A Grief Redeemed

This episode is somewhat of a compilation of topics and things I have already mentioned on other episodes but thought I would go more into depth into some of those things. And I wanted this to be a closing to the first season before I start season 2. I talk about the difficult and hard things about grief and widowhood and also about the main lessons and wisdom grief and widowhood has taught me as well. If you don't already follow my Instagram and/or Fb page it is under the name: A Grief Redeemed. I post all my latest episodes and share life updates and things I have been reflecting on or want to share. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/agriefredeemed/message

I am no stranger to persevering through hard things. If you know my story or listened to previous episodes, like episode 1, you know that getting through hard times is nothing new to me. But during this episode I share about how I feel like I have hit this wall where I feel like,"Haven't I suffered enough?" I know my story is much different than most people but if you are in a place, like me, where you feel like you have had enough I want you to know that you are not alone and that I am in that exact place myself. I am still in the middle of struggling and wrestling through hard questions and feeling stuck but I think I'm ok with that. Sometimes it is in the wrestling and processing that we find our way to other side eventually. If you want to read the whole article I share at the end of my episode here is the link to Inheritance Magazine issue # 53: https://www.inheritancemag.com/stories/joy-to-the-lord And I wanted to give a shout out to my friend Stephen who I mention in the episode about his art speaking to me at such a hard time. Be sure and check him out on Instagram @Stephen_inks --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/agriefredeemed/message

In this episode I bring my wonderful parents onto my show to share a little of their journeys of seeking out spiritual direction after many years of having the Lord be in their own lives and how just going through the motions of doing the right things wasn't enough. I love what my dad shared on the podcast about his experience of doing life with the Lord. He said," Relying on the Lord is a relational experience not just a cerebral exercise. It's a two-way kind of connection." There is so much more wisdom in what they both have to share. I hope what they share gives you hope, encourages, and can be life giving to you as much as it has to me over the years. Going deeper with the Lord and finding deep connection with the Lord is hard work, but the fruits of it can be so comforting and so rewarding especially at a time as this pandemic when hope can feel so hard to find or hold onto. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/agriefredeemed/message

In this episode I talk about what GriefShare has taught me over the years. It has been a great grief support group and resource to me. It has taught me how to sit in someone else's grief and how to process many different topics and stages of grief with the support of others. There are many support groups that meet throughout the US, Canada, and other countries throughout the world and their website can help you find the closest group near you. I also talk about how GriefShare may not be for everyone, and it was definitely something I was not ready to do until 2 years after my late husband died, but overall it is a great resource to be aware of and joining if that fits into your grief journey. GriefShare can also be a great resource if you are wanting to learn how to be there for someone who is grieving. Here is the website if you want to learn more or check it out yourself: https://www.griefshare.org --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/agriefredeemed/message

Surviving and learning to live life without our loved ones is one of the hardest things we have to do. EVERYTHING and EVERY situation can be hard and everything can feel like a trigger. At times it can feel like there is not one minute you don't feel pain. I try to share an overview of what helped in the short term and what is needed in the long term. Trigger days (anniversaries, birthdays, special occasions) are even harder and are the days that drain us the most. I share about how to come up with a game plan and how important it is to find life giving things on those days. The book that I mention in the episode, that was so instrumental in putting me on the right foot in grieving, is called: Traveling Through Grief: Learning to Live Again After the Death of a A Loved One by Susan J. Zonnebelt Smeenge and Robert C. De Vries. It is an excellent book about addressing the mental health perspective and the spiritual health perspective of processing grief. Here the link to the book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Traveling-through-Grief-Learning-Again/dp/080106676X/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1N7C86ZTI5WTY&dchild=1&keywords=traveling+through+grief+book&qid=1612667842&sprefix=traveling+th%2Caps%2C220&sr=8-3 --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/agriefredeemed/message

My experience with major depression in college is what launched me into getting into counseling for the first time . However, as time went on I felt like something else was missing from my life and I began to feel very stuck. This feeling of being stuck plunged me into a different area of deeper healing of the heart and incorporating the Lord into all areas of my life: mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual. And I found that letting the Lord speak and be a part of all these areas of my life began to heal and to help me begin to hear His voice. The Lord went from being someone I just read about in the Bible, but someone I actually began hearing and experiencing in my everyday life. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/agriefredeemed/message

In this episode I talk about some of the main things that I struggled with in 2020. And the second part of the show I talk about my focus word "abide" for 2021 and how it is something I really want to focus on, reflect, and take with me into this new year. I also think the word "abide" is actually something I think we all need this year whether we have experienced a lot of loss or a little. We all need to be joined in whatever we are going through or feeling. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/agriefredeemed/message

In this episode I talked about practical ways to help people who are grieving. The second part of the show is some advice for grieving people and some ways to navigate when things and people are not helpful. During the episode I mentioned a children's book on grieving that is called The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld that I felt is such a simple yet powerful book on how to help someone who is dealing with loss. Listening and being there for people is one of the most helpful things we can offer when someone is in pain. Here is a link to The Rabbit Listened if you want to get a copy: https://www.amazon.com/Rabbit-Listened-Cori-Doerrfeld/dp/073522935X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2PP9KBHXM7HF&dchild=1&keywords=the+rabbit+listened&qid=1608772112&sprefix=the+rabbi%2Caps%2C252&sr=8-1 I know the holidays can be hard, especially during this year. At the closing of the show I share some closing thoughts of things that we can do to be there for each other as things are different this Christmas. We may not be able to be with people physically but we can share our love in different ways even if that is through a simple text or card. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/agriefredeemed/message

There are so many things I could say about this subject but I really wanted to share three main things of what I think have helped my son become resilient after his dad's death. And really, these things have carried over into this pandemic and how it has continued to help both of us unpack the new grief we are experiencing. At the end of this episode I also bring my son onto the show and we talk about why he thinks it is important to have people do things a dad would do with him. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/agriefredeemed/message

I pick up where I left off in the last episode and share a little about what it was like after Ben died and what it was like after the memorial service ended. I also share about the three main things that helped me process my grief. One thing that I mention is the Crisis Hotline 1(800) 273-8255. We are all under a lot of stress and having someone to talk to can be so helpful in times of stress or dealing with grief. Hang in there everyone! Take one day at a time. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/agriefredeemed/message

In the first part of the show I thought I would start the podcast off with sharing a little about myself growing up and my life before meeting my late husband. The second part of the show I share the main bullet points of my late husband's cancer journey. I plan on sharing more lessons of what I learned in other podcasts. If you wan't to check out my blog which also shares the same name as this podcast and was the inspiration to starting this podcast here is the link: https://agriefredeemed.com --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/agriefredeemed/message