A Little Update

I’m no good at what feels like self promotion in an age of influencers and social media personalities chasing after likes and shares. I subscribe to the George Mueller philosophy of ministry which is to take your needs and heart’s desires directly to the Lord.

But I also know that if people aren’t aware of what the Lord may be doing in a particular area, they may be unaware of how to participate in that work.

So in the hopes of giving folks that opportunity, I wanted to share a bit about what’s been going on lately with Heartache and Hope (the ministry) and with the blog.

Soon it will be ten years since I began writing here.

Since that time, The Life I Didn’t Choose has been viewed over 4,250,000 times. There are more than 3,500 entries and some posts have been shared in the tens of thousands. According to WordPress it has been accessed in every country around the world except North Korea. There is no way to calculate the number of individuals and families impacted reflected by those statistics.

I founded heartacheandhope.org in September, 2024 to expand the ministry begun through the blog and to reach out in different and varied ways to bereaved parents, their families and those that love them.

Since then, we’ve hosted four in-person support group meetings including a special “Blue Christmas” memorial service in December.

I’ve hosted and facilitated two bereaved moms’ retreats (three more scheduled for this year) and traveled to Chattanooga to share with a group there.

Through those contacts and events over forty families have been encouraged to hold onto Hope and wait well, leaning into the promises of Jesus that their pain will be redeemed.

We will continue to host the monthly meetings and hope to add a monthly virtual meeting beginning in March. I will travel to Virginia to share at the Our Hearts are Home Spring Conference in April.

I’d LOVE the opportunity to meet with pastors, chaplains, social workers and those who tend to be with families at the point of hearing “the news”. I am available and willing to meet with others-just message me.

I’ve developed downloadable, printable resources that are available free on the website.

I host a private Facebook group for bereaved parents (https://www.facebook.com/groups/947404501987955 ) and a public Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/heartacheandhope) accessible to anyone offering helpful insights into walking this broken road and to walking beside those who must travel it.

I know everyone reading this is not a bereaved parent but I promise you KNOW a bereaved parent (even if you think you don’t). I also know that both the blog and the ministry have been helpful to other hearts who are living with intractable unsolvable-this-side-of-eternity pain.

I am so, so thankful to every single person who has prayed for me in the more than ten years since Dominic ran ahead to Heaven. Coming up on another anniversary is hard no matter how long it’s been.

I cannot say enough about those who have chosen to walk beside me and who have encouraged me to share my story in hopes of encouraging others. I couldn’t do it without you!

I appreciate the many tangible donations (monetary, time, materials) that have been made to facilitate this work.

You are making an eternal difference, friends!

Lighting a candle is never in vain.

And lighting the way to Hope always bears fruit.

If you want to know more about the ministry you can find that here:

http://heartacheandhope.org

If you want to subscribe to the blog you can do so here:

thelifeididntchoose.com

If you feel led to join me in this ministry to the brokenhearted, here’s the link:

http://square.link/u/cNen14Q1

If you have any questions or just want to chat, feel free to DM me on Facebook.