David Kessler is one of my favorite grief experts. He recently went beyond the classic five stages of grief and added a sixth stage, MEANING. I know one might think (like I once did), “There is no meaning in my loved one’s death”. It’s hard to see meaning in the pain when we are hurting and … Read more

Grief often leaves us searching for solace amidst the ache. Often, in pursuit to run from its pain, we resort to various methods of avoidance. Believe me, I know. What sets Beauty from Ashes Ministries apart is the encouragement to embrace the rawness of loss and grief. Here, tears are not deemed as a sign … Read more

I often get asked the question, “does it get easier“? I remember asking the exact same question after my husband died. I had to ask myself, “what would my life look like if it were “easy”? How I described it in my head, it seemed to have every attribute of temporary, comfortable, and feeling good. … Read more

I remember when I attended a grief group a few months after Rob died. We were brought outside to sit in a garden and were asked to share everything that we saw in the garden that brought us joy. I passed because I didn’t see anything. All I could see were the bluebonnets and that … Read more

This is hard stuff. There is no going around it. There is only going through it, even if you try, the grief will present itself over and over again, embed itself, until you turn and walk through the journey. If we don’t take the time to step into the pain, it just goes dormant and … Read more

Absolutely. I never truly understood the word “stuck” until my husband passed away. I compare it to the times when I was younger and my sister and I would swim in a pond behind our house and the water was filled with muck so thick sometimes, that one time I got stuck that I couldn’t … Read more

Let yourself say “no”. Above all else, you need to take care of yourself during this time. Grief takes so much out of a person and please be kind and gentle with yourself. This is a time to give yourself permission to say ‘no”. It’s okay. It’s okay to leave early. You might feel like you are … Read more

Grieving the death of a loved one cannot be done alone. God is with you always, and He has prepared people to come alongside you.  There is a deep silence that comes with losing the one you love. It doesn’t matter if you are standing in the middle of a crowded room, you will still notice … Read more

We are bombarded with bad news, natural disasters, fires, the pandemic, and uncertainties. We have lost our personal freedoms, connection with others, personal space, and normal. We are tired. We are tired of not knowing what information we can trust and how to respond. The mental and emotional load this pandemic has brought cannot be … Read more

I wanted to share something I have learned. In this journey, I’ve learned to not wait for the flowers and to create my own. I remember a good friend saying to me, “you are waiting for him to come home”. I was. I was actually waiting for Rob to come home to change the oil … Read more