Broken and Better for It

A broken plate, mended with gold in between the cracks.

The wounds that seem too deep to heal are what Christ uses to make us the best version of ourselves. In his general conference address “Broken Things to Mend,” Elder Jeffrey R. Holland speaks to people who feel their lives are broken beyond repair. After nearly losing a loved one… Continue reading

Grieve with Faith

Faith can help us find comfort during the hardship and trouble that grief brings to our lives. Grieving is a process that almost most people on this earth will have to work through at some point in their lives. Faith can help in this process. However, being able to have… Continue reading

The Good in Grief

Small purple flowers poke through newly fallen snow and dead leaves.

When we understand our part in God’s plan, the pain we feel at the death of a loved one can be more meaningful and help us grow emotionally. We all have our share of everyday setbacks that make us exclaim “good grief.” These troubles can range from just annoying to… Continue reading

When Acquainted with Grief

woman sitting at a window

Welcoming grief as a natural expression of love helps us understand the Savior as we search for peace and healing. “I never cried for her once this week until the funeral” was what I wrote in my journal after my grandmother died. My emotional indifference was an accomplishment for me.… Continue reading

Understanding Instead of Fixing: Mourning with Those That Mourn

When others are sad, we want to take their sorrow away. But we need to try to understand their feelings rather than try to fix them.  When other people feel sad, our instincts tell us that we need to somehow make them happy again. Our society views sadness as a disease that… Continue reading

“Jesus Wept”

Person on the end of a pier

Life can be unfair, painful, and uncertain. When we or our loved ones find ourselves in those times of grief or frustration, we can rely on the Savior and his perfect example of empathy. In his BYU devotional, “Hard Sayings and Safe Spaces: Making Room for Struggle as Well as… Continue reading

Finding God in Our Storms

In our storms, God is with us. Though he doesn’t always calm the storm, he can calm us to be able to bear the storm. Have you ever felt like a sailor lost at sea in the middle of a storm, like your life is chaotic and frightening and lonely?… Continue reading

The Healing Power of Grief

In abandoning public expressions of grief, we lose opportunities to heal and grow as a community. I remember the first time I stepped up to a door that had a white slip of paper posted to it. The characters were incomprehensible to me, but my Japanese companion quickly explained that… Continue reading

When Words Fail, Hope Lives

Woman gazing at a sunset on a mountain.

I always thought my mom would be at my wedding and my college graduation, that she would be at the hospital when I had my first child. How could my life continue without her in it? Since my mom passed away just over two years ago, I have attempted many… Continue reading

Finding Healing from the Pain of Suicide

Woman staring at the ocean

I learned that being left behind by suicide is difficult and painful—but there is hope. Grief is like the tide: vast, unfathomable, and alternately crashing on the beach or pulling away into the sea. Often without warning, those grieving are fine one moment and broken the next. The morning I… Continue reading