Laura Diehl, Author at GPS Hope Page

May 3, 2022 by Laura Diehl Leave a Comment

157: Our Crown as a Pareavor

Attaining the Triple Crown is a rare accomplishment, whether in horse racing or in baseball. Unfortunately, it is also a rare accomplishment in our life as a Christian and can be especially difficult after the death of our child.

What is the Triple Crown for a follower of Christ?

Laura believes it is learning:

how to clarify God’s vision for our lives, including being released from our paralyzing grief that keeps us from going forward.
how to live from a place of being “in Christ”.
how to live from a deeper revelation of “Christ in me” through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.

See the crown.. Wear the crown… Be the crown…

Join Laura for the beginnig of this interesting discussion which continues next week.

Links Mentioned in this episode:

Take a look at the various Hold On Pain Eases shirts.

Birthdays:

Nikolas Barrett Graves was born on May 3 and is forever 23.

Shannon Olsen was born on May 3 and is forever 19.

Alexandre Simoes was born on May 3 and is forever 9 months.

Rosalie Marstall was born on May 4 and is forever 4.

Herman Joubert was born on May 5 and is forever 21.

Adam Walker was born on May 6 and is forever 28.

John Patrick Keck was born on May 7 and is forever 23.

Fill out the short form with the needed information to have your child’s birthday shared with our listeners.

The special song “I Remember Well“, which was written by Laura for our children’s birthdays, can be heard on your favorite music app. To hear samples of Laura’s other songs, click here.

Remember to Hold On Pain Eases; there is HOPE!

www.gpshope.org

Would you like to have Laura come and speak to your group? Contact us at office@gpshope.org.

Grieving Parents Sharing Hope (GPS Hope) is here to walk with parents through the darkness of child-loss, guiding them to a place of hope, light and purpose.

It is a safe place for anyone who has lost a child from this earth. There is no shame or judgment in where you are in this journey, including if you are struggling in your relationship with God or your faith has been completely shattered.

May 1, 2022 by Laura Diehl 4 Comments

I Choose (by Carol Krawiec)

The following was written on April 28, 2014, two years to the day after losing our oldest son Daniel. It was the week after Easter. Our pastor had preached a message about what it was like for the disciples to live in the “Saturday” of that resurrection weekend. He compared the pain and confusion of that day following the death of Jesus to the world we live in today. He spoke of the joy of the resurrection on “Sunday’ and the secure hope that we as believers in Jesus Christ can cling to in the midst of trials.

That morning was a turning point for me in my journey of grief. I had walked through the first year numb and in a fog. The second year was so painful because as the fog began to subside, I felt the intense loss. Over the past ten years my grief has come in waves. As the waves recede, I am filled with a sense of God’s presence and a peace in knowing that Dan was at rest, and all is well with my soul.

In May of 2019 and June of 2021, we also lost Timothy and Benjamin, the two youngest of our five sons. It has taken many years of leaning into my grief to move along in my journey. It is far from over as I find myself in that place of raw grief once again. There are times when the enormity of my loss overwhelms me. I don’t pretend to understand it all, but I trust God and I know He will continue to faithfully carry me.

I CHOOSE
Life was forever changed two years ago, early on a Saturday morning.
As I sit on the floor of this room that was once occupied by our son
I choose not to allow the memory of the horrific discovery be my only thought.
I choose to picture this room as the place of a Holy visitation.
I choose to picture bright light breaking through the darkness of a raging battle.
I choose to visualize the broken chains that bound him to addiction lying on the floor.
I choose to be proud of the countless battles that our son won throughout his journey.
I choose to believe that although the enemy won the battle that day, God was victorious.
I choose to let the cleansing tears of a broken heart flow because I know that Jesus wept.
I choose to lift my hands in worship to my God and thank Him for the gift of 32 years.
I choose to believe that although this world is far from good, my God is Good.
I choose peace over anxiety; acceptance rather than anger; hope over despair.
I choose to believe that the pain I feel today is a reminder that this is not my Home.
I choose to rest secure in knowing that my child is forever with the Lord.
Because:
“No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand.”
I choose to believe that even though I am living in the pain of “Saturday,”
“Sunday” is coming and it will all make sense when I see Him Face-to-face.

