186. Hope When the Holidays Hurt [Part 02] with Kristin Hernandez

The Joyful Mourning - A Podcast for Women Who Have Experienced Pregnancy or Infant Loss

Welcome to Part 2 of our 4 part Holiday series – a discussion about finding hope when the holidays hurt and our first ever virtual book club. Kristin Hernandez, author of Hope When the Holidays Hurt, is joining me for this series and our book club discussions. Whether you are following along in the Advent Journal (you can order here) or not, I wanted to remind you that the hope shared in this series is valuable and helpful either way.

As a reminder, it is never too late to start the Advent Journal and follow along in that way – the truths and promises shared there are applicable all year long. You can start now! You can purchase the Advent Journal here. I am really loving working through this content with our community and the conversations we have been having have been so beautiful. Again, if you want to order the journal to follow along, it’s not too late (you can order here).

In this episode we are talking about how God values our babies, even those who never lived outside the womb. We also talk about the nearness of God and how that brings us hope but can also be hard to hear when our hearts are broken and death has entered in. So we spend some time discussing what to do with that wrestling and what that has looked like in our own life.

We finish up our time together with Kristin and I sharing about our favorite ways to honor our babies at christmas. Kristin also shares some really helpful advice about this idea of honoring our baby that will be incredibly helpful to you, especially if the idea of doing anything this year feels too weighty and overwhelming.

Throughout this series and season of Advent, Kristin and I will be discussing an entry from that week of journal entries here on the podcast as well as our free online community. If you haven’t already joined us in our free community, this is a great time to do so. Don’t navigate the holidays alone, come join us and find women who understand, women who get it and can offer a listening ear, understanding and wisdom. Our free online community is not on social media so as to provide a truly safe place for grieving moms. To join us click here. We will be sharing insights from our daily readings from the journal as well as honest thoughts and conversation about navigating the holidays as a grieving mom.

WE LOVE LAURELBOX: GIFTS FOR GRIEVING HEARTS

This episode is sponsored by Laurelbox. We love Laurelbox for the beautiful and tangible ways they help us as grieving moms to honor and celebrate our babies this holiday season. Laurelbox has the most beautiful personalized candles and ornaments– the perfect addition to your holiday season. It’s simple while being intentional, thoughtful and as I said, beautiful. Check out our favorites by heading to themorning.com/laurelbox.

FREE HOLIDAY RESOURCES: www.themorning.com/holidays

1. Download the Free Navigating the Holidays Workbook & Resource Bundle
2. Join us for a Christmas Devotional Book Club for December (Get the devotional here.)
3. Our Christmas Gift Guides for Grieving Moms
4. Keepsake DIY Ornaments (click here)
5. Get your Christmas Apparel (Back in the shop!)

> www.themorning.com/holidays

FREE ONLINE SUPPORT COMMUNITYA place away from social media where you can find support and care from women who are just like you. Women navigating the day to day ups and downs of grief. A place where you can feel not alone in this. Come join us: themorning.com/community

FREE GRIEF GUIDE

Our best and most helpful resources for navigating grief and life after loss all in one place. Plus a list of our favorite books for children about grief and loss. Download Here.

FREE GUIDE: IF YOU LOVE A GRIEVING MOMAnd if you love a grieving mom, we have something for you too, a free guide with simple tips for how to love a grieving friend: themorning.com/friendsandfamily.

RATE, REVIEW & FOLLOW ON APPLE PODCASTSIf you love The Joyful Mourning Podcast, please consider rating and reviewing the show! This helps moms who are grieving to find us a little easier and get that support they need. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know how this episode helped you.

SHOW NOTESwww.themorning.com/blog/episode186