When I first began sharing in this space I had absolutely NO IDEA that my words could reach so many hearts in so many places.
I was simply being as transparent as possible in the hopes that others who were walking this road would feel seen, heard and understood.
That was almost nine years ago!
To date, over four million people have visited the site and viewed at least one post.
I’ve gotten message after message from broken hearts who say essentially:
Thank you for telling the truth about child loss. Thank you for speaking honestly about your struggle with faith. Thank you for assuring me that light CAN shine again in darkness.
Sometime in January of this year, I felt the Lord was asking me to step out in faith and expand the ministry. I began prayerfully exploring what it might look like to form a non-profit corporation and seek 501(c)3 status so others could join me in blessing bereaved parents.
With fear and trembling, I filled out the paperwork and sent it into the ether, praying that every jot and tittle was correct.
To my joy and great surprise, I received notification that Heartache and Hope was a really, truly recognized ministry. What I’d been doing for almost a decade was now official!
So what doors are opening in this new chapter?
I’ll be hosting monthly in-person bereaved parent gatherings at my sweet little home church in rural Bibb County, Alabama. It’s an underserved community on every level and when Dominic ran ahead to Heaven there wasn’t a single resource within thirty miles. Too often bereaved parents convince themselves they are alone in their pain. I want to change that for those in my area.
I’m hosting and facilitating some small, intimate retreats for bereaved mothers at our family’s homestead in the Florida Panhandle. The first one is in October and is filled. I’ll be announcing others soon when the website is up. I hope to do these four times a year.
I am already scheduled to share in some other in-person bereaved parent groups in January. If you’d like me to come share in yours, let me know and we can get it on the calendar. (The donations received make it possible for me to do this without asking for travel funds.)
A couple of podcasts have contacted me to set up on-air chats that should be available in the next few months.
I’m working on editing and publishing some of the blog material into booklets that are easy to read and helpful as handouts for the newly bereaved and the not-so-newly bereaved. I will be able to provide these at minimal cost or for a small donation.
I would love the opportunity to speak to pastor groups, healthcare providers, hospice workers, social workers and others who are likely to be the first folks who interact with parents after loss. Please contact me if you know of such a group or can facilitate a gathering.
I will continue to partner with other ministries like Our Hearts are Home by facilitating online book studies and speaking at yearly conferences.
I plan to keep writing.
I am, and will always be, devoted to sharing honestly about my journey and encouraging other hearts along the way.
*If you would like to donate, you may click on the following link:https://square.link/u/cNen14Q1
thelifeididntchoose 