlyHighMax is their motto, which captures his kind spirit, and we thank Rae Ann for her strength, her fierce committment to saving other students, and for sharing her inspiring advocacy work--all honoring their beloved son. 

Max's family finds strength in his words, "God works in funny ways. He does bad things sometimes because in the end they are good. Something bad can happen to you, but it may happen because it will make you better. He does bad to ultimately create good."

If interested, please go to their website to learn more about Max and the mission to stop hazing. 

www.MaxGruverFoundation.com

To find Warrior Moms: Surviving Childloss online, find us on Facebook and Instagram!
Here's our page:
Facebook: Warrior Moms-The Club No One Wants to Be in
Instagram: Warrior Moms.SurvivingChildLoss

We love that you're listening and are thankful for each of you. We'd love to hear from you, what have helped you, and what you'd like us to talk about!

With love in 2024,
Michele & Amy
Warrior Moms

"Dream Bird" by Jonny Easton

Support the show

Thank you for listening to Warrior Moms podcast. It is an honor to share about our beloved children gone too soon, and we hope by telling of our loss, it may help someone in their grief journey. Please note that we are not medical professionals and encourage those listening to seek help from mental health professionals. 

We'd love to hear from our followers! 

Please help support us, so we can help support other grieving moms. 
Websites: 

https://www.warriormoms.me/

https://www.warriormomssupportfoundation.org/

DONATE * Listen to Other Podcast Episodes * Sign up for Newsletter * Get on our Retreat Waitlist * Invite Us to Speak * Contact us!

With love,
Warrior Moms Amy & Michele

Thank you so much for listening! We'd love to hear from you---what you would love to hear, what you like, what helped, etc. With love, Warrior Moms Michele & Amy

Do you wonder what's going on with your friend who has lost a child? Do you make them sad when you ask about their child? How long should their grief last? Do you wonder what is normal with your own grief; do others feel the similar things as you?

We address these questions and more in a quick way that hopefully will give some insight and understanding about those who have lost a child.

Thank you to all of for joining us; you matter. Grief is often a taboo topic...or one that can be hard to talk about. We hope that we are normalizing grief, knowing that no journey is the same, but it is real because of deep love.

To find Warrior Moms: Surviving Childloss online, find us on Facebook and Instagram!
Here's our page:
Facebook: Warrior Moms-The Club No One Wants to Be in
Instagram: Warrior Moms.SurvivingChildLoss

We love that you're listening and are thankful for each of you. We'd love to hear from you, what have helped you, and what you'd like us to talk about!

With love in 2024,
Michele & Amy
Warrior Moms

"Dream Bird" by Jonny Easton

Support the show

Thank you for listening to Warrior Moms podcast. It is an honor to share about our beloved children gone too soon, and we hope by telling of our loss, it may help someone in their grief journey. Please note that we are not medical professionals and encourage those listening to seek help from mental health professionals. 

We'd love to hear from our followers! 

Please help support us, so we can help support other grieving moms. 
Websites: 

https://www.warriormoms.me/

https://www.warriormomssupportfoundation.org/

DONATE * Listen to Other Podcast Episodes * Sign up for Newsletter * Get on our Retreat Waitlist * Invite Us to Speak * Contact us!

With love,
Warrior Moms Amy & Michele

Thank you so much for listening! We'd love to hear from you---what you would love to hear, what you like, what helped, etc. With love, Warrior Moms Michele & Amy

To lose one child is unthinkable; Robyn Noe has lived through the loss of her two beautiful and vibrant children in a house fire on October 5th, 2019: son Shaun, age 12, and Morgan, age 9, and she continues to fight each day to put one foot in front of the other with faith and fierceness. What a true honor it is to get to call Robyn a Warrior Mom and a friend.

Visiting with Robyn about her two darling children, her absolute loves, Shaun and Morgan seem to be mirror images of her: kind, giving, competitive, and thoughtful. She retells about who they were and how she lives hoping to make them proud. Amy and I have no doubt that this mama bear is doing exactly that.

Please join us this week to hear about Robyn's horrific loss, but also about the way she pushes through to find joy and love. She inspires us Warrior Moms every time we get to see her because she lives with such intention.

