This weeks episode is sacred and I feel so grateful to be able to share it with you. Mandy Ashton tells her story of her first son, Levi, who died shortly after he was born.
His life on earth was short, but the lessons and experiences Mandy and her family had with him will last forever – lessons that she shares with all of us in this weeks episode.
“I think we are meant to weep.” – Mandy Ashton
When it comes to dealing with grief after the death of a child, Mandy shares these wise words:
“Moving on too fast isn’t helpful. Trying to avoid the loss, the grief, and the missing just made it worse. Somewhere I got the idea that if I was too sad it meant I didn’t have faith in Jesus Christ to connect our family again – which is so not true. The more I read in the scriptures, I see that Jesus cried too. We are meant to weep and to miss those around us. It forms our bonds deeper. I’ve learned to be okay with all of my emotions and there is a place for them in a way that is healthy and good.”
If you know someone going through a period of struggle and grief, it can be so hard to know what to do or say.
“Service can be a lot simpler than we imagine.” – Mandy Ashton
So often we default to not doing anything to help someone if we can’t do some big grand gesture of help or support. But there is a lot of in between options – words and pictures and texts that can stay with people for a long time. For Mandy, someone stopping by to hear her story or give a gift with the words, “Because I know you’re struggling,” was deeply felt and has stayed with her for a long time.
What is something simple you could do for someone going through a hard time?
For Mandy’s story and more thoughts about how to give and receive help during hard times, check out this weeks episode.
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From the Episode
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