FEBRUARY Mini-Series: Roots of New Strength

🌱 The Courage to Love Again

Finding Joy Without Forgetting After Loss

“There is a time to weep and a time to laugh… a time to mourn and a time to dance.” — Ecclesiastes 3:4

Love does not disappear. It changes shape and stays with us.

😨 Fear After Loss

As a child of loss when I was 8 years old, I found myself afraid of many things. I was afraid I would also lose my mom. What would we do as orphans if she was gone, too? I had never imagined we would lose one of our parents!

I worried so much about my mom. I knew she was heartbroken and had 5 children to raise, but she would also have to get a job to support all of us. What would we do without her at home?

I knew our lives would change when we decided to move from the farm. But I didn’t realize we would not be able to take our horses or some of the other animals that would eventually be sold when we had a farm sale. We also had to change schools from our small country school to the town school. That meant leaving some friends.

We lived with extended family for the summer the year Daddy died in May. While our relatives were gracious, loving, and took such good care of us, it was hard living apart from each other. One aunt and uncle took my brothers, another aunt and uncle took me and my sisters, and my grandparents took care of my mom. We did eat some meals together with all of us, but it wasn’t the same. I’m sure they found difficulty in always having extra mouths to feed and extra kids to keep track of during those months. It was a very difficult time for all of us.

Those were just a few things I worried about. Surprisingly, it felt wrong to laugh over those months. Would laughing or even smiling seem like I was forgetting what happened to my daddy? Of course, that love for him would never end, and the grief was overwhelming on many days. But when we did laugh, I didn’t realize that my heart could hold sadness and joy at the same time. That love does not end when someone is gone.

Love does not replace — it continues.

🌱 Continuing Bonds — Love Still Lives

We do not “move on” from love; we carry it forward.

Being so connected with my extended family was probably the ideal in all of the chaos of loss. Living in and near the same town, we felt welcome in their homes and were able to share lots of memories about Daddy with them. We all knew each other so well. We also had double cousins - our mothers were sisters and our dads were brothers, so brothers married sisters; therefore, we also had common grandparents with one set of relatives. My one uncle had lost his one and only brother, so his loss was very deep as well. He and Daddy were so much alike in that they both were loving, caring men; they both loved singing and making up tunes (I’m convinced they made up some of those crazy tunes); and they both deeply loved each other and their families.

It was important to remember in order to keep our deep connections alive. I was sometimes afraid to talk about Daddy too much, because I knew how much my mom was grieving, but later I learned that talking about the loss of a loved one is healthy. That love for someone becomes a huge part of who we are. Memories, stories, and traditions keep those bonds strong.

“Love never fails.” — 1 Corinthians 13:8

💛 The Courage to Feel Joy Again

Joy is not betrayal; it is healing.

Once again, laughter does not mean forgetting your loved one. Joy and sadness CAN and MUST live together. God gives us this joy as part of our healing from grief. While it doesn’t and won’t happen overnight, God gives us time to work through our grief in whatever way we need to. Sometimes that involves anger, denial, depression, and more.

I don’t actually remember a lot about those early years after losing my daddy. I don’t remember if I was sad most of the time or if I kept busy with my cousin and playing. I’m sure there was joy in playing with my cousin and others at those times, but I knew grief crept in as well, and that was when it took real courage to open my heart again.

It took normalcy once we got into a new home and school with routines that brought us back to a life that gave us permission to move forward. Of course, we will never forget my daddy and the wonderful memories he left with us. It has been 54 years since I lost Daddy. Believe it or not, sometimes it seems like yesterday that it happened. But life does go on, whether we are prepared or not.

The sun comes up each day.

“Weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” — Psalm 30:5

🌿 Love Grows — It Is Not Replaced

New love does not erase old love.

Hearts can grow bigger. The love we once felt for the loved one is not replaced by anyone or anything else. New relationships do not replace past ones. In fact, our love can actually multiply, not subtract.

If we are in Christ, and we have a loving, growing relationship with Him (not “religion”), He will teach us how to keep loving and growing that love. I’m not specifically talking about a situation where a parent gets remarried and one has a stepparent. I’m talking about love for others due to God’s love for us.

When we experience God’s love for us through trials and joys, we know that He commands us to love each other as well. He promises never to leave or forsake us, and we are to model His promises to us by treating others the same, whether it’s easy or not.