Whether you have lost a child, know someone who has, or grieve the loss of a loved one, Robyn's interview highlights how deep sadness can be paired with living a beautiful life. We know you will find Robyn's storytelling captivating, so we hope you will join us.

To find out more about the foundation in honor of Shaun and Morgan and its goal to help everyone learn about monthly fire alarm checks, having fire exit plans, and how to help, please visit the Forever Noe Strong Foundation. Donations can be made through their Venmo account @forevernoestrong08 or through our website www.forevernoestrongfoundation.org. Robyn thanks you in advance for your kindness and generosity, knowing that it is only through your support that we can spread knowledge and help others. As a reminder, please check your smoke detectors, make and practice your fire escape plans, and live to make every day special. You just have no idea when it could be the last.

To find Warrior Moms: Surviving Childloss online, find us on Facebook and Instagram!
Here's our page:
Facebook: Warrior Moms-The Club No One Wants to Be in
Instagram: Warrior Moms.SurvivingChildLoss

We love that you're listening and are thankful for each of you. We'd love to hear from you, what have helped you, and what you'd like us to talk about!

With love in 2024,
Michele & Amy
Warrior Moms

"Dream Bird" by Jonny Easton

Support the show

Thank you for listening to Warrior Moms podcast. It is an honor to share about our beloved children gone too soon, and we hope by telling of our loss, it may help someone in their grief journey. Please note that we are not medical professionals and encourage those listening to seek help from mental health professionals. 

We'd love to hear from our followers! 

Please help support us, so we can help support other grieving moms. 
Websites: 

https://www.warriormoms.me/

https://www.warriormomssupportfoundation.org/

DONATE * Listen to Other Podcast Episodes * Sign up for Newsletter * Get on our Retreat Waitlist * Invite Us to Speak * Contact us!

With love,
Warrior Moms Amy & Michele

Thank you so much for listening! We'd love to hear from you---what you would love to hear, what you like, what helped, etc. With love, Warrior Moms Michele & Amy

Grief...loss...sadness...words just do not seem to fit the depth of sorrow in losing a child. Yet, grief is a part of this life we all live, and life, it still goes on. Whether you are grieving the loss of a child, a mother, father, brother, sister, friend, or precious pet, we hope to give ideas for how to carve space for yourself while finding a way to love and support others in our life.

Questions the Warrior Moms wrestle with: How do you give comfort while breaking? How do you cheer on the sidelines while wanting to stay in bed? How do you stay patient when children can't express what they need...and neither can you? 

In this episode, we discuss these challenges while trying to find ways to help our children on earth survive and thrive. It is possible...one breath...one day at a time.

Thank you for listening to Warrior Moms podcast. It is an honor to share about our beloved children gone too soon, and we hope in telling of our losses, it may help someone on their own grief journey. Please note that we are not medical professionals, and encourage those listening to seek help from mental health professionals. 

To find Warrior Moms: Surviving Childloss online, find us on Facebook and Instagram!
Here's our page:
Facebook: Warrior Moms-The Club No One Wants to Be in
Instagram: Warrior Moms.SurvivingChildLoss

We love that you're listening and are thankful for each of you. We'd love to hear from you, what have helped you, and what you'd like us to talk about!

With love in 2024,
Michele & Amy
Warrior Moms

"Dream Bird" by Jonny Easton

Support the show

Thank you for listening to Warrior Moms podcast. It is an honor to share about our beloved children gone too soon, and we hope by telling of our loss, it may help someone in their grief journey. Please note that we are not medical professionals and encourage those listening to seek help from mental health professionals. 

We'd love to hear from our followers! 

Please help support us, so we can help support other grieving moms. 
Websites: 

https://www.warriormoms.me/

https://www.warriormomssupportfoundation.org/

DONATE * Listen to Other Podcast Episodes * Sign up for Newsletter * Get on our Retreat Waitlist * Invite Us to Speak * Contact us!

