A Mother’s Story Of Grief, Depression, and Hope After Her Son’s Suicide with Anne Starke, David’s Mom

Cultivating a Grief Garden with Ron & Nan Deal, Connor’s parents

A sudden illness can take a child in days, but the grief can echo for decades and it changes far more than most people realize. I’m joined by Ron and Nan Deal as they share the story of losing their 12-year-old son, Connor, and what 17 years of child loss grief has taught them about love, memory, triggers, and the hard work of continuing to live. We talk about a mom’s experience of loss, including the moment Nan describes leaving the hospital and feeling like she’s losing part of herself. We also get painfully practical about grief triggers, why “sweet without bitter” becomes a normal tension, and how grief intensity can shift over time without ever fully ending. If you’re a bereaved parent, or you love someone who is, you’ll hear language that makes the invisible parts of grief easier to name. Then we go straight at marriage after the death of a child: the scary divorce statistic people repeat, what the actual research suggests, and how couples can protect their connection when one spouse needs words and the other needs quiet. We also discuss surviving siblings, fear and hypervigilance, and why honesty at home matters more than pretending to be strong. Ron and Nan share two memorable tools: protecting a “grief garden” with healthy boundaries, and “grieving between the rails” where sadness and hope run parallel, just like biblical lament. We end with the Scriptures they’ve clung to, including Proverbs 3:5–6 and the raw honesty of Psalm 22. I’ll include the Focus on the Family video link they reference in the episode notes. If this conversation helps you, subscribe, share it with someone who needs language for their pain, and leave a review so more grieving families can find it. Click the link below to view Ron and Nan’s Focus on the Family video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwC0xmKjccs [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwC0xmKjccs] Share any comments here [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2087691/fan_mail/new] *** Please take a minute to leave a review on Apple Podcasts if you enjoy this podcast by clicking the link below. By doing so you help increase our visibility and discoverability for others, and we value your feedback! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hope-after-child-sibling-loss-the-empty-chair-endeavor/id1654053256 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hope-after-child-sibling-loss-the-empty-chair-endeavor/id1654053256] You can contact us by email at: hope@emptychairendeavor.com [hope@emptychairendeavor.com] through our parent organization website: https://www.emptychairendeavor.com/ [https://www.emptychairendeavor.com/] Our Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theemptychairendeavor [https://www.facebook.com/groups/theemptychairendeavor] If you would like to share your story on an upcoming episode, please send us an email so that we can talk with you about it. Thank you for listening!

From Sudden Traumatic Loss To Restored Hope with Linda Stirling, Jeff’s Mom

One phone call can erase the world you thought you were living in. Greg Buffkin talks with Linda Stirling, president of Umbrella Ministries, about the sudden and unthinkable loss of her 19-year-old son, Jeff, who was killed in an airplane crash in the mountains of Idaho. Linda doesn’t sanitize the story. She names the shock, the scream, the days that don’t feel real, and the quiet moment after the memorial when everyone goes home and the true weight of child loss settles in. We also dig into what actually helps a grieving parent and what makes it worse. Linda shares why simple presence matters more than perfect words, why people often look away out of fear, and why saying their child’s name can feel like warmth on a cold day. If you’ve ever wondered what to say to someone who lost a child, this conversation offers practical do’s and don’ts grounded in real life, not theory, along with honest talk about guilt, regret, and the “shoulda, coulda, woulda” loop so many bereaved parents carry. Faith is woven through everything, not as a shortcut around pain, but as a lifeline in it. Linda describes how Psalm 23 became personal and daily, and how learning to walk with God looked different than simply believing. We close with hope you can act on: the power of community, taking the next small step, and finding support through Umbrella Ministries, including conferences, groups, and resources for grieving moms and couples. Learn more at https://umbrellaministries.org and for San Diego support at https://umbrellaministriessd.com. If this helped you, subscribe, share it with someone who’s hurting, and leave a review so more families can find hope. https://www.umbrellaministries.com/ [https://www.umbrellaministries.com/] https://janetteifonelife.wixsite.com/umbrellaministries/san-diego [https://janetteifonelife.wixsite.com/umbrellaministries/san-diego] Share any comments here [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2087691/fan_mail/new] *** Please take a minute to leave a review on Apple Podcasts if you enjoy this podcast by clicking the link below. By doing so you help increase our visibility and discoverability for others, and we value your feedback! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hope-after-child-sibling-loss-the-empty-chair-endeavor/id1654053256 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hope-after-child-sibling-loss-the-empty-chair-endeavor/id1654053256] You can contact us by email at: hope@emptychairendeavor.com [hope@emptychairendeavor.com] through our parent organization website: https://www.emptychairendeavor.com/ [https://www.emptychairendeavor.com/] Our Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theemptychairendeavor [https://www.facebook.com/groups/theemptychairendeavor] If you would like to share your story on an upcoming episode, please send us an email so that we can talk with you about it. Thank you for listening!

