I’m pleased today to introduce you to my friend Leslie Harder.  Leslie joined me to record this episode on what would have been her son William’s 39th birthday.  William went to Heaven suddenly and unexpectedly in August of 2016, just five days after the death of Leslie’s mother.  In our conversation today, she shares about that experience and how God walked with her through those early days of grieving both her son and her mother. We also discuss her memoir “Joy in the Mourning – Viewing the Rainbow from the Vale of Tears,” in which she shares her story in a series of dated entries.  I believe you’ll be encouraged by what she has to share today.

Click HERE to get Leslie's book "Joy in the Mourning - Viewing the Rainbow from the Vale of Tears"

Click HERE to get Leslie's book "Mourning Devotions - Grieving God's Way"

Click HERE to get Leslie's book "Selah - 60 Moments with the Master"

I would love to hear your thoughts on the show. Click here to send me a message! (Though I read every message, I am unable to respond through this format.)

** IMPORTANT** - All views expressed by guests on this podcast are theirs alone, and may not represent the Statement of Faith and Statement of Beliefs of the While We're Waiting ministry.

We'd love for you to connect with us here at While We're Waiting!

Click HERE to visit our website and learn about our free While We're Waiting Weekends for bereaved parents

Click HERE to learn more about our network of While We're Waiting support groups all across the country.

Click HERE to subscribe to our YouTube channel

Click HERE to follow our public Facebook page

Click HERE to follow us on Instagram

Click HERE to follow us on Twitter

Click HERE to make a tax-deductible donation to the While We're Waiting ministry

Contact Jill by email at: [email protected]

On this, our fourteenth Thanksgiving season since Hannah left us for Heaven, I wanted to share some thoughts about the early years of my grief and how God has brought healing over time.  Sometimes offering thanksgiving is a sacrifice ... Actually, I believe it's always a sacrifice for a grieving parent.   When you've been deeply, deeply hurt and disappointed with life, it costs something to be grateful.  Yet when we recognize God for who He is, when we truly see His grace, we can recapture gratitude even in the midst of grief.

Click HERE to link to The Sullivan Four blog.

I would love to hear your thoughts on the show. Click here to send me a message! (Though I read every message, I am unable to respond through this format.)

** IMPORTANT** - All views expressed by guests on this podcast are theirs alone, and may not represent the Statement of Faith and Statement of Beliefs of the While We're Waiting ministry.

We'd love for you to connect with us here at While We're Waiting!

Click HERE to visit our website and learn about our free While We're Waiting Weekends for bereaved parents

Click HERE to learn more about our network of While We're Waiting support groups all across the country.

Click HERE to subscribe to our YouTube channel

Click HERE to follow our public Facebook page

Click HERE to follow us on Instagram

Click HERE to follow us on Twitter

Click HERE to make a tax-deductible donation to the While We're Waiting ministry

Contact Jill by email at: [email protected]

I’m pleased today to introduce you to my new friend, Moria Rooney, also known as Mother of Wilde.  Moria has a beautiful testimony of “praising Him anyway” even in the midst of loss. Settle in and listen as she shares the stories of her precious babies … two in Heaven and one with her here … and how she has grappled with deep questions of faith on her journey.  We also discuss pregnancy after loss and the beautiful ministry she and her husband have established to honor the lives of infants and children who are now in the arms of Jesus. I know you’ll be blessed by what she has to share.

Click HERE to visit the Mother of Wilde website and see the beautiful child loss memorial prints she creates.  Podcast listeners can use the coupon code "WAITING20" to receive 20% off any purchase.

Click HERE to access the free download page on the Mother of Wilde website. 

Click HERE to connect with Moria on Instagram
Click HERE to connect with Moria on Facebook

I would love to hear your thoughts on the show. Click here to send me a message! (Though I read every message, I am unable to respond through this format.)

** IMPORTANT** - All views expressed by guests on this podcast are theirs alone, and may not represent the Statement of Faith and Statement of Beliefs of the While We're Waiting ministry.