With love,
Warrior Moms Amy & Michele

Thank you so much for listening! We'd love to hear from you---what you would love to hear, what you like, what helped, etc. With love, Warrior Moms Michele & Amy

Fiercely intentional about finding a way to make sure Sydney's death can help others, Jenny Stanley earns the Warrior Moms' title by speaking openly about her darling, vivacious daughter who died of car heat exhaustion. She writes:

"It’s almost 12 years later and the pain is still there as if it were yesterday. Sydney was such a happy child. She lit up a room when she entered it. She was a strong-willed redhead and kept me on my toes. Mike called it the 'battle of the redheads.' I’ve reached the point that I can smile when her name is said versus complete sorrow. I can laugh as I remember some of her antics. One time she was misbehaving, and I was not available. My oldest called their grandmother to try to talk to Sydney into behaving. Sydney was not happy that they were having this chat, so she hung up on her grandmother. My mother immediately called back and asked to speak to her. My son took the phone to Sydney and told her that her Nana wanted to talk to her. Sydney’s response was that she would just hang up on Nana again. She was disrespectful and that is unacceptable in our home. However, it was funny, and I had to keep a straight face while disciplining her."

This shows Sydney's spunky attitude and Jenny's message is critical to help save others. 

Jenny writes, "I do my best to try to educate others and hopefully prevent car heat exhaustion from happening again. I hope Sydney’s story can be the prevention of a tragedy. I hope she knows how very much she is loved and missed. I hope she knows that I tell her story over and over and that she is far from being forgotten. I hope she knows how much she impacted others. I hope she’s proud of me!"

To find Warrior Moms: Surviving Childloss online, find us on Facebook and Instagram!
Here's our page:
Facebook: Warrior Moms-The Club No One Wants to Be in
Instagram: Warrior Moms.SurvivingChildLoss

We love that you're listening and are thankful for each of you. We'd love to hear from you, what have helped you, and what you'd like us to talk about!

With love in 2024,
Michele & Amy
Warrior Moms

"Dream Bird" by Jonny Easton

Support the show

Thank you for listening to Warrior Moms podcast. It is an honor to share about our beloved children gone too soon, and we hope by telling of our loss, it may help someone in their grief journey. Please note that we are not medical professionals and encourage those listening to seek help from mental health professionals. 

We'd love to hear from our followers! 

Please help support us, so we can help support other grieving moms. 
Websites: 

https://www.warriormoms.me/

https://www.warriormomssupportfoundation.org/

DONATE * Listen to Other Podcast Episodes * Sign up for Newsletter * Get on our Retreat Waitlist * Invite Us to Speak * Contact us!

With love,
Warrior Moms Amy & Michele

Thank you so much for listening! We'd love to hear from you---what you would love to hear, what you like, what helped, etc. With love, Warrior Moms Michele & Amy

It is well known Elisabeth Kübler-Ross' 5 Stages of Grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. But a little less known are the physical pains one goes through in dealing with trauma. Deep grief is exhausting, and gnaws away at your inner strength. 

Today's episode discusses the top physical pains a handful of our Warrior Moms experience. We discuss how these pains affect both of us and how missing our children is a daily sadness that carries such heavy weight. What do we do to push through, work through, and reach out in order to thrive amidst this grief? We discuss some of our strategies. Our goal is to give hope to a recently bereaved that one breath at a time, one alarm set for a nap, and one call for a walk with a friend...will make a difference. As Amy says, we hope our TESTS will be our TESTIMONIES. We hope our stories may become someone's survival guide.

To find Warrior Moms: Surviving Childloss online, find us on Facebook and Instagram!
Here's our page:
Facebook: Warrior Moms-The Club No One Wants to Be in
Instagram: Warrior Moms.SurvivingChildLoss

We love that you're listening and are thankful for each of you. We'd love to hear from you, what have helped you, and what you'd like us to talk about!

With love in 2024,
Michele & Amy
Warrior Moms

"Dream Bird" by Jonny Easton

Support the show

Thank you for listening to Warrior Moms podcast. It is an honor to share about our beloved children gone too soon, and we hope by telling of our loss, it may help someone in their grief journey. Please note that we are not medical professionals and encourage those listening to seek help from mental health professionals. 

We'd love to hear from our followers! 

Please help support us, so we can help support other grieving moms. 
Websites: 

https://www.warriormoms.me/

https://www.warriormomssupportfoundation.org/

DONATE * Listen to Other Podcast Episodes * Sign up for Newsletter * Get on our Retreat Waitlist * Invite Us to Speak * Contact us!

