The Loneliness of Grief

Grief is lonely.

It is like a shadowy darkness that overcomes you, as you stare Death in the face. The ancients called this desolate place the “Valley of the Shadow of Death.”

Journey with me through this lonesome valley, where even from the depths this week I was able to find joy, friendship, and God.

2 years, 2 months, and 22 days

2 years, 2 months, and 22 days ago – that was the day that everything changed when I first found out that I was pregnant. And yet, 2 years, 2 months, and 22 days later, so much is still the same…

Thrown in the Deep End

“I can do the impossible, because I have been through the unimaginable.”

Thrown into the deep end in my first days back in my work with the families of organ donors, I was faced with a choice – would I drown or would I swim?

The Mourner’s Bill of Rights

Anyone in the midst of grief is empowered with certain rights – the Mourner’s Bill of Rights. Stand in that power, fellow traveler, and let no one take them from you.

Tips for Impatient Sympathy

There is limited patience for people in pain. As the pain lingers, we grow tired and our sympathy grows impatient. Here are some tips to better help those who are hurting over time.

Watch Out for Invisible Gorillas

Babies should come with TRIGGER warnings. How can our pain be so life-consuming for us, yet so invisible to others?

How does a pastor grieve?

“How does a pastor grieve?”

Patrick dares to ask this profound question as he wrestles with God’s absence in this article. Originally published as a column in Auburn’s local newspaper, “The Citizen.”