Walking through milestones after child loss is something every bereaved parent must face, whether we are ready or not. These milestones are not celebrations or achievements. They are the moments that mark our grief… the days and experiences we must walk through without our child here. Some we see coming, like birthdays and holidays, and others come out of nowhere and take our breath away.

And yet, they are called milestones for a reason. Over time, they are things we get through. We do not get over them, but we do grow through them. Little by little, they become markers of how we are learning to live again in a world that has changed forever.

The Milestones We Expect, and the Ones We Don’t

When walking through milestones after child loss, there are certain days we know are coming. Birthdays. Holidays. The anniversary of the day our child left this earth. These dates can feel heavy long before they arrive, as the anticipation builds and our hearts begin to brace for the pain.

But there are also the unexpected milestones. Walking into a store and seeing something they would have loved. Hearing a song that brings everything rushing back. Realizing the phone will never ring with their name again. These moments can catch us off guard and leave us feeling like the loss just happened all over again.

Both the expected and the unexpected milestones are part of this journey. And each one can feel like another reminder that life will never be the same.

Learning To Live in a Changed World

One of the earliest milestones many of us face is realizing just how much has changed. It is not only that our child is gone. It is that everything in our daily life feels different.

We cook differently.
We shop differently.
We move through our days differently.

And somewhere along the way, we may find ourselves asking, “Who am I now?”

Walking through milestones after child loss includes learning to live in this unfamiliar world. It means slowly coming to terms with a life that we never would have chosen, and discovering, step by step, how to keep going in it.

The Emotional Weight of the “Firsts”

There is something especially difficult about the “firsts.” The first birthday. The first holiday. The first anniversary.

Many parents find that it is not only the day itself that is hard, but the days and weeks leading up to it. The anticipation can feel overwhelming. We relive memories, we imagine how things should be, and we feel the weight of what is missing.

And yet, somehow, we get through the day.

Walking through milestones after child loss often means realizing, sometimes with surprise, “I made it through something that I didn’t think I could survive.” That does not mean it was easy. It means that strength is being formed within us, even when we do not feel strong.

Giving Yourself Grace in the Hard Moments

As you continue walking through milestones after child loss, it is important to give yourself permission to feel whatever comes. Grief does not follow a schedule. It does not follow rules.

Some days may feel manageable. Others may feel overwhelming.

There may be moments of deep sorrow, and moments where you find yourself laughing and then feeling guilty about it. There may be times when you want to be around others, and times when you need to be alone.

All of this is part of grief.

Extending grace to yourself in these moments is not weakness. It is part of learning to live again.

Finding Meaningful Ways to Remember

For many parents, it can be helpful to find small, meaningful ways to acknowledge their child during these milestones.

This might be adding a special ornament to the tree each year. Buying something that reminds you of your child. Setting aside time to reflect, cry, pray, or simply sit quietly with your memories.

These are not ways of moving on. They are ways of carrying your child with you.

Walking through milestones after child loss does not mean leaving your child behind. It means learning how to continue loving them in a different way.

The Ongoing Journey of Growth

As time goes on, you may begin to notice something unexpected. While the pain does not disappear, something within you begins to shift.

You may find that certain milestones feel different than they once did. You may recognize strength in yourself that you did not know was there. You may even begin to see ways that God is gently meeting you in your grief.

Walking through milestones after child loss is not about reaching a finish line. It is about continuing to grow, even in the midst of sorrow. It is about allowing God to walk with you, to sustain you, and to shape something within you that could not have been formed any other way.

A Gentle Reminder as You Continue

If you are in the middle of walking through milestones after child loss, please know this: you are not alone. The road is difficult, and the weight can feel overwhelming, but you are not walking it by yourself.

Each milestone you face, whether expected or unexpected, is something you are getting through, one step at a time. And even in the hardest moments, God is present, holding you, strengthening you, and helping you take the next step forward.

You may not feel it right now, but there is growth taking place within you. And that matters more than you know.

