From Grief to Hope

Walking Forward Together

🌱 When Grief Feels Heavy

When do you feel grief? Is it when you lose a loved one? Or do you find that grief can strike amidst other events in your life? I used to think grief was something that just followed a death, but I have learned that we feel grief over a huge number of things, such as the loss of a job, a change in seasons of life, unfulfilled expectations, or over so many other trials in this life. Grief can be confusing, ongoing, and is different for everyone.

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I cry easily, so it doesn’t take much to bring tears to my eyes, whether I’m feeling grief or sentimentality or even happiness. Have you ever seen the Amazon commercial with the three elderly ladies sledding down the hill, remembering their childhood with joy? Oh my goodness, the first time I saw that, I had tears because I am now considered a senior citizen. I may seem emotional, but it never fails to bring out those tears. Is that grief? For me, yes. I was grieving a season of life that is now past. Grief and gratitude exist together many times. While it may not be as deep and heavy as the grief one feels after a death, it is still grief.

There is also the deep, gut-wrenching grief that puts you on your knees. That’s what I felt about my daddy when I lost him, and sometimes I still feel that as if it had just happened. I’ve also watched both of my sisters go through cancer, and my oldest sister passed away at the age of 51 after fighting it for 6 years. I’ve been at the bedside of several loved ones who have died. It’s never easy, even when it’s peaceful. It’s a heavy, heavy weight to feel.

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

💛 You Don’t Have to Walk Alone

In my children’s book, I wrote about my extended family, church community, and small town community being there for us when my daddy died. Small towns generally form a tight sense of community because everyone knows everyone else. And it doesn’t hurt to have your entire extended family in the same town. That’s the way it was for me. But many people don’t have that closeness, so loneliness in grief can be a big issue. Many didn’t grow up with faith or a relationship with God and know that they could lean on Him during the worst times. I may not have had a counselor or a grief group, but I had family and community.

In today’s world, however, helpers are available in a number of additional places. There are counselors, psychologists, psychiatrists, grief groups, and faith-based associates as well. Children, especially, need safe adults they can talk to and who can be present with them during difficult times.

In other words, being there matters more than saying the perfect thing.

🗣️ Simple Ways to Support a Child (or Yourself)

What can we do to help children in grief? What does this look like in real life? There are some things that anyone can do to help children.

• Talk openly with them (at their level).

• Listen to their words without correcting their feelings.

• Allow their questions, even when they repeat them.

• Be honest, but gentle.

When children are up to talking, give them your full attention. If you are busy doing other activities while they talk, they are not going to feel like they are being heard, and you may miss important things, even facial expressions and body language. It isn’t right to negate their feelings, either, because what they feel is true to them. Instead, give them time to talk it out. Be honest with them about what actually is true, but talk to them in a kind way. What they are going through is extremely difficult. If you don’t know what to say, I find that just showing up, being honest, and letting the child know they are not alone, are the best things to do.

🎨 Helping Children Express Big Feelings

When I wrote my children’s book, I also decided to create a journal to help a child move from grief to hope. While this process is different in length for everyone, there are activities that can aid in moving the child forward. Some of the things I included in my hope journal, Sunlight for the Soul (available on Amazon) are drawing, journaling, games, talking points (with an adult), and coloring pages. Another activity that might help in processing grief is music. It’s not just the lyrics or sound of music that work in us; music affects our entire brain, influencing our moods, our stress, and more. As Maya Angelou once said, “Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness.” We can hide in music, but we can also let our thoughts, feelings, and voices praise the Lord.

Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. — Psalm 62:8

🌿 Small Signs of Healing

Look for those small signs of moving forward. Let children know it’s okay to smile again. They can enjoy playing with friends, talking about memories of their loved one, and asking questions. It’s not like there will be one specific day where suddenly everyone is okay — back to normal. Instead, these small signs of growth may happen one day, while the next day is a tough one.

Notice progress, not perfection. God works slowly and gently in our lives as we are ready for it.

🙏 Anchoring in Faith

Here are two Scripture references that help us remember God’s promises and that His presence is with us through all our days, good or bad.

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. – Isaiah 41:10

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. – Romans 15:13

✨ Moving Forward With Hope

In grief, we do not just “move on,” but we can move forward. Through time, counseling, help from friends and family, and other methods, we can watch hope grow gradually. As the song says, “God is still writing your story.”

Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. – Philippians 1:6

💬 Reflection Question

For adults:
What is one small way you can offer comfort—to yourself or to someone else—today?

For children:
Who helps you feel safe when you are sad?

✏️ Activity

“Hands of Help” 🤲

• Trace your hand on a piece of paper.

• On each finger, write or draw one way someone can help when you feel sad
  (examples: hug, talk, pray, sit together, draw)

• In the center of the hand, write: “I am not alone.”

👉 Talk together: God often shows His love through the people who care for us.

🙏 Breath Prayer

Inhale: Lord, help me today.
Exhale: I am not alone.

🌿 Closing Hope

You don’t have to have all the answers today. Just take one small step forward. Even in the hardest moments, help is near through God’s presence and the people He places around you.

🌷 Be Part of Something Hope-Filled

I would like to give a special THANK YOU to my book launch team for getting the word out about And the Sun Came Up! It is appreciated more than you know.

Everyone knows a child who has gone through loss or an adult who has never dealt with the loss of a loved one. On May 12, And the Sun Came Up: A True Story of Grief and Hope was released into the world, and I am inviting YOU to read it or share it with someone you know who could benefit from it.

• If you have a heart for children walking through grief…

• If you believe in helping families grow stronger through faith…

• If you know an adult who struggles to get through a loss from early in life…

✨ I would be honored for you to share this book.

By doing this, you will:

• ✨ Help share hope with families who need it most

• ✨ Play a meaningful role in bringing this message to children

• ✨ Promote a faith-based outlook on the grief we all deal with at some point in life

Children walking through grief need hope, and you can help place it in their hands. There is also a companion hope journal available through Amazon only that goes with the book to help children write, draw, talk, and hear stories that relate to moving from grief to hope. It is called Sunlight for the Soul: A Hope Journal for Kids Walking Through Sadness.

🌿 I would love for you to be part of this hope-filled journey. After reading it, if you would share on social media or write a review on Amazon, Goodreads, and other platforms, it would encourage others to get this book to children who need the hope it gives. Just a few sentences about your thoughts on the book(s) would be helpful, and you can share the same review on multiple sites.

Following are some links where you can order my book.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Mary%20Grace%20Johnson… (book and journal)

Publisher: https://www.hopebooksstore.com/.../and-the-sun-came-up-a...

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/.../And%20the%20Sun%20Came...

Walmart: https://www.walmart.com/search?q=And+the+Sun+Came+Up+book

Books-a-Million: https://www.booksamillion.com/.../Mary.../9798891852730

Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/p/books/and-the-sun-came-up-a-true-story-of-grief-and-hope/d74dd3781808266d?ean=9798891852730&next=t