I’m so pleased to introduce you to my new friend Pat Elsberry.  Her beautiful daughter Melanie died from an accidental drug overdose in February of 2020, after years of battling substance use disorder.  In today’s episode, Pat shares the struggles she and Melanie walked through together, and about the day she received a phone call from a police detective informing her that her worst nightmare had come true.  Be sure to come back next week as we discuss the brokenness she experienced after Melanie’s homegoing and how she has found hope, even in the midst of heartbreak.Pat is a blogger and author of the book “Beautifully Broken – Finding Hope During Loss”, and she also writes for an organization called “Wisdom Hunters”.  She has a new book coming out this month called “Comforted by God,” which is a 100-day devotional for those who are grieving. Click HERE to visit Pat's website where you can read her blog, get a copy of her book, and be notified when her new devotional comes out! Click HERE for more information about the Our Hearts Are Home conference coming up October 10-11, 2024, in Indianapolis.   I would love to hear your thoughts on the show. Click here to send me a message!** IMPORTANT** - All views expressed by guests on this podcast are theirs alone, and may not represent the Statement of Faith and Statement of Beliefs of the While We're Waiting ministry. We'd love for you to connect with us here at While We're Waiting! Click HERE to visit our website and learn about our free While We're Waiting Weekends for bereaved parentsClick HERE to learn more about our network of While We're Waiting support groups all across the country. Click HERE to subscribe to our YouTube channelClick HERE to follow our public Facebook pageClick HERE to follow us on Instagram Click HERE to follow us on Twitter Click HERE to make a tax-deductible donation to the While We're Waiting ministryContact Jill by email at: jill@whilewerewaiting.org

Hannah and I were good shopping buddies ... the last year or so that we shopped together, she really took it upon herself to move her mom out of the '80's.  She enjoyed critiquing the outfits I tried on and giving me fashion advice.  I loved it.  One of her favorite shows was "What Not To Wear" (after American Idol, of course!) and she always laughingly talked about submitting my name to Clinton and Stacey.  I apparently needed more help than even she could give me!  I sure miss those days.  Thank you for joining me for another bonus episode of the While We're Waiting podcast in this year-long series in which I share our family’s experiences as our teenage daughter Hannah battled glioblastoma brain cancer from February 2008 through February 2009.  My desire is to process through the events of those twelve months with the perspective that 16 years has brought … and point listeners to hope in Jesus along the way.I would love to hear your thoughts on the show. Click here to send me a message!** IMPORTANT** - All views expressed by guests on this podcast are theirs alone, and may not represent the Statement of Faith and Statement of Beliefs of the While We're Waiting ministry. We'd love for you to connect with us here at While We're Waiting! Click HERE to visit our website and learn about our free While We're Waiting Weekends for bereaved parentsClick HERE to learn more about our network of While We're Waiting support groups all across the country. Click HERE to subscribe to our YouTube channelClick HERE to follow our public Facebook pageClick HERE to follow us on Instagram Click HERE to follow us on Twitter Click HERE to make a tax-deductible donation to the While We're Waiting ministryContact Jill by email at: jill@whilewerewaiting.org

Welcome to the third and final installment of my conversation with Janet Boxx!  If you’ve missed the last two episodes, you’ll want to go back and listen to hear the story of her son Cole, who was stillborn in 1992, and the story of her daughters Bethany and Katie, who were killed in a violent car collision in 2013.  Today Janet shares more of the wisdom she’s gained through her wrestle with grief over the past 32 years, and I believe you’ll be blessed by listening in.  Click HERE to find "Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy" by Mark Vroegop on Amazon.  Here is the full text of the poem referred to in this episode:  He Maketh No Mistakeby A. M. OvertonMy Father's way may twist and turn,My heart may throb and ache,But in my soul I'm glad I know,He maketh no mistake.My cherished plans may go astray,My hopes may fade away,But still I'll trust my Lord to leadFor He doth know the way.Though night be dark and it may seemThat day will never break;I'll pin my faith, my all in Him,He maketh no mistake.There's so much now I cannot see,My eyesight's far too dim;But come what may, I'll simply trustAnd leave it all to Him.For by and by the mist will liftAnd plain it all He'll make,Through all the way, though dark to me,He made not one mistake.I would love to hear your thoughts on the show. Click here to send me a message!** IMPORTANT** - All views expressed by guests on this podcast are theirs alone, and may not represent the Statement of Faith and Statement of Beliefs of the While We're Waiting ministry. We'd love for you to connect with us here at While We're Waiting! Click HERE to visit our website and learn about our free While We're Waiting Weekends for bereaved parentsClick HERE to learn more about our network of While We're Waiting support groups all across the country. Click HERE to subscribe to our YouTube channelClick HERE to follow our public Facebook pageClick HERE to follow us on Instagram Click HERE to follow us on Twitter Click HERE to make a tax-deductible donation to the While We're Waiting ministryContact Jill by email at: jill@whilewerewaiting.org