NOTE: This was partially taken from the Grieving Parents Sharing Hope podcast episode 348. Click here to listen to the full discussion, or look for the Grieving Parents Sharing Hope podcast on your favorite listening app.

Click here to get your copy of Reflections of Hope – June Edition: Daily Readings for Bereaved Parents

Click here for information on the GPS Hope & Healing Cruise.

Click here to find out more about the word pareavor.

To support this podcast and, keep it ad-free, and get exclusive content, visit us on Patreon.

If you’re walking this road after the loss of your child and would like something to come alongside you, I’ve created a gentle resource from my own journey that you are welcome to download below.

AWARD WINNING AUTHOR, LAURA DIEHL, has written several impactful books that provide comfort and guidance to those navigating the painful journey of child loss, after the death of her own daughter in 2011. Her most acclaimed work, When Tragedy Strikes: Rebuilding Your Life with Hope and Healing After the Death of Your Child, has received multiple accolades, including the 2017 Gold Medal Centauri Christian Book Award for Non-Fiction and a Silver Medal in the 2018 Illumination Awards. Several of her other books have won awards as well.

In addition to her writing, Laura is an ordained minister and has an extensive background in international children’s ministry. She is a sought-after speaker and singer at grief conferences and churches, known for her compassionate approach and deep understanding of the grieving process, especially the unique loss of a child. Through her weekly award-winning podcast, her writings, and other resources provided by GPS Hope, Laura and her husband, Dave, continue to provide hope and healing to thousands of parents worldwide, helping them find light in the midst of profound loss and darkness.

For more information about Laura’s award-winning books go to gpshope.org/books.
To find out more about Laura Diehl and the ministry of Grieving Parents Sharing Hope (GPS Hope) visit gpshope.org.

The link to Hope for the Future is an affiliate link, allowing part of the purchase price to go to GPS Hope. 

How to Handle Mother’s Day After Child Loss

As this weekend approaches, many of us feel something building inside us. Mother’s Day is coming. And for those of us walking through the loss of a child, knowing how to handle Mother’s Day after child loss is not simple. It is not something we can just “get through” the way others might expect. It is layered, complicated, and often filled with emotions that seem to contradict each other.

If you are feeling that weight, you are not alone.

When the Day Feels Different Now

Mother’s Day used to mean something different. It may have once been a day of celebration, laughter, cards and shared moments. But after losing a child, the day changes. It no longer fits into a neat or predictable box.

Part of you may still want to celebrate. If you have other children, you may want to be present with them, to receive their love, and to honor the role you still hold in their lives. And yet, at the same time, there is an undeniable absence. There is a child who should be there and isn’t.

That tension can feel exhausting.

For others, the thought of the day may feel overwhelming. You may not want the attention, the expectations, or the reminders. Even something as simple as being acknowledged publicly as a mother can feel incomplete, as though an important part of your story is missing.

Learning how to handle Mother’s Day after child loss means recognizing that both of these responses, and everything in between, are valid.

Giving Yourself Permission

One of the most important things you can do as you consider how to handle Mother’s Day after child loss is to give yourself permission.

Permission to feel what you feel, without judgment.
Permission to change your plans if needed.
Permission to say yes to what feels meaningful, and no to what feels too heavy.

This day is not about meeting expectations, whether they come from others or from within. It is about walking through it in a way that is honest for where you are right now.

Some years, you may want to do something intentional to honor your child. Other years, you may want to keep the day quiet and simple. Both are appropriate responses to deep love and deep loss.

Your Motherhood Has Not Changed

In the middle of trying to understand how to handle Mother’s Day after child loss, there is something that deserves to be clearly acknowledged.

You are still a mother. That did not end when your child died.

Your love for your child continues, not as something that needs to be remembered, but as something that is actively present in you every day. It is part of who you are. It shapes how you see the world, how you love, and how you continue forward.

Even if others do not always recognize that part of your motherhood, it is real. It matters. And it is worthy of being honored.

Allowing yourself to acknowledge your own motherhood can be a meaningful part of how to handle Mother’s Day after child loss. It may look different than it once did, but it is no less significant.

