While We're Waiting® - Hope After Child Loss

Today's episode features a continuation of my conversation with Dawn Helms as we focus on life after the loss of her only child, Ben.

Dawn shares practical, compassionate wisdom for parents in the early days of grief—about accepting help, resisting isolation, and leaning into community even when it feels hard. She reflects on the quiet that follows years of caregiving, navigating everyday questions, and approaching holidays whe...

Today's episode features the first half of my recent conversation with Dawn Helms, in which she shares the story of her only son Ben and the long journey of loving him through significant mental health challenges.

For years, Dawn lived in a constant state of vigilance—managing diagnoses, medications, school struggles, substance abuse, and periods of incarceration. Her home was rarely quiet, not because life was easy, but becaus...

“Moving forward doesn’t mean leaving my child behind.” 

As one year ends and another begins, many people are eager to turn the page.  For bereaved parents, however, the arrival of a new year can feel heavy and overwhelming. A new calendar can make us feel like we're leaving our child behind—and that can be deeply painful.

In this encore episode, Jill shares ten faith-anchored resolutions shaped by her own journey of grief after ...

 “The first Christmas came with gifts meant for broken hearts.” 

Christmas is often one of the hardest seasons for parents grieving the loss of a child. Today, I reprise a solo episode originally recorded in 2020 during the height of the COVID pandemic which speaks into a time marked by isolation, uncertainty, and compounded grief. Separated from loved ones, surrounded by illness and fear, many bereaved parents were carrying more th...

Christmas can feel especially heavy after the death of a child. Traditions that once brought joy may now magnify the absence, and the expectations of the season can feel overwhelming for a heart that is grieving.

In this episode, I gather the voices of While We’re Waiting retreat and support group facilitators—bereaved moms and dads who share honest reflections and practical wisdom for navigating Christmas after loss. Their stories ...

In Part Two of my conversation with Jenny Leavitt, we continue exploring the GodPrints—God’s gentle fingerprints of presence and faithfulness—woven through her family’s grief journey after the loss of her son, Jacob.

Jenny shares how she and her husband learned to walk together through grief even when their personalities and coping styles differed. She talks about the emotional weight of anniversaries, holidays, and court dates, and...

In this first half of a two-part conversation, I sit down with Jenny Leavitt — pastor’s wife, author of GodPrints, and bereaved mom — to hear the story of her son, Jacob, and the unmistakable “GodPrints” woven throughout her family’s journey.

Jenny begins by describing her earlier battle with stage four non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma while raising two very young boys, and how God used that season to prepare her heart in ways she wouldn’t fu...

In this second half of my conversation with Debra Amick, we explore what life looked like after Chase went to Heaven and how God gently led her from deep grief toward renewed purpose.

A meaningful part of this episode centers on four anchors God gave her in the fog of grief:

• Prayer support when she didn’t have strength of her own
• Scripture placed throughout her home to remind her of what was true
• Resting in God’s presence, allowing...

When God Holds the Thread: Chase’s Story

In this first half of my conversation with Debra Amick, she shares the story of her son Chase—a talented artist, musician, and gentle soul whose life touched so many. Debra opens up about his early years, the emergence of mental-health struggles in his teens, and the intentional decision she and her husband made to stay closely connected to his heart.

She also recounts the powerful moment when...

“Even in the darkest valley, the Shepherd is still good—and He never lets go.” 

In this week’s episode, I talk with Meshea Ingram, a mom who has walked through the deepest valley imaginable and found her Shepherd faithful every step of the way.

Meshea shares about her little boy, Briggs—a joyful child with an unforgettable laugh and a big personality that filled every room. In the summer of 2022, a tragic drowning incident changed ev...

“What if hope isn’t about holding on—but about being held?” 

In today's episode, I had the privilege to sit down with Cheri Fletcher—a writer, speaker, and flash mob aficionado—who shares the story of her daughter Annie, a vibrant young woman whose life reflected creativity, compassion, and faith.

Cheri opens up about the sudden medical crisis that took Annie’s life at just 29, the ache of surrendering to God’s will, and the uns...

In this week’s episode, I’m joined by Cindy Shufflebarger, who shares the story of her daughter, Ashlynn Faith, and how God’s immeasurable love met her family in the midst of unimaginable loss. Diagnosed with Trisomy 18, Ashlynn lived for three precious days — days filled with both deep sorrow and sacred joy. Cindy reflects on those moments, the way her faith was reshaped through lament, and how journaling became a lifeline that le...

Today's episode is a little bit different than what you usually hear on the While We're Waiting podcast.  I've invited my husband Brad to join me to reflect on our daughter Hannah’s birthday. She would have turned 34 years old today—which means she’s now double the age she was when she went to Heaven at 17. That realization has hit us a little bit harder this year.

As we’ve been reflecting, we found ourselves thinking...

In the second half of my conversation with grieving dad Terry Sternad, we see what grief—and faith—can look like more than forty years after the death of a child. Terry’s six-year-old son, TJ, went to heaven in 1983, and while the ache of missing him has never gone away, Terry has discovered that joy and sorrow can coexist through a deep, abiding relationship with God.

In this episode, Terry reflects on how grief has shaped his walk...

When a father loses a child, the world shifts forever. In this first half of my two-part conversation with grieving dad Terry Sternad, he takes us back more than forty years to the day his six-year-old son, TJ, went to heaven—and the remarkable way God was already preparing his heart for that moment.

Before TJ’s death in December of 1983, Terry didn’t believe in God. But through the faithful witness of a coworker and tender moments ...

“Surrender is not a moment; it’s a posture I’ve had to return to again and again.”

With these words, Julie South describes the ongoing journey she’s walked since her daughter Bellah’s homegoing. In this second part of our conversation, Julie shares honestly about living with PTSD, how trauma has impacted her family, and what surrender has looked like as she continues to walk with God through grief.

She also reflects on how her grief ...

 “Even in the halls of the hospital, God showed me I was not alone.” 

I'm excited today to introduce you to my friend Julie South.  In this first half of our  conversation, Julie shares the story of her daughter Bellah—a joyful, compassionate little girl whose life was marked by both laughter and serious medical challenges. Julie talks about how her daughter Makaylah’s health struggles prepared their family for medical adoption...

Kim Allison returns to the While We're Waiting podcast to share more of her story—this time opening up about the loss of her husband, Herb, to suicide, and how God is redeeming the broken pieces of her life. 

She reflects on her two babies in Heaven, Benjamin and Jeremiah, the vibrant life of her son Timothy, who went to Heaven in 2021, the deep valleys of grief she has walked through, and the tools that have helped her trade s...

"The cradle is a temporary comfort—but the eternal comfort comes from the hope of the gospel.”  ~Ashley Opliger

In this second half of my conversation with Ashley Opliger, she takes us back to the day of Bridget’s birth and describes the tender moments she and her family shared with their tiny daughter, who weighed just 13 ounces. Ashley shares how her mother’s handmade cradle gave Bridget dignity and allowed their family preci...