We'd love for you to connect with us here at While We're Waiting!

Click HERE to visit our website and learn about our free While We're Waiting Weekends for bereaved parents

Click HERE to learn more about our network of While We're Waiting support groups all across the country.

Click HERE to subscribe to our YouTube channel

Click HERE to follow our public Facebook page

Click HERE to follow us on Instagram

Click HERE to follow us on Twitter

Click HERE to make a tax-deductible donation to the While We're Waiting ministry

Contact Jill by email at: [email protected]

"Wherever you are, be all there."   This was the motto of Kim's son Timothy, and he truly lived it out ... traveling to countries all over the world, parachuting, scuba diving, and flying his airplane.  All these things could have combined to make his mom nervous, but she rested in the knowledge that Timothy was indestructible until his purpose was finished.  When she got the news that his plane had gone down in a rural area of Arkansas in April of 2021, she fully believed he would walk away.  When the news came that there were no survivors, she and her family were launched on a journey of grief.  One year later, a second blow came with the sudden passing of her husband by suicide.  In today's episode, she shares how God is carrying her sorrow and anger for her, enabling her to continue walking in His peace. 

Click HERE for Kim's book:  Desperate Trust - Clinging to God When Your World Falls Apart.  This book shares the stories of her babies in Heaven.

Click HERE to visit Kim's website:  A Life Well Lived - Timothy Christian Allison
This website shares the story of her 28-year-old son Timothy, who went to Heaven in 2021.

I would love to hear your thoughts on the show. Click here to send me a message! (Though I read every message, I am unable to respond through this format.)

** IMPORTANT** - All views expressed by guests on this podcast are theirs alone, and may not represent the Statement of Faith and Statement of Beliefs of the While We're Waiting ministry.

We'd love for you to connect with us here at While We're Waiting!

Click HERE to visit our website and learn about our free While We're Waiting Weekends for bereaved parents

Click HERE to learn more about our network of While We're Waiting support groups all across the country.

Click HERE to subscribe to our YouTube channel

Click HERE to follow our public Facebook page

Click HERE to follow us on Instagram

Click HERE to follow us on Twitter

Click HERE to make a tax-deductible donation to the While We're Waiting ministry

Contact Jill by email at: [email protected]

My friend Kim Allison is the mother of nine children ... five "on the ground", as she likes to say, and four in Heaven.  She joins me on the podcast today to share the stories of her three babies, Benjamin, Jeremiah, and Jordan.  We discuss the struggles she experienced as she endured these multiple losses, including guilt, bargaining, anger, and the desperate trust in God that developed as she laid up these treasures in Heaven, one after another.   Be sure to come back next week as Kim will be sharing the story of her 28-year-old son Timothy, who went to Heaven in 2021 as a result of a plane crash.  I believe you will be so encouraged by what she has to share.   

Click HERE for Kim's book:  Desperate Trust - Clinging to God When Your World Falls Apart.  This book shares the stories of her babies in Heaven. 

Click HERE for Kim's website:  A Life Well Lived - Timothy Christian Allison
This website shares the story of her 28-year-old son Timothy, who went to Heaven in 2021.

I would love to hear your thoughts on the show. Click here to send me a message! (Though I read every message, I am unable to respond through this format.)

** IMPORTANT** - All views expressed by guests on this podcast are theirs alone, and may not represent the Statement of Faith and Statement of Beliefs of the While We're Waiting ministry.

We'd love for you to connect with us here at While We're Waiting!

Click HERE to visit our website and learn about our free While We're Waiting Weekends for bereaved parents

Click HERE to learn more about our network of While We're Waiting support groups all across the country.

Click HERE to subscribe to our YouTube channel

Click HERE to follow our public Facebook page

Click HERE to follow us on Instagram

Click HERE to follow us on Twitter

Click HERE to make a tax-deductible donation to the While We're Waiting ministry

Contact Jill by email at: [email protected]

Becky Carpenter joins me again today for a rich discussion of issues faced by bereaved parents, including parenting surviving children, navigating grief as husband and wife, dealing with the dreaded "things people say", and how to face the holidays, as well as our children's birthdays and Heaven Days.  She also shares how God called her to start One Day Closer ministries and how He is using it to bring a message of hope to people around the world.  Settle in for some very practical words of wisdom ... You may even want to take notes!   