When “The Knock” Comes with Diane Grotberg, David’s Mom

A midnight knock can split your life in two. Diane Grotberg remembers the moment two sheriff’s deputies told her their 19-year-old son, David, was dead, and how the first thing she felt was that everything had changed forever. David was a Baylor University sophomore, a gifted musician and friend, and a young man whose faith and compassion had already shaped people far beyond his hometown in Minnesota. We walk through the hard truth of the hit-and-run that killed him and the long, grinding wait for justice, including the reality of delay, denial, and a trial that didn’t arrive until years later. Diane also shares what grief looks like when you still have kids at home, schedules to keep, and a mind that feels like it’s turned to fog. If you’ve experienced child loss, traumatic grief, or you love someone who has, you’ll recognize the private sobbing behind public “strength,” and the exhaustion that comes when the shock wears off. We also talk candidly about support and faith: what helped, what hurt, and why silence from church communities can feel like a second wound. Diane contrasts that with the people who showed up, including the Baylor community that honored David’s life, stayed connected, and made space for stories. You’ll hear simple, practical guidance for helping bereaved parents, plus grief resources like “Lament For A Son” and the search for hope that points beyond tragedy. If this conversation matters to you, please share it with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more grieving families can find real support. Share any comments here [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2087691/fan_mail/new] *** Please take a minute to leave a review on Apple Podcasts if you enjoy this podcast by clicking the link below. By doing so you help increase our visibility and discoverability for others, and we value your feedback! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hope-after-child-sibling-loss-the-empty-chair-endeavor/id1654053256 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hope-after-child-sibling-loss-the-empty-chair-endeavor/id1654053256] You can contact us by email at: hope@emptychairendeavor.com [hope@emptychairendeavor.com] through our parent organization website: https://www.emptychairendeavor.com/ [https://www.emptychairendeavor.com/] Our Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theemptychairendeavor [https://www.facebook.com/groups/theemptychairendeavor] If you would like to share your story on an upcoming episode, please send us an email so that we can talk with you about it. Thank you for listening!

When Your Darkest Loss Becomes Your Ministry, with Samantha Watson

Miscarriage can shatter your world in minutes, and sometimes it happens in a place you never expected. I sit down with Samantha Watson, a military wife and mom, as she tells the story of her 2015 pregnancy loss while stationed far from family and still building community. She shares the moment joy turned to grief, the trauma surrounding the miscarriage, and the faith in Jesus Christ that held her up when she had no strength left. We also talk about the part people rarely prepare you for: how others respond. Some want to help but freeze because they do not know what to say, while others unintentionally minimize early pregnancy loss. Samantha and I unpack why miscarriage grief is real, what “grief brain” feels like, and why “text me if you need anything” can be impossible for a grieving parent. You will hear practical ways to support someone after child loss, including simple acts like meals, childcare, and steady presence. Samantha explains the worship and Scripture habits that helped her survive those early days, including listening to the Bible when reading felt overwhelming. She also shares how she talked with her children about the loss using John 10:10, and how God later redeemed her pain into purpose. That purpose includes her new podcast, Simple Devotions for Children, created to help Christian moms and families build faith at home with easy, engaging devotionals. If this conversation helps you, share it with a friend who needs hope, and leave a rating or review so more grieving parents and supporters can find it. Share any comments here [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2087691/fan_mail/new] *** Please take a minute to leave a review on Apple Podcasts if you enjoy this podcast by clicking the link below. By doing so you help increase our visibility and discoverability for others, and we value your feedback! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hope-after-child-sibling-loss-the-empty-chair-endeavor/id1654053256 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hope-after-child-sibling-loss-the-empty-chair-endeavor/id1654053256] You can contact us by email at: hope@emptychairendeavor.com [hope@emptychairendeavor.com] through our parent organization website: https://www.emptychairendeavor.com/ [https://www.emptychairendeavor.com/] Our Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theemptychairendeavor [https://www.facebook.com/groups/theemptychairendeavor] If you would like to share your story on an upcoming episode, please send us an email so that we can talk with you about it. Thank you for listening!

Navigating Life After Suicide with Melissa & Todd Shaffer, Tristan’s Parents

A teen can look like he is just “being a teenager” while he is privately fighting for his life. We talk with Todd and Melissa Shaffer about the loss of their 18-year-old son, Tristan, to suicide after a long, confusing road that included isolation, anger, depression, and warning signs nobody around them could clearly name. Their story is honest about what it feels like to miss what you did not know how to see, and what happens to a family when clinical depression and suicide risk finally break into the open. We also dig into the complicated realities behind mental health diagnoses, including how OCD can fixate on a person, how bipolar symptoms can be overlooked, and why emergency rooms and short evaluations often fail families in crisis. From antidepressant warnings to the stigma that still lingers in our culture, we discuss the tension many Christian families feel between “spiritual bandaid”  advice and the need for counseling, specialists, and wise medical care. If you care about teen mental health, suicide prevention, or supporting bereaved parents, this conversation offers language and perspective you can carry into real life. Most of all, we talk about the grief journey after suicide loss and what actually helps: finding other parents who understand, living one day at a time, and learning to pray again when words disappear. Todd and Melissa share how Scripture, journaling, and the often-neglected practice of lament became lifelines, and how they now serve others through ministries like Christian Suicide Loss and Surviving Child Loss while building Sparrow Falls Ministry. Tune in for more conversations like this, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review with one thing you want the church to understand about mental health and grief. https://sparrowfalls.org/podcast/ [https://sparrowfalls.org/podcast/] Share any comments here [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2087691/fan_mail/new] *** Please take a minute to leave a review on Apple Podcasts if you enjoy this podcast by clicking the link below. By doing so you help increase our visibility and discoverability for others, and we value your feedback! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hope-after-child-sibling-loss-the-empty-chair-endeavor/id1654053256 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hope-after-child-sibling-loss-the-empty-chair-endeavor/id1654053256] You can contact us by email at: hope@emptychairendeavor.com [hope@emptychairendeavor.com] through our parent organization website: https://www.emptychairendeavor.com/ [https://www.emptychairendeavor.com/] Our Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theemptychairendeavor [https://www.facebook.com/groups/theemptychairendeavor] If you would like to share your story on an upcoming episode, please send us an email so that we can talk with you about it. Thank you for listening!