257: Do Not Allow the Pressure of Comparing

So much horrific pain and darkness comes with child loss. It doesn’t matter how young or how old your child was when they left this earth. It doesn’t matter if it was sudden or if it was long and drawn out. As pareavors (bereaved parents), we can bristle when others say they know how we feel, because of a different loss. We know what that feels like. But what about when we compare our child’s loss to another parent’s loss? What about when we compare where we are in our grief with where another parent is (or was) in some sort of timeline? We rarely make those comparisons out loud, but we can have these thoughts, which is what Laura talks about in today’s episode. Note: Today’s episode is being sponsored by Jeff and Mary Beth Patnaude, in honor of their son, Michael Patnaude.   Links Mentioned in this episode: Click here for all the info and to register for the Ohio GPS Hope & Healing Retreat, May 24-26. Listen to podcast episode 174: Our Dreams About Our Children After Child Loss Sponsor a podcast episode in honor of your child. Go here to choose the week and make your $50 donation.COME JOIN US for our Weekend of Hope in Wisconsin this August!!! Find out more  here. To find out more about joining Dave and Laura next year (February of 2025) on The Grief Cruise, click here.   Birthdays: Christopher Schofer was born on April 21 and is forever 25. Shannon Chevalier was born on April 21 and is forever 27. Stephen Francis Reeve was born on April 25 and is forever 25. Bradley Brown was born on April 27 and is forever 17. Michael Patnaude was born on April 27 and is forever 21.   If you would like your child mentioned on the podcast the week of his or her birthday, click here to fill out the short form with the needed information. The special song written for our children’s birthdays I Remember Well can be heard here. Remember to Hold On Pain Eases; there is HOPE! www.gpshope.org   To have Laura come and minister at your event, contact us at [email protected]. Grieving Parents Sharing Hope (GPS Hope) is here to walk with parents through the darkness of child-loss, guiding them to a place of hope, light and purpose. It is a safe place for anyone who has lost a child from this earth. There is no shame or judgment in where you are in this journey, including if you are struggling in your relationship with God or your faith has been completely shattered.