Carol’s three sons

Many of us feel guilty after the death of our child, thinking we should have done more, or made a different decision, or been there for them in a different way than we were, etc. Click here to read Help! I Feel so Guilty… written by a mom whose daughter died by suicide.

If you struggle with guilt, we would like to send you Ten Tips to Overcome Guilt. Just click here and fill in your name and email address and hit submit.

We promise we will not spam you. However, you will be added to our growing family of thousands of bereaved parents who receive a Weekly Word of Hope email each Wednesday morning. (Just use the unsubscribe button at the bottom of each email if you no longer wish to receive it.)

Expressions of Hope is provided by Grieving Parents Sharing Hope (GPS Hope). The founders, Dave and Laura Diehl, travel full time in their Hope Mobile (a 38-foot motor home) to be more easily available for speaking and ministry requests, and bringing intimate weekend retreats to bereaved parents. Laura is also a singer/songwriter and the author of multiple award-winning books.

If you would like more information about bringing Dave and Laura to you for an event, please send an email to office@gpshope.org.

If you are interested in bringing GPS Hope to your area for a weekend retreat click here.

Check out the Grieving Parents Sharing Hope weekly podcast
Subscribe to Laura’s YouTube channel.
If you are a bereaved parent, we encourage you to connect with us on our private Facebook page or our public Facebook page.
If you are not a bereaved parent but want to support those who are, or want to follow us as we give hope to these precious parents, please connect with us at Friends of GPS Hope on Facebook.

April 26, 2022 by Laura Diehl Leave a Comment

156: A Special Day for Bereaved Mothers

Did you know the first Sunday of May is International Bereaved Mother’s Day? Yes, it is a real thing. A day just for us. Today’s episode talks about this special day.

Laura also shares some real and honest thoughts and feelings about the following week, which is Mother’s Day. It is one of the hardest days we have to face each year after child loss, and there is no reason to not admit it or try to sugar coat it.

Be sure to share this episode so that others can become aware of this special day that allows us to acknowledge being the mom of a child who is no longer here with us.

Links Mentioned in this episode:

Blog about International Bereaved Mother’s Day

A Letter to My Child on Bereaved Mother’s Day

GPS Hope Facebook Page

Information about joining GPS Hope on a cruise.

GPS Hope & Healing Retreats

Birthdays:

Shannon Chevalier was born on April 21 and is forever 27.

Abigail Jane (Abi) was born on April 25 and is forever 18 months.

Michael Roach was born on April 26 and is forever 28.

Christi was born on April 29 and is forever 49.

Fill out the short form with the needed information to have your child’s birthday shared with our listeners.

Remember to Hold On Pain Eases; there is HOPE!

www.gpshope.org

Would you like to have Laura come and speak to your group? Contact us at office@gpshope.org.

Grieving Parents Sharing Hope (GPS Hope) is here to walk with parents through the darkness of child-loss, guiding them to a place of hope, light and purpose.

April 19, 2022 by Laura Diehl 4 Comments

155: “At Least You…” Which Child Loss is the Worst? (With Sara Nelson)

“There is no magical age when the death of our child doesn’t affect us in a very deep and profound way. Whether the child died in the womb or was in their sixties, the wrongness of their death causes trauma, and we are never the same.” (Laura Diehl – When Tragedy Strikes: Rebuilding Your Life With Hope and Healing After the Death of Your Child)

We bristle when someone who has never lost a child starts a sentence with, “At least….” And yet most of us can’t help but compare the loss of our child with someone else’s loss of their child, convinced that our loss is worse because…

How can we get past that and not allow a root of bitterness add to the intense pain and darkness we have found ourselves hurled into? This is the topic of today’s discussion between Laura and her guest, Sara Nelson, who lost her only child, taking with it any possibility of having grandchildren.

Sara Faith Nelson taught elementary and middle school grades for 15 years. Now she enjoys pursuing her love of writing. The primary focus of her writing has always leaned toward themes of hope, faith, and trust in the goodness of God. Since the death of her daughter and only child, she writes about her grief journey and surviving a devastating loss. She continues to write about trusting in God’s goodness and grace while grappling with the hard questions. Sara and her husband, Dennis, live in Arizona.

