Growing Through Grief
When the – “That only happens to other people” – happened to me and no-one handed me a “What to do when Caleb dies handbook,” all I wanted to do was go to sleep and never wake up again. Unimaginable heartache and unanswerable questions about my son’s suicide took over my life. In this post I share how I’ve grown through grief and how I’ve been able to “go on” in life since that tragic Monday night.
Standing Tall Through It All
Standing Tall Through It All I love Lighthouses! They really are fascinating to me. Their purpose and how they’re always situated just off the coastline to safely bring ships to shore, resonates with me so deeply. They stand strong in the midst of a storm and...
Capturing Our Family Again, Including Caleb
Capturing Our Family Again, Including Caleb This was a big opportunity to show my girls that when I say they are worth it, I mean it. Our most recent family photos were taken in 2018 and we typically have them done every 1-2 years. When we...
Saturday Hurts
For a few weeks I have been hoping and praying to have some revival in my heart this Easter weekend. I'm seeing a lot of posts and emails about Holy Saturday, so I thought I'd clip a few and share them in a post today, Saturday, the in-between day, the...
Moving After Child Loss
I'm starting this post with my original post to Facebook the day we moved one year ago, and I will end it with a current update and some photos. Moving After Child Loss March 31, 2020 - Facebook This post is emotional, raw and heartbreaking. I’m writing...
That First Family Vacation After Child Loss
Our first vacation as a family of 4 was a much needed getaway and experience for all of us. I came home with a fresh perspective and a shift in grief. I saw that my life may be full of a lot of grief, pain and sadness, but it can also be full of life, energy,...
18 Months Without Caleb: The Cornerstone
18 Months Without Caleb: The Cornerstone On February 12, 2021, the 18 month anniversary since Caleb went to Heaven, my husband and I drove 6 hours to Barry, Illinois to attend a ‘While We’re Waiting’ retreat for bereaved parents. While I was desperately...
My ABC’s of Coping With – and Moving Through – Trauma and Grief
A storm came, went and left me with an unrecognizable life. When tragedy struck out of nowhere, I wasn’t given a handbook on what comes next. The natural responses of panic, shock, numbness, confusion, sadness, depression, anxiety and fatigue, took over every part...
The Caleb Cares Project: Showing Love, Kindness & Hope
Our first Christmas Project, December 2020 I’m looking in the rearview mirror and sharing how The Caleb Cares Project blessed a family at Christmastime. Caleb fell in love with these kiddos in the Summer of 2017 when he volunteered with his youth group in...
10 Truths I Learned About Myself In 2020: Life After Child Loss
2020 will be the first calendar year that I will have lived without my firstborn child and only son, Caleb, who died unexpectedly on August 12, 2019. He didn't get to graduate with the Class of 2020, He didn't get to vote for the first time and we didn't get to drop...
A Thrill Of Hope, My Weary Soul Rejoices
Have you ever found yourself in an unfathomable moment? A moment when you had no idea how life would or could go on? An appointment when you learned your loved one has cancer? Your hopes of holding your newborn baby crumble at the sound of a silent ultrasound? The day...
YOU Are A Big Deal Around Here!
If you’re a living, breathing human you don’t need to know the actual statistic to know that a lot of people attempt or die from suicide every minute of every day. You also don't have to have lost someone you know to suicide to “know” the pain and devastation that it...
Surviving The Holidays After Child Loss
As I endure the second holiday season without my oldest child, I wanted to share about my experience last year. Thanksgiving came just 3 1/2 months after he died, and all I wanted to do was crawl in a hole and hide until the season was over. In November and December...
How Do I Live Without You?
A few days ago I made it through the 450th day as a bereaved mother, the day I took this photo. If I’m going to share how much pain I’m in, I might as well show it. I came home from a hard day and went straight to my deck. I needed to clear my head, feel the fresh...
Holding on and Letting Go
While this post is about how I have held onto and let go of my son’s tangible things, It’s also about how I’ve held on and let go emotionally. There is a strong pull in my heart and a choice I have to make daily, do I want to stay stuck in the past with Caleb or go...
My Heart On The Outside
I Love You More On November 19, 2019, I walked into a tattoo parlor to get my first tattoo. I wanted a tribute to my son whom I could no longer physically share with the world. I wanted a conversation starter, so that I could tell people who Caleb is when they asked...
My Dearest Caleb…
I’ve really struggled with whether or not I wanted to share this letter. I’ve been writing it on and off for about eight months. My therapist suggested early on that I write Caleb two letters, one for what I would say when I got home that night and we continued our...
Broken Heart, Faithful Prayer
Feeling destroyed but hopeful, I prayed for God to give me a sign that he sees me, that he can hear me, that he knows I'm suffering and that he is with me. It was October 21, 2019, the 70th day since Caleb had died and I prayed specifically for him to send me signs...
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