With love,
Warrior Moms Amy & Michele

Thank you so much for listening! We'd love to hear from you---what you would love to hear, what you like, what helped, etc. With love, Warrior Moms Michele & Amy

"School days, school days

Dear old Golden Rule days

Reading and writing and 'rithmetic'

...when we were a couple of kids"

Music by Gus Edwards |  Lyrics by Will D. Cobb (1907)

Pictures of kids in new sneakers, blue jeans (even though it's 90), and an awkward "please-take-this-photo-quick, mom"-look. What should be happy moments filled with hope for your child's school year successes and challenges, instead is a day some moms say is THE WORST DAY OF THE YEAR. 

For me (Michele), Carter died on what was supposed to be the first day of his senior year. Forevermore, the first days of school are tough, to say the least. And...I'm a teacher, making sure other kids' first days of school are positive and encouraging...again, tough to say the least. How do I survive? What are my strategies?

For Amy, the first days of school are happy memories. How can that be? Do pictures of her friends' children growing up sit heavy? What does she do to survive?

Join us to hear a few ideas for how to navigate these joyful, yet heartbreaking moments as school bells begin to ring.

To find Warrior Moms: Surviving Childloss online, find us on Facebook and Instagram!
Here's our page:
Facebook: Warrior Moms-The Club No One Wants to Be in
Instagram: Warrior Moms.SurvivingChildLoss

We love that you're listening and are thankful for each of you. We'd love to hear from you, what have helped you, and what you'd like us to talk about!

With love in 2024,
Michele & Amy
Warrior Moms

"Dream Bird" by Jonny Easton

Support the show

Thank you for listening to Warrior Moms podcast. It is an honor to share about our beloved children gone too soon, and we hope by telling of our loss, it may help someone in their grief journey. Please note that we are not medical professionals and encourage those listening to seek help from mental health professionals. 

We'd love to hear from our followers! 

Please help support us, so we can help support other grieving moms. 
Websites: 

https://www.warriormoms.me/

https://www.warriormomssupportfoundation.org/

DONATE * Listen to Other Podcast Episodes * Sign up for Newsletter * Get on our Retreat Waitlist * Invite Us to Speak * Contact us!

With love,
Warrior Moms Amy & Michele

Thank you so much for listening! We'd love to hear from you---what you would love to hear, what you like, what helped, etc. With love, Warrior Moms Michele & Amy

A club no one wants to be in because the initiation is too big of a sacrifice: the loss of a child. Unthinkable. Unimaginable. Warrior Moms is a local group in north Atlanta filled with strong, courageous, funny, and fiercely loving women who are surviving and thriving amidst horrific grief. 

This podcast features Amy Durham and Michele Davis, two of the Warrior Moms, who will guide listeners through their grief journey. Every fourth or fifth episode will showcase another Warrior Mom, the trauma they endured, stories about their beloved child, and tips on how they get out of bed every day.

Each and every Warrior Moms' story is different, the children and the losses are different, but one thing they share is the decision to live. They have figured out how to live life putting one foot in the past and the other moving forward. Yes, it's beyond awful. Yes, it's hard. Yes, it's worth it. And yes, they say, you can survive child loss AND thrive. 

To find Warrior Moms: Surviving Childloss online, find us on Facebook and Instagram!
Here's our page:
Facebook: Warrior Moms-The Club No One Wants to Be in
Instagram: Warrior Moms.SurvivingChildLoss

We love that you're listening and are thankful for each of you. We'd love to hear from you, what have helped you, and what you'd like us to talk about!

With love in 2024,
Michele & Amy
Warrior Moms

Support the show

Thank you for listening to Warrior Moms podcast. It is an honor to share about our beloved children gone too soon, and we hope by telling of our loss, it may help someone in their grief journey. Please note that we are not medical professionals and encourage those listening to seek help from mental health professionals. 

We'd love to hear from our followers! 

Please help support us, so we can help support other grieving moms. 
Websites: 

https://www.warriormoms.me/

https://www.warriormomssupportfoundation.org/

DONATE * Listen to Other Podcast Episodes * Sign up for Newsletter * Get on our Retreat Waitlist * Invite Us to Speak * Contact us!

With love,
Warrior Moms Amy & Michele