(Note: The views and opinions of our guests outside of this podcast may not be in agreement with GPS Hope.)

Links Mentioned in this episode:

Connect with Sara Nelson: writingsmiles2@gmail.com

Sara’s book on Amazon: Footsteps of Hope

Join almost 2,000 other pareavors who are receiving a Weekly Word of Hope from Laura.

Please remember to give a rating and a review on your podcast app.

Birthdays:

Christopher Schofer was born on April 21 and is forever 25.

Adam Sharp was born on April 21 and is forever 19.

Fill out the short form with the needed information to have your child’s birthday shared with our listeners.

Remember to Hold On Pain Eases; there is HOPE!

www.gpshope.org

Would you like to have Laura come and speak to your group? Contact us at office@gpshope.org.

Grieving Parents Sharing Hope (GPS Hope) is here to walk with parents through the darkness of child-loss, guiding them to a place of hope, light and purpose.

April 12, 2022 by Laura Diehl Leave a Comment

154: I Tried to Numb My Pain with Prescription Drugs & Alcohol When My Child Died (with Stacie Snider and Courtney Stovall)

Those of us who have lost a child have been through a trauma. We are dealing with traumatic grief. Many parents also have PTSD. How do we get through the suffocating darkness and things like night terrors? Some go to their physician who will write them prescriptions for anxiety or to help them sleep.

It is very easy to get hooked on these prescriptions, needing higher and higher doses to work. Quite often, alcohol gets added to the mix of trying to numb the pain.

Today’s episode is talking to two moms who are very open and vulnerable about their experience with prescription drugs and alcoholism after the death of their sons.

There is no judgment in this; only care, compassion and extending hope for a way out, from those who have been there.

Stacie Snider is a mom of three and GiGi of four. She has been an accountant in the healthcare field for many years. Stacie and her husband just purchased their forever home in Texas on 13 acres and raise goats, chickens, geese, donkeys and have four dogs. “Our lives never slow down but we wouldn’t change it for the world.” Stacie has been on this journey of child loss for six years and is also the administrator for the public GPS Hope Facebook page.

Courtney Stovall lives in Greer, South Carolina and is a mother to seven children, one fur baby and a Gigi to one. Before losing her son, she was an executive assistant. Courtney did not go back to work for almost four years and now works for her mother-in-law. She and her husband have two “surprise babies” still living at home who are five and six, both red headed and keep them very busy. As a pareavor who is four years into this journey, Courtney enjoys keeping in touch with other pareavors, helping them through the struggles she has walked through.

(Note: The views and opinions of our guests outside of this podcast may not be in agreement with GPS Hope.)

Links Mentioned in this episode:

Sponsor an episode in honor of your child.

Email Stacie:acctnt4ever@yahoo.com

Email Courtney: cdstovall81@gmail.com

Info page on Pearls of Hope. (Unfortunately, we can only ship to the USA.)

Go directly to the Pearls of Hope online store

Be sure to use the promo code BECCA40 when placing your order.

Watch the pearl opening on the public GPS Hope Facebook page Wednesday, April 13 @ 8:00PM Eastern time.

(Ask to join our private GPS Hope Facebook page here.)

Birthdays:

Malish (Caspian) Aurova was born on April 11 and is forever 9 weeks.

Megan Small was born on April 11 and is forever 21.

Michael Rhodes was born on April 11 and is forever 18.

Carter Braun was born on April 13 and is forever 15.

Rachel Pilcher was born on April 13 and is forever 41.

Rebecca Diehl Howard was born on April 13 and is forever 29.

Brandon Matos was born on April 14 and is forever 23.

Fill out the short form to have your child’s birthday shared with our listeners.

Remember to Hold On Pain Eases; there is HOPE!

www.gpshope.org

Would you like to have Laura come and speak to your group? Contact us at office@gpshope.org.

Grieving Parents Sharing Hope (GPS Hope) is here to walk with parents through the darkness of child-loss, guiding them to a place of hope, light and purpose.