64 results for author: Constance Ray

God’s Gift of Hope: Kelly’s Story

Greetings Hope Mommies Community! My name is Kelly Ransdell, and I have been involved with Hope Mommies since 2017. I’ve held various roles including Founder and President of the Houston Chapter, retreat small group leader, Hope Group leader, and now as a member of the Leadership Team as the Ministry Support Lead. This particular letter comes at a time of great grief for my home state of Texas, and I want to take a moment to acknowledge the July 4th tragedy and loss of life.  My childhood consisted of several summers at Camp Mystic, and I have friends who have lost their daughters in that flood. My grief runs deep for all of you; you know a ...

Grace in Grief – Learning to Extend Compassion to Others

When you’ve walked through the unimaginable loss of your baby, it’s easy to feel like you've become an expert in grief. You know the weight of the pain, the depth of the sorrow, and what it feels like to question how you’ll ever move forward. You know what cuts deep and what offers even a little bit of comfort. But if I’m honest with myself, before I lost my daughter, I had no idea what it truly meant to grieve. I had experienced loss in my life, and I considered myself to be an empathetic person. Yet, I know I’ve said things, forgotten things, and acted in ways that likely hurt others who were grieving. Even now, as I continue ...

Moving Forward in Grief vs. Moving On from Grief

For a mother who has lost a baby, one of the hardest things to hear is the well-meaning phrase: 'You have to move on.' The idea of moving on can feel like a betrayal—as if healing from your baby’s death requires forgetting, as if the love you have for your baby has an expiration date. But grief and love don’t work that way. The truth is, we don’t move on from our babies. We move forward with them. Moving on implies leaving something behind. When people talk about moving on, it can sound like a call to let go, to put the past behind us, to return to life as it was before. But life can never be the same after loss. A part of our heart is ...

Longing for a different kind of freedom

The Fourth of July is a time when the world around us celebrates—fireworks light up the sky, families gather for barbecues, and children run freely with sparklers in hand. But for a mother who has lost a baby, the noise of celebration can contrast sharply with the quiet ache of grief. If this week feels heavy, you are not alone. While the world looks to freedom in one way, you may find yourself longing for a different kind of freedom—the freedom from sorrow, the freedom from the weight of what-ifs, the freedom from feeling like you have to pretend you’re okay when your heart still aches. But dear mama, there is a deeper freedom available ...

Grief in the Summertime – Finding God’s Presence in the Rhythms of Creation

For most of human history, people lived without clocks. Before the sundial gave way to watches and phones that sync us down to the second, people moved with the rhythm of nature. The rising and setting sun directed their days, and the changing seasons shaped their work and rest. But today, we are bound by schedules, calendars, and endless to-do lists. Time pushes forward, whether we are ready or not. For a grieving mother, summer’s long days can feel especially heavy. When the world around us bursts with life—children laughing at the pool, families heading off on vacation—it can feel as though time is rushing past our sorrow, leaving us ...

What does it mean that God is making all things new?

Have you ever wondered what blessings God is working out through the heartbreak of losing a baby? By His nature, God is redeeming. Ever since sin cursed the earth, we have seen Him making things new—bringing beauty from brokenness. In the aftermath of Adam and Eve’s shattered hearts, as thorns choked Eden’s beauty and the earth groaned under the weight of sorrow, God whispered His promise to mend what was lost. Revelation 21:5 declares, “Behold, I am making all things new.” One day, He will restore the perfection and splendor of His creation, and every tear will be wiped away. But even now, we can see glimpses of His renewal at work in ...

Honoring Him This Father’s Day You See His Grief—And That Matters

I’ve been thinking about Father’s Day and how hard it can be—not just for us, but for the men we love. As Hope Moms, we carry our grief in ways that are often seen—our tears, our words, the way we hold onto memories. But for our husbands, it’s different. Their pain is quieter, often unspoken, but no less deep. Hope Dads often bear the weight of loss in a way the world doesn’t always recognize.  That’s why I want to encourage you to honor him this Father’s Day. He may not say much, he may not even know how to put words to what he’s feeling, but he is a father. And just like we long for our babies to be remembered, so does ...

Honoring Hope Dads This Father’s Day

Sometimes, when we’re grieving, even kind words for those closest to us can be hard to find. But with Father’s Day approaching this Sunday, I want to gently encourage you to remember your husband on this tender day. Parenting a child in heaven is a heavy burden. Not just for us, but for our husbands, too. Hope Dads often carry sorrow in quiet, unseen ways. I pray these resources give you a starting place. Below, you’ll find: A sample Father’s Day letter to help you speak words of love and encouragement to your husband—thanking him for the ways he’s walked this road of loss with you and pointing him to the Lord for strength and ...

Why Do I Run From You?

“Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?” —Psalm 139:7 In the raw ache of grief, I’ve asked this more than once: “Why do I run from You, Lord, when You’re the only one who understands me?” It doesn’t make sense on paper. God is my refuge, my comfort, my healer. I know this. I’ve sung it in church, I’ve whispered it in the dark, and yet, when the pain crashed in—when my arms felt empty and my heart shattered—I didn’t fall into His. I pulled away. In those raw and early days of grief, instead of leaning into His presence, I often retreated. I numbed. I avoided. I distracted myself ...

Host a Hope Box Gathering

Hope Boxes are one of the most cherished parts of our ministry. They’re often the very first connection we make with a bereaved mom—a gift that gently invites her into the Hope Mommies community and reminds her that, even in the brokenness, God sees and cares for her. Since 2011, we’ve placed over 30,000 Hope Boxes into the hands of grieving mothers. There are three main ways these boxes reach moms: 1. Ordered through our website, assembled by a volunteer, and shipped directly to a Hope Mom. 2. Provided by our local Chapters, who fundraise, assemble, and deliver boxes to hospitals and provider offices. 3. And through Hope Box ...