We were making plans. The plans that ambitious teenagers make. The sky was the limit. It was the foundation we stood upon to reach our mega dreams. My brother had recently graduated from high school and I was excited to walk that same corridor to a brighter future. We felt like we deserved hope after enduring many hardships during childhood and adolescence. Then, a typical fun day at home with friends quickly turned into a fatal tragedy. I watched my brother slip away from me right before my eyes. Life seemed pointless. I managed to graduate and enroll at the University… Read More
Loss Of Loved One
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"It Is Well With My Soul" is my favorite hymn. I’ve always loved it, but it also seems to describe my walk with the Lord in some ways. I’m in my mid-60s now, and I’ve had the gift of knowing the Lord for over 50 years. It’s a journey unlike any other---one that I’d never want to travel without Him. I left home at 17 to be closer to my wife-to-be. I finished high school in a new town and bought a little trailer where I made my home. Shortly thereafter, a tornado hit my trailer and destroyed it. We… Read More
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I was absolutely devastated when our son, Garrett, died of SIDS. I cried out to God, "Why?" That happened 27 years ago and the pain is still ever-present, and always will be. God blessed us with two other wonderful sons who have since grown. After our boys started their own lives, there was a lonely spot in my heart, an emptiness. I turned to my husband and said we should become foster parents. He was reluctant, since this wasn't our "plan." We had a 401K and wanted to travel as empty nesters. But we went to some fostering classes, and the… Read More
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I lost my baby girl when she was just three days old. I think about her every day and I have for 44 years. When it happened, there weren't a lot of people I could reach out to, and hospitals weren't really equipped to help you deal with the grief and how to say goodbye. I relied on my Christian faith to get me through those very difficult days. Unfortunately, this kind of heartbreak happens a lot more frequently than people realize. So about six years ago, I wanted to do something for parents that were experiencing this pain. To help… Read More
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We all need extra love and comfort sometimes, especially if you’re a kid going through a difficult time. That’s why I started “Lucy’s Love Blankets.” I make and ship flannel blankets for free to kids going through an illness, a divorce in their family, or the loss of a loved one. Anyone needing a little extra love. It all started three years ago when I was eight. My mom had taught me how to sew and I thought I’d make a homemade blanket for a friend for her birthday. She loved it and I really enjoyed making it. So I… Read More
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I founded Sufficient Grace Ministries for Women in 2004, eight years after the loss of my twin daughters Faith and Grace and about six years after the loss of my son, Thomas. Faith and Grace were born still in 1996 at 26 weeks, while Thomas only lived for six hours after he was born full-term. When I was pregnant, he’d been diagnosed with Potter’s Syndrome, which was termed ‘incompatible with life.’ I chose to continue to love and carry Thomas to term so we could meet and hold him before he went back home to Heaven.… Read More