Connect with Becky:
Click HERE for her Becky's personal website
Click HERE for the One Day Closer Ministries website
Click HERE for the One Day Closer Ministries Facebook page
Click HERE to connect with Becky on Instagram
Click HERE to connect with Becky on Twitter

I would love to hear your thoughts on the show. Click here to send me a message! (Though I read every message, I am unable to respond through this format.)

** IMPORTANT** - All views expressed by guests on this podcast are theirs alone, and may not represent the Statement of Faith and Statement of Beliefs of the While We're Waiting ministry.

We'd love for you to connect with us here at While We're Waiting!

Click HERE to visit our website and learn about our free While We're Waiting Weekends for bereaved parents

Click HERE to learn more about our network of While We're Waiting support groups all across the country.

Click HERE to subscribe to our YouTube channel

Click HERE to follow our public Facebook page

Click HERE to follow us on Instagram

Click HERE to follow us on Twitter

Click HERE to make a tax-deductible donation to the While We're Waiting ministry

Contact Jill by email at: [email protected]

My friend Becky Carpenter likes to introduce herself as a "dysfunctional servant for Jesus".   She joins me on the podcast today to share how the sudden loss of her 15-year-old daughter Skylar jarred her from a place of complacency in her faith to a Christian who seeks God's face.  She describes how He met her at the scene of Skylar's accident and assured her of His presence, and how He has carried her since that terrible day.  Becky is the founder and president of One Day Closer Ministries, a nonprofit organization committed to sharing the powerful message of love, truth, grace, and hope found through a relationship with Jesus Christ.  I believe you'll be encouraged by our conversation today! 

Connect with Becky:
Click HERE for her personal website
Click HERE for the One Day Closer Ministries website
Click HERE for the One Day Closer Ministries Facebook page
Click HERE to connect with Becky on Instagram
Click HERE to connect with Becky on Twitter

I would love to hear your thoughts on the show. Click here to send me a message! (Though I read every message, I am unable to respond through this format.)

** IMPORTANT** - All views expressed by guests on this podcast are theirs alone, and may not represent the Statement of Faith and Statement of Beliefs of the While We're Waiting ministry.

We'd love for you to connect with us here at While We're Waiting!

Click HERE to visit our website and learn about our free While We're Waiting Weekends for bereaved parents

Click HERE to learn more about our network of While We're Waiting support groups all across the country.

Click HERE to subscribe to our YouTube channel

Click HERE to follow our public Facebook page

Click HERE to follow us on Instagram

Click HERE to follow us on Twitter

Click HERE to make a tax-deductible donation to the While We're Waiting ministry

Contact Jill by email at: [email protected]

Steve and Heather Colvin are my guests again today as we continue our discussion of infant loss and its impacts on a family.  When their daughter AnnaJoy was born at 27 weeks gestation and went to Heaven one short week later, they found themselves on a journey they never would have chosen.  Today they share some thoughts for other moms and dads who have recently experienced infant or womb loss, including a discussion of the immense value of every life, no matter how brief.   They also discuss AJ's Place, a nonprofit ministry they've founded that seeks to come alongside infant-loss parents in some very unique and meaningful ways . 

Connect with AJ's Place - A Foundation of Hope
Website:   https://ajsplace.org/
Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/ajsplaceafoundationofhope/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/ajsplaceafoundationofhope
Email:  [email protected]

I would love to hear your thoughts on the show. Click here to send me a message! (Though I read every message, I am unable to respond through this format.)

** IMPORTANT** - All views expressed by guests on this podcast are theirs alone, and may not represent the Statement of Faith and Statement of Beliefs of the While We're Waiting ministry.

