Without fail every day my boys need clothes and food.

(Oh, and love & attention, of course).

Meeting their needs is a challenge on your average day. But what about the days when my mind and heart are otherwise occupied?

You see as my children get older, so do my parents. And with my parent’s age comes health issues.  With health issues sometimes my brain is filled with concerns turned into prayers.

I’ve noticed some of my friends a little ahead of me are living out the “sandwich” years. A term describing the balance of caring for their own children while helping care for their parents.

In the past year I’ve had three friends lose a parent suddenly.

But how does a mom make room in the dailiness to grieve? And how do I as a friend best help comfort and support that mom?

Today’s podcast guest is my soul sister friend, Stacey Thacker. She and I have been chatting about life, Jesus and family for the past 3 years. I’m excited to share her with y’all. Stacey writes online and has co-authored the book, “Hope for the Weary Mom” with Brooke McGlothlin.

This last year Stacey has taught me so much about how to help friends who are grieving. So I invited her to share her story.

My hope is whether you are the one who has experienced loss or not, you will be encouraged that even when our worst fears are realized, God’s grace is ever present. And as Stacey points out:

“He holds all things together. And all things means all things.”

What we chat about:

* How the message of Stacey’s book, “Hope for the Weary Mom” became real

* How do moms grieve while handling the dailiness of motherhood

* What actions and words of friends comforted her the most

* How children grieve differently

* How to be available and present with a grieving friend

* What moments over the course of the year bring back grief

* How do you manage your home when one child has to be hospitalized

* How God holds all things together

Connect with Stacey:

Site :: Facebook :: Twitter :: Pinterest

Links Mentioned:

* Hope for the Weary Mom

* All Stacey’s posts on grief: My Journey Through Grief and Loss

* Nobody’s Cuter than You: A Memoir about the Beauty of Friendship**

by Melanie Shankle

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

* I Wasn’t Ready to Say Goodbye: Surviving, Coping and Healing After the Sudden Death of a Loved One** by Pamela Blair & Brook Noel

* Psalms 23 & Hosea 2

* “He holds all things together.” Colossians 1:17

**Amazon affiliate links

How to listen to the podcast:

1.Listen on the blog. Click through to GodCenteredMom.com and click the play button at the beginning of this post.

2. Listen on your smartphone, iPad or iPod Touch – There are a lot of great podcasting apps. Apple has a free one (that I mentioned) in the app store, there is also one called