Laura Diehl, Author at GPS Hope Page

November 16, 2021 by Laura Diehl Leave a Comment

133: Preparing for the Holiday Season

Many of us have been thinking about how to deal with the upcoming holidays, especially Christmas, for weeks or months already, so we might as well talk about it.

Advent is a time of waiting, usually known for the four weeks of waiting for Christmas and the celebration of Christ’s birth. We think of Jesus coming as a sweet little baby, but He came as more than that. He came as a Shepherd for his lost and wounded sheep. He also came as the victorious King who not only has the final word for all eternity, He IS the final word.

This week, Laura has pulled out parts of a special advent book written just for bereaved parents as an encouragement and reminder of what the coming up holiday season is really about. Christmas doesn’t have to just be about who is no longer here with us to celebrate, but it can also be a renewed time of hope.

The end-of-the-year holiday season can amplify everything for us as pareavors, especially the questions and the pain. But we can still have the assurance that He truly is Emmanuel, God with us.

Links Mentioned in this episode:

Click here for more information about the book Hope for the Future: An Advent Journey for Bereaved Parents.

Please consider giving a special gift to keep this podcast going.

Birthdays:

Lara Ann was born on November 17 and is forever 15.

Cord Ramsey Davis was born on November 18 and is forever 24.

Philip Bouthillier was born on November 19 and is forever 49.

Austin Lotterman was born on November 20 and is forever 8 ½.

Benjamin Krawiec was born on November 21 and is forever 32.

Jacinda Avina was born on November 22 and is forever 18.

Jacob LeTourneau was born on November 22 and is forever 21.

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

To have Laura come and minister at your event, 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.

November 9, 2021 by Laura Diehl Leave a Comment

132: Don’t Tell Me to Be Thankful

The holiday season brings many dark and painful emotions to the surface for those of us who have lost a child from this earth. It is a time of year where the pain of who is missing can be so much greater than the joy of who is still here. Many of us don’t even want to acknowledge Thanksgiving (or Christmas), but it is hard to ignore because we are surrounded by reminders everywhere we look.

Specifically, this is the time of year where “thankfulness” abounds. Everyone is telling us to be thankful and to count our blessings. They even say things like, “You can at least be thankful that you are breathing.” If you are like Laura in those first couple of years, she did not want to be breathing, so it was not helpful for others who had never lost a child tell her things she should be thankful for.

So, what do we do, when thankfulness is the furthest thing from our minds, and not in our hearts? That is what Laura talks about in this episode, along with touching on the Christmas season, which we know is just around the corner as well.

Links Mentioned in this episode:

Click here for more information about the book Hope for the Future: An Advent Journey for Bereaved Parents.

Send your written or recorded scripture message to laura@gpshope.org. (Give your name, your child’s name, the scripture and what it means to you now. If sending a recording, please add “Hold On Pain Eases. There is HOPE”.)

Please consider giving a special gift to keep this podcast going.

Birthdays:

Chaney Partrich was born on November 4 and is forever 20.

Beau-Dean Gordon was born on November 10 and is forever 23.

David Shelton was born on November 11 and is forever 23.

Nathan Theriault was born on November 11 and is forever 2.

Austin Augustine was born on November 14 and is forever 16.

Casen Sancraint was born on November 14 and is forever 10.

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

To have Laura come and minister at your event, 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.

November 2, 2021 by Laura Diehl Leave a Comment

131: I Don’t Understand Why

We want answers and we want them now! We want (or feel like we need) God to explain Himself to us, telling us why our child left this earth before we did.

We question how God can call Himself a loving Father or can possibly tell us that He is a good God. We don’t understand, and it is normal and okay to bring our questions and emotions to God, no matter how dark they are.

If God explained to us why from His viewpoint, would we be okay with the answer? Would it even make any sense to us with our limited human minds while here on earth?

How we deal with the question of why will greatly affect our grief journey.

These are the things Laura talks about in today’s episode.

Links Mentioned in this episode:

See the various Hold On Pain Eases shirts and place your order.

