Writings

Friends, over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing short excerpts from my new book, When Scars Become Stories. I’m so excited to offer these words of hope, encouragement, and healing with you ahead of the book’s official launch. Grief is a lifelong journey, and we all need support as we walk a road noContinue reading “Special Announcement”

The holidays are a time for celebrating, yet many of us dread this season and cannot wait for the calendar page to turn to January 1. Some imagine the holidays as a scene from It’s a Wonderful Life, and there are others whose reality is more like Scrooged. Maybe you feel burdened by loss as you beginContinue reading “Scrooged or A Wonderful Life”

Every year those old feelings begin to sneak in. The season of joy can also bring with it memories that evoke sadness and sorrow. As we begin to step into the month of December, I’d like to share some thoughts to help manage our grief during the Christmas season. Over the past few weeks, IContinue reading “Some Thoughts to Help Manage Our Grief During the Christmas Season”

Friends, I wrote this post a couple of years ago and the words are still as poignant today as they were then. As this week begins all I can think about is how many of us will miss our loved ones on Thanksgiving and the empty chair facing us. If you are among the manyContinue reading “Thanksgiving and the Empty Chair”

Typically, the Thanksgiving season is a time for gathering with loved ones, expressing gratitude, and creating cherished memories. However, for those who are coping with grief during the Thanksgiving season and the loss of a loved one, this time of year can bring about feelings of grief and longing. While it may seem challenging toContinue reading “Coping with Grief During the Thanksgiving Season”

We are just a few short weeks away from celebrating Thanksgiving. There are many who are feeling anything but thankful. If your heart is especially tender right now I gently suggest we invite grief and gratitude to the Thanksgiving table. This time of year is challenging as our hearts especially hurt over the holidays. AsContinue reading “Invite Grief and Gratitude to the Thanksgiving Table”

Hello friends! We are beginning another month – one that leads us into two major holidays. This will be my fifth year of not having Melanie with us, and although my heart isn’t as raw as it was that first year, there still remain moments of sorrow. I know all too well that when you’veContinue reading “How to Be Thankful When Your Heart is Hurting”

As the Fall begins to peak here in Georgia the beautiful red maple that sits in our front yard is beginning to look magnificent once again. It reminded me of something I shared previously which still remains true today – even in the midst of underlying sadness, we truly can be both grateful for whatContinue reading “Grateful for What We Have While Grieving What We Lost”

When I was early in my grief journey I couldn’t fathom life without my daughter in it. My mind could not begin to imagine what a day would be like without her laughter, seeing her smile, or never hearing her voice on the other end of the phone again. As time moved forward, I beganContinue reading “Making Room for Loss”

As the seasons transition and the air fills with the crispness of autumn, it’s normal to find our emotions shifting alongside the natural world. For many, the change in seasons also marks the onset of various holidays and festivities, which can evoke a wide array of feelings. As we navigate grief during seasonal changes, it’sContinue reading “Navigating Grief During Seasonal Changes: Honoring Our Emotions”

If you’re in the early stages of loss, please be encouraged that there’s hope for the journey. We are not meant to suffer through life alone but to lift one another up. It may not feel like it right now, but I’d like to share a few things I’ve learned along the way. Grief hasContinue reading “Hope for the Journey”

A New Book from Pat Elsberry & Boyd Bailey Pat Elsberry and Boyd Bailey take readers on a devotional journey covering hope, healing, and encouragement to those experiencing grief. Having encountered loss and profound grief themselves, the authors over spiritual insight and practical wisdom to help readers navigate the stages of grief and find theirContinue reading “New Book – Comforted by God”

When we think of the word darkness, we think of death, sorrow, loss, heartbreak, bleakness, gloom, and misery. All these words conjure up such hard, murky moments of life. When a loved one dies, there is a season of darkness. Yet, just as the seasons change, at some point, we must learn how to letContinue reading “Let the Light Into the Darkness”

Friends, I’ve wrestled with the prospect of writing about the topic of death by suicide for several weeks now. As we near the end of September, which is National Suicide Awareness Month, this continues to weigh heavily upon my heart. Since God hasn’t released me, I delicately step into a subject that deserves a momentContinue reading “National Suicide Awareness Month”

After the death of a loved one, we all find ourselves in a similar situation – trying to piece together the broken parts of our hearts. When I reflect back upon the early days of my grief journey, my heart was left shattered like a broken pane of glass. Shards of my life were leftContinue reading “Coping With Loss”

For those of you who are unaware of what happened in Georgia last week, there was another senseless loss of life due to a school shooting. This shooting occurred at a high school about one hour north of where we live. As a result of this, as is often the case, copycat threats emerged. OnContinue reading “Another Senseless Loss”

This weekend I attended an event for International Overdose Awareness Day. There were more parents there this year than in previous years. This got me thinking about how so many of our loved one’s lives were cut short. When it comes to child loss, there is no question that it was a life interrupted. AsContinue reading “A Life Interrupted”

Here in the South, we’ve had “Fake-Fall.” We wake up in the mornings, and it’s a beautiful, balmy 59 degrees. This morning, when I went out for my walk, I even put on a new sweatshirt I had recently bought at a women’s conference I attended. Oh, the cool morning air felt so good! FallContinue reading “Who Do We Turn to on the Hard Days”

I read something recently that said our loss due to grief is like an amputation. Our nerves twitch and twinge as though the limb were still there. This is probably particularly true if the death came suddenly, without warning. Here in the Southeast, many have been following the story of a young girl who wasContinue reading “Grief is Like an Amputation”

Last week, I listened to a podcast by Lysa TerKeurst. Although she spoke more about trust, much of what she said resonated with me about the universal nature of grief. A griever’s heart can be sorrowful and grieving for many reasons—certainly the loss of a loved one, but it could also be due to theContinue reading “A Griever’s Heart”