Keeping It Real Grief, Parenting, and Holding On to Faith

 🎥 Keeping It Real

Grief, Parenting, and Holding On to Faith 💙

Hello everyone, I am sorry I haven’t posted in a couple of days. Things got extremely busy with school and everyday life, but I am here today and I have truly missed talking with you all. I pray you have had a blessed few days. 🙏

Today I want to talk about grief.

I know what it is like to lose parents and loved ones. The shock of losing someone when you are not expecting it is hard, and then you have to learn how to go through holidays, birthdays, and special occasions without them. It takes time, but somehow you learn to take it day by day with God’s help.

But losing a child… that is a whole different kind of grief.

As a mother, that child was a part of you from the very beginning. You carried them for nine months, watched them grow, laughed with them, cried with them, and walked with them through life’s good times and hard times.

And when they are gone, a part of your heart goes with them.

Today’s world is very different from the one I grew up in. I am Gen X, and back then people did not openly talk about depression, anxiety, rejection, or emotional struggles the way people do now.

In our family, we tried to change that.

We wanted our children to know they could talk to us about anything. Yes, sometimes it was hard to get more than “fine” or “okay” out of them, but in their own time they would open up and tell us what was going on in their lives.

What hurt me the most with our daughter was that on the outside she seemed okay, but deep inside she was carrying things we did not fully see.

She tried to pray.

She tried to have faith-filled friends.

She tried to push through.

But there were also other people influencing her life in unhealthy ways. She dealt with rejection, bullying, and hurt from people at school and even from some family members.

We tried our best to remind her she was loved, valuable, beautiful, and a victor—not a victim.

But sometimes the weight people carry inside becomes heavier than we realize.

I still remember the last conversation we had before I left work that day. I asked her what she wanted for dinner, and she told me. I said I would stop at the store after work to get what we needed.

The last words I heard from her were:

“I love you Mom. See you when you get home.”

I saw her again… but she did not see me.

And no parent should ever have to experience that kind of pain.

It has been two years, and there are still nights when I close my eyes and remember what I found that evening. Grief like that changes you forever.

We miss her deeply every single day, and we will always love her.

So I want to say this to every parent reading this:

When you see red flags with certain friendships or influences in your child’s life—pay attention.

Fight for your children.

Pray for them.

Talk to them.

Listen to them.

Protect them.

People say being a “helicopter parent” is wrong, but in today’s world I believe parents need to stay involved. These are our children, and the world should not have more influence over them than the people who love them most.

Until they are grown and fully living on their own, parents have every right to stay aware of what is happening in their lives online and offline.

I know this post may be hard for some people to read, but I promised myself I would be honest on here.

I am not going to pretend life is always easy.

But through all of this pain, one thing has remained true:

God has carried me.

Even in grief.

Even in heartbreak.

Even in nights filled with tears.

Jesus has stayed close to me through it all.

There were days I didn’t think I could keep going, but somehow God gave me enough strength for one more day.

And if you are grieving today, struggling, or fighting for your child, please know this:

You are not alone.

Keep praying.

Keep loving.

Keep fighting for your family.

And keep trusting God even when life hurts.

💙 “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” — Psalm 34:18

Praying for every hurting parent, every grieving family, and every child silently battling things they do not know how to talk about. 🙏💕