5 results for tag: Guilt in Grief

Guilt + Grief: Am I Grieving Enough?

I sat in my kitchen with a friend whose baby lived for only five weeks. “It’s been five years. When will I stop grieving the loss of my son? Shouldn’t I be finished grieving?” I asked. She looked at me for a few seconds and I saw a memory flash across her face. “I remember on my son’s 8th birthday going through the whole day before I realized what day it was. I felt so guilty for ‘missing’ his birthday. I was overwhelmed with guilt for not remembering—for ‘moving on.’ I felt so guilty for grieving for so long and then I felt guilty for not remembering to grieve. Grief is a weird thing,” She replied.  Grief is a ...

Guilt + Grief: Should I Have Been More Excited About My Pregnancy?

The weight of grief that comes from the loss of a child is a tremendously heavy burden to carry. For many Hope Moms, that weight is compounded by the additional burden of guilt. In this series, we seek to gently guide the grieving mother to the foot of the cross to exchange this burden of guilt for the peace, assurance, and forgiveness that is found in Christ. When I found out that I was pregnant with our fourth child, I was filled with so many mixed emotions. With each of our sons, I was ecstatic the day my test turned positive, but this pregnancy was different. It was not even that I did not want a fourth child, because I ...

Guilt + Grief: Is Experiencing Joy Again A Betrayal of My Baby?

The weight of grief that comes from the loss of a child is a tremendously heavy burden to carry. For many Hope Moms, that weight is compounded by the additional burden of guilt. In this series, we seek to gently guide the grieving mother to the foot of the cross to exchange this burden of guilt for the peace, assurance, and forgiveness that is found in Christ. My husband and I exchanged glances as we piled the last few pool toys in the car. It was time. Packed to the brim, we were headed out of town for our first family-of-four getaway. Multiple stops for drinks and ice cream along the way resulted in smiles that stretched across my ...

Guilt + Grief: Could My Loss Have Been Prevented?

The weight of grief that comes from the loss of a child is a tremendously heavy burden to carry. For many Hope Moms, that weight is compounded by the additional burden of guilt. In this series, we seek to gently guide the grieving mother to the foot of the cross to exchange this burden of guilt for the peace, assurance, and forgiveness that is found in Christ. Could I have done something to prevent this loss?Did I do something to cause her death? These questions haunted me after the death of my daughter, Isabelle. I went into labor with her at 39 weeks and wanted to labor at home as long as possible, so my midwife ...

Guilt + Grief: Should I Always Share About My Hope Baby When Talking to Others About My Family?

The weight of grief that comes from the loss of a child is a tremendously heavy burden to carry. For many Hope Moms, that weight is compounded by the additional burden of guilt. In this series, we seek to gently guide the grieving mother to the foot of the cross to exchange this burden of guilt for the peace, assurance, and forgiveness that is found in Christ. After we lost our daughter, Ginny, at just under 35 weeks, I dreaded being asked the question, “Do you have kids?” I knew that question would come eventually, and I had no idea how to answer it. I knew I had a daughter in heaven and in my heart. I knew I was a ...