“Above all, love each other deeply.” — 1 Peter 4:8

✨ God Holds All Our Love

God keeps our love safe — past, present, and future. When Jesus came to earth as a baby, it wasn’t just for show as to what God could do. Jesus had a purpose for coming to earth, which was to take our place and save us from sin. If we accept this in faith, we can expect eternity in heaven.

Yes, God understands our grief. He is the creator and perfect example of love. God comforts and restores joy. Laughter is good for us; it helps us move forward. That is because God restores joy. He helps us through the storms. He heals hearts and helps us feel safe to love again. Good memories are His gift to us. They are precious. And we are never alone in our loving and remembering.

One of my most precious memories is when my daddy would grow a beard in the winter time and would come and rub it against our faces, making us laugh and giggle. I miss those times. I miss the way he spent time with each one of us kids, making us feel special. He showed his love to our mom in the sweetest ways. He had fun in life. But he also loved the Lord and made that clear in the way he lived.

“The Lord will comfort His people.” — Isaiah 49:13

🌸 Bringing It Together — Love Continues

Thank goodness, love does not disappear. And those times we feel joyful do not mean we are forgetting those loved ones we have lost. God gave them to us for a time to love and enjoy. His
courage helps our hearts open again. We continue and make new relationships with others, hopefully to share love with them through the name of Jesus Christ. Those continuing bonds help our Christian roots grow deeper, and we are there to help others move forward.

We do not leave love behind. We carry it forward.

💛 Simple Reflection for Children (Ages 4–10)

• Can your heart feel happy and sad at the same time?

• What is something you remember about the person you love?

• When was the last time you smiled and felt warm inside?

• Who helps you feel love today?

• When do you feel God comforting your heart?

🎨 Drawing / Activity Idea

“Love Stays With Me”

Invite a child to draw a heart with roots or a memory tree.

Inside or on branches, write (or draw):

• A loved one’s name

• Happy memory

• Something they loved doing together

• A symbol of love (heart, light, hug, etc.)

Love stays in your heart, even as your heart grows.

Love stretches us. It teaches us that our hearts were created with more capacity than we ever imagined. When we trust God with our grief, He does not shrink our hearts; He enlarges them. He makes room for memory and new mercy. For tears and laughter. For what was and what will be.

Next week, we will start looking at how courage helps new life begin to bloom, even after loss. In the meantime,...

“Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.” — Psalm 31:24

🌟 Available NOW

MUST READ: Even the Ashes Bloom by Sarah S. Brown

Here is my review of my most recent read:

Even the Ashes Bloom is a beautiful story about the author's life and trials and how she was (and is) able to overcome them with God's help. Everyone can relate to this story, because everyone has experienced trials that have brought them to brokenness at some point. However, Sarah Brown shows how brokenness brought her from ashes to BLOOMing -- an acronym that teaches the reader to B (Believe it), believing God's presence is with you throughout your life; L (Linger), lingering in His promises in Scripture, such as Psalm 34:18; O (Observe), reflecting on life's trials and how they have made you who you are and how your relationship is with God; O (Offer Prayer), through Psalm 51:17, asking God to turn your brokenness into an example of His glory; and M (Magnify), using your testimony to show how God has helped you as you work through your brokenness. This book is honest, relatable, and a great resource for working through trials.

Order here: https://a.co/d/9OHkPOe

🎉 🎉 Join My Launch Team — Be Part of Something Hope-Filled

This spring, as my picture book, And the Sun Came Up: A True Story of Grief and Hope, is released into the world, I am inviting a special group of readers to be part of the Launch Team. An accompanying hope activity journal, Sunlight for the Soul: A Hope Journal for Kids Walking Through Sadness (ages 4-10), will also be available!

If you have a heart for children walking through grief…
If you believe in helping families grow stronger through faith…
If you would love behind-the-scenes updates, early access to the book, special giveaways, and encouragement along the way…

I would be honored to have you join us.

Launch team members will:
✨ Receive early updates and exclusive content
✨ Help share hope with families who need it most
✨ Be entered into special giveaways
✨ Play a meaningful role in bringing this message to children

More details are coming soon. I would love for you to be part of this hope-filled journey.

Stay tuned, and begin praying now about joining us. 😀

📚 More Hope-Filled Resources, Just for You

Check out my website 🖥️ at https://marygracejohnsonauthor.com and download the “Seven Affirmations of Hope” for free.

📔 I also have two collaborative books available on Amazon:
Hope for the Holidays: Stories and Traditions for a Peaceful Season (2024) and the new 365-day devotional, A Year of Hope (2025).