Holding Love and Grief Together

One of the hardest parts of this journey is learning that love and grief do not take turns. They exist together.

You may find moments of gratitude and moments of deep sorrow within the same hour. You may smile with those around you and then feel a wave of longing that takes your breath away.

This is not something that needs to be fixed. It is something to be recognized as part of loving a child who is no longer physically here.

As I have walked this road, I have come to understand that the depth of my grief reflects the depth of my love. And that love has not diminished. It has simply changed form.

A Letter from a Mother’s Heart

There are times when words spoken from the heart say what we struggle to express. I want to share part of a letter I wrote, because it reflects what so many of us carry.

Honored to Be Your Mom

My child, flesh of my flesh, soul of my soul, part of my very being, I had an instant deep and fierce love when I first saw you. My heart was yours, and I knew I would give my very life to protect you.

And yet, here I sit, with the suffocating pain and darkness of knowing I was unable to protect you from death.

So now I find that just as deep and intense as my love for you is the deep and intense pain of my grief in living without you. And yet I know that somehow, I must.

As I continue to ask God how to move forward, I am reminded that I do not have to live without you. You are forever in my heart and my thoughts, forever a part of my very being. Our separation is not permanent.

And so I wait. I wait with hope and expectancy for the day I will see you again. Until then, I choose to live a life that holds both love and pain, knowing they can exist together within me.

On this day of honoring bereaved mothers, I can say that I am honored. Honored and blessed to be your mom, even as I continue to miss you with every part of who I am.

Taking the Next Step

As you think about how to handle Mother’s Day after child loss, try to bring your focus back to something simple.

You do not have to figure out the entire day.

You only need to take the next step.

That may mean getting through the morning. It may mean stepping away when something feels too heavy. It may mean allowing yourself to receive love from others, even when it feels complicated.

There is no perfect way to walk through this day. There is only your way.

A Gentle Closing

If Mother’s Day feels especially heavy this year, I want you to know that you are seen. Your love is seen. Your child is not forgotten.

You are carrying something that is both deeply painful and deeply meaningful.

As you move through this day, may you find the strength you need for each moment, and may there be small glimpses of peace as you honor the child who will always be part of you.

NOTE: This was partially taken from the Grieving Parents Sharing Hope podcast episode 347. Click here to listen to the full discussion, or look for the Grieving Parents Sharing Hope podcast on your favorite listening app.

Click here to start Reflections of Hope – a full year of daily encouragement.

Click here for information on the GPS Hope & Healing Cruise.

Click here to sponsor an episode of your child.

To support this podcast and, keep it ad-free, and get exclusive content, visit us on Patreon.

If you’re walking this road after the loss of your child and would like something to come alongside you, I’ve created a gentle resource from my own journey that you are welcome to download below.

AWARD WINNING AUTHOR, LAURA DIEHL, has written several impactful books that provide comfort and guidance to those navigating the painful journey of child loss, after the death of her own daughter in 2011. Her most acclaimed work, When Tragedy Strikes: Rebuilding Your Life with Hope and Healing After the Death of Your Child, has received multiple accolades, including the 2017 Gold Medal Centauri Christian Book Award for Non-Fiction and a Silver Medal in the 2018 Illumination Awards. Several of her other books have won awards as well.

In addition to her writing, Laura is an ordained minister and has an extensive background in international children’s ministry. She is a sought-after speaker and singer at grief conferences and churches, known for her compassionate approach and deep understanding of the grieving process, especially the unique loss of a child. Through her weekly award-winning podcast, her writings, and other resources provided by GPS Hope, Laura and her husband, Dave, continue to provide hope and healing to thousands of parents worldwide, helping them find light in the midst of profound loss and darkness.

For more information about Laura’s award-winning books go to gpshope.org/books.
To find out more about Laura Diehl and the ministry of Grieving Parents Sharing Hope (GPS Hope) visit gpshope.org.

The link to Hope for the Future is an affiliate link, allowing part of the purchase price to go to GPS Hope.