We'd love for you to connect with us here at While We're Waiting!

Click HERE to visit our website and learn about our free While We're Waiting Weekends for bereaved parents

Click HERE to learn more about our network of While We're Waiting support groups all across the country.

Click HERE to subscribe to our YouTube channel

Click HERE to follow our public Facebook page

Click HERE to follow us on Instagram

Click HERE to follow us on Twitter

Click HERE to make a tax-deductible donation to the While We're Waiting ministry

Contact Jill by email at: [email protected]

October is pregnancy and infant loss awareness month, and I’m joined on the podcast today by my new friends Steve and Heather Colvin, the founders of AJ’s Place, a nonprofit organization that works to bring healing and hope to families who have been struck by the tragedy of infant and womb loss.  In the first half of this two-part episode, they share the story of their precious daughter AnnaJoy, who was born at 27 weeks gestation and went to Heaven one short week later. They honestly and candidly discuss the impact of AJ’s homegoing on their faith and on their marriage, and I’m grateful to have them as my guests today.  

I would love to hear your thoughts on the show. Click here to send me a message! (Though I read every message, I am unable to respond through this format.)

** IMPORTANT** - All views expressed by guests on this podcast are theirs alone, and may not represent the Statement of Faith and Statement of Beliefs of the While We're Waiting ministry.

We'd love for you to connect with us here at While We're Waiting!

Click HERE to visit our website and learn about our free While We're Waiting Weekends for bereaved parents

Click HERE to learn more about our network of While We're Waiting support groups all across the country.

Click HERE to subscribe to our YouTube channel

Click HERE to follow our public Facebook page

Click HERE to follow us on Instagram

Click HERE to follow us on Twitter

Click HERE to make a tax-deductible donation to the While We're Waiting ministry

Contact Jill by email at: [email protected]

Today’s episode is a continuation of my conversation with Ron and Nan Deal.  Ron is a Director with FamilyLife, the author of more than a dozen resources, and a licensed marriage and family therapist. Nan is a teacher with over 25 years of experience in public and private schools and she also volunteers in a recovery ministry. Ron and Nan travel and speak all over the country on marriage and the loss of a child, and I am grateful to have them join me again today.  We had a great discussion about the marriage relationship after child loss in last week’s episode, so if you didn’t catch that one, you’ll want to go back and listen.  Today we extend our conversation to include issues faced by blended families and parenting surviving children.  I believe you’ll find our discussion both helpful and uplifting.

Links related to Ron Deal:

Click HERE for Ron Deal's author page on Amazon
"As for Me and My House" ministry website:  https://rondeal.org/
"Smart Stepfamilies" website:  https://smartstepfamilies.com/about/about-ron-deal
"FamilyLife Blended" website:  http://familylifeblended.com/


Links related to the While We're Waiting ministry:

Our website with information about our free retreats for bereaved parents at The Refuge in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and other venues around the United States:  www.whilewerewaiting.org

Our public WWW Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/whilewearewaiting/

Our private WWW  Facebook group just for bereaved parents:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/WhileWereWaiting.SupportForBereavedParents

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/while.were.waiting/
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/WhileWeRWaiting

Make a tax-deductible donation to the While We're Waiting ministry: 

I would love to hear your thoughts on the show. Click here to send me a message! (Though I read every message, I am unable to respond through this format.)

** IMPORTANT** - All views expressed by guests on this podcast are theirs alone, and may not represent the Statement of Faith and Statement of Beliefs of the While We're Waiting ministry.

We'd love for you to connect with us here at While We're Waiting!

Click HERE to visit our website and learn about our free While We're Waiting Weekends for bereaved parents

Click HERE to learn more about our network of While We're Waiting support groups all across the country.

Click HERE to subscribe to our YouTube channel

Click HERE to follow our public Facebook page

Click HERE to follow us on Instagram

Click HERE to follow us on Twitter

Click HERE to make a tax-deductible donation to the While We're Waiting ministry

Contact Jill by email at: [email protected]