Send your written or recorded scripture message to laura@gpshope.org. (Give your name, your child’s name, the scripture and what it means to you now. If sending a recording, please add “Hold On Pain Eases. There is HOPE”.)

Click here to become a monthly partner, giving hope to other parents, or to give a special gift to keep this podcast going, along with providing other needed resources to bereaved parents.

(GPS Hope is a 501c3 nonprofit and runs on the financial support of those who believe in passing along the hope they have received to others.)

Birthdays:

There are no birthdays to announce this week.

If you would like your child mentioned on the podcast the week of his or her birthday, click here to fill out the short form with the needed information.

The special song written for our children’s birthdays I Remember Well can be heard on many music apps including Spotify, Pandora, iTunes and Apple Music. To hear samples of Laura’s other songs, click here.

Remember to Hold On Pain Eases; there is HOPE!

www.gpshope.org

To have Laura come and minister at your event, 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.

October 26, 2021 by Laura Diehl Leave a Comment

130: To Live or Die

Most of us are familiar with Paul’s words in Philippians 1:21, “To live is Christ and to die is gain.” As Laura began to study this out, she discovered a much deeper meaning to these words than most of us realize, which is very encouraging to us as pareavors.

Laura also shares how that takes us deeper into the word redeemed, ending today’s episode by praying with the listeners about what was shared.

Today’s episode is sponsored by Troy and Carolyn Blackall in loving memory of their daughter, Rachel.

Links Mentioned in this episode:

To join over 1,000 other pareavors receiving the Weekly Word of Hope click here.

See the various Hold On Pain Eases shirts and place your order.

To sponsor a podcast in loving memory of your child click here.

Click here to become a monthly partner, giving hope to other parents, or to give a special gift to keep this podcast going, along with providing other needed resources to bereaved parents.

(GPS Hope is a 501c3 nonprofit and runs on the financial support of those who believe in passing along the hope they have received to others.)

Birthdays:

Dustin Clements was born on October 26 and is forever 21.

Dawson Morris was born on October 29 and is forever 19.

Donice Vaughan was born on October 29 and is forever 30.

Marisa Diaz was born on October 29 and is forever 20.

James was born on October 30 and is forever 17 months.

Zen Dylan Koh was born on November 1 and is forever 17.

If you would like your child mentioned on the podcast the week of his or her birthday, click here to fill out the short form with the needed information.

Remember to Hold On Pain Eases; there is HOPE!

www.gpshope.org

To have Laura come and minister at your event, 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.

October 19, 2021 by Laura Diehl Leave a Comment

129: The Roller Coaster Ride of Grief

There is another thing Laura has learned in ten years of grieving the death of her daughter that she did not talk about in last week’s episode, which is how much of an emotional roller coaster ride it is now, even ten years later.

Yes, as the years go by, things smooth out and we may not find ourselves on the roller coaster ride as often, but it still happens. In this episode, Laura shares how frustrating and yet normal it is to still find herself in that place occasionally. She also shares several illustrations of what this grief journey is like for a bereaved parent over the years.

Links Mentioned in this episode:

To join over 1,000 other pareavors receiving the Weekly Word of Hope click here.

Look at the In Loving Memory hearts and find out how to sponsor a heart for your son or daughter.

See the various Hold On Pain Eases shirts and place your order.

View the calendar to see if Dave and Laura will be near you with the Hope Mobile. Contact us at office@gpshope.org if you would like to meet one-on-one or get a group together to have us come and share.

Click here to become a monthly partner, giving hope to other parents, or to give a special gift to keep this podcast going, along with providing other needed resources to bereaved parents.

(GPS Hope is a 501c3 nonprofit and runs on the financial support of those who believe in passing along the hope they have received to others.)

Birthdays:

Taylor Contreras was born on October 20 and is forever 16.

Mckenzie Aucapina was born on October 21 and is forever 7 ½.

Matthew Sulikowski was born on October 22 and is forever 36.

Nate Wilson was born on October 22 and is forever 30.

If you would like your child mentioned on the podcast the week of his or her birthday, click here to fill out the short form with the needed information.

Remember to Hold On Pain Eases; there is HOPE!

www.gpshope.org

To have Laura come and minister at your event, 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.