Six months.  Half a year.  That's how much time had passed since Hannah's brain surgery.  It had been a trying six months, to be sure ... but by this point cancer had subtly slipped into the background of our daily lives.  After the initial flurry of radiation treatments and clinic visits, things had settled into a surprisingly comfortable routine.  It's still amazing to me how quickly we had adjusted to the lifestyle, the vocabulary, and the ongoing monitoring of the cancer experience.We had been told that she would be receiving chemotherapy treatments for a year, so it was a good feeling to know that we were at the half-way point.  We didn't know at the time that we actually were at the half-way point of Hannah's journey ... just in a different way than we thought.Thank you for joining me for another bonus episode of the While We're Waiting podcast in this year-long series in which I share our family’s experiences as our teenage daughter Hannah battled glioblastoma brain cancer from February 2008 through February 2009.  My desire is to process through the events of those twelve months with the perspective that 16 years has brought … and point listeners to hope in Jesus along the way.I would love to hear your thoughts on the show. Click here to send me a message!** IMPORTANT** - All views expressed by guests on this podcast are theirs alone, and may not represent the Statement of Faith and Statement of Beliefs of the While We're Waiting ministry. We'd love for you to connect with us here at While We're Waiting! Click HERE to visit our website and learn about our free While We're Waiting Weekends for bereaved parentsClick HERE to learn more about our network of While We're Waiting support groups all across the country. Click HERE to subscribe to our YouTube channelClick HERE to follow our public Facebook pageClick HERE to follow us on Instagram Click HERE to follow us on Twitter Click HERE to make a tax-deductible donation to the While We're Waiting ministryContact Jill by email at: jill@whilewerewaiting.org

Today's episode features a continuation of my conversation with Janet Boxx.  Last week, Janet shared about the loss of her son Cole to stillbirth and introduced us to her three daughters, Bethany, Gracen, and Katie.  As we pick up the story today, she talks about the violent collision that took place the day after Christmas in 2013, which resulted in the deaths of two of her daughters, and the challenge of wrestling through the grief that followed.  Click HERE to connect with Janet's Blog, "Boxx Banter".I would love to hear your thoughts on the show. Click here to send me a message!** IMPORTANT** - All views expressed by guests on this podcast are theirs alone, and may not represent the Statement of Faith and Statement of Beliefs of the While We're Waiting ministry. We'd love for you to connect with us here at While We're Waiting! Click HERE to visit our website and learn about our free While We're Waiting Weekends for bereaved parentsClick HERE to learn more about our network of While We're Waiting support groups all across the country. Click HERE to subscribe to our YouTube channelClick HERE to follow our public Facebook pageClick HERE to follow us on Instagram Click HERE to follow us on Twitter Click HERE to make a tax-deductible donation to the While We're Waiting ministryContact Jill by email at: jill@whilewerewaiting.org

I wish I had a "first day of school" picture for the beginning of Hannah's junior year and Bethany's eighth-grade year.  But at this point in her cancer treatments, Hannah really did not like having her photograph taken.  Her hair was still thin from the radiation rays and she was a little self-conscious about that.  I respected her wishes and did not take one.  In fact, we have only a handful of photographs of her from that entire year of her battle, and I truly wish we had more.In Hannah's small high school, class elections were held on the first day of the school year.  She came home that day a little bit bummed ... not because she didn't win an election, but because she didn't win two elections!  She was voted student council president ... but was just the vice president of her junior class.  Other than that minor disappointment, she was very pleased with her schedule, her classes, and her teachers.  We really couldn't predict the impact her treatments might have on her day-to-day schedule, but she was ready to tackle whatever lay ahead.  School year 2008-2009 was underway!Thank you for joining me for another bonus episode of the While We're Waiting podcast in this year-long series in which I share our family’s experiences as our teenage daughter Hannah battled glioblastoma brain cancer from February 2008 through February 2009.  My desire is to process through the events of those twelve months with the perspective that 16 years has brought … and point listeners to hope in Jesus along the way.I would love to hear your thoughts on the show. Click here to send me a message!** IMPORTANT** - All views expressed by guests on this podcast are theirs alone, and may not represent the Statement of Faith and Statement of Beliefs of the While We're Waiting ministry. We'd love for you to connect with us here at While We're Waiting! Click HERE to visit our website and learn about our free While We're Waiting Weekends for bereaved parentsClick HERE to learn more about our network of While We're Waiting support groups all across the country. Click HERE to subscribe to our YouTube channelClick HERE to follow our public Facebook pageClick HERE to follow us on Instagram Click HERE to follow us on Twitter Click HERE to make a tax-deductible donation to the While We're Waiting ministryContact Jill by email at: jill@whilewerewaiting.org

Janet Boxx has been a friend of mine for almost nine years now, and she has been a consistent source of encouragement in my life.  She has experienced the loss of three of her four children, and she will be my guest over the next three episodes as she shares their stories with us and discusses how God has walked with her as she’s wrestled through the unimaginable.  In today’s episode, we primarily focus on the loss of her son Cole when he was stillborn 32 years ago.  We will also get to know her daughters Bethany, Gracen, and Katie and learn about the genetic condition with which two of them have been diagnosed.  I believe you’ll be blessed by listening in. I would love to hear your thoughts on the show. Click here to send me a message!** IMPORTANT** - All views expressed by guests on this podcast are theirs alone, and may not represent the Statement of Faith and Statement of Beliefs of the While We're Waiting ministry. We'd love for you to connect with us here at While We're Waiting! Click HERE to visit our website and learn about our free While We're Waiting Weekends for bereaved parentsClick HERE to learn more about our network of While We're Waiting support groups all across the country. Click HERE to subscribe to our YouTube channelClick HERE to follow our public Facebook pageClick HERE to follow us on Instagram Click HERE to follow us on Twitter Click HERE to make a tax-deductible donation to the While We're Waiting ministryContact Jill by email at: jill@whilewerewaiting.org

In the fall of 2008, Hannah was ready to get the new school year underway.  She would be a junior this year, and was anxious to get it behind her so she could start her senior year, graduate (as valedictorian, of course!) and go on to Ouachita Baptist University the next fall.  Brain cancer was just a blip on the screen of her life at this point. She had so much to look forward to!  As we are in the middle of back-to-school time in Arkansas and around the country, I want to share a word of encouragement to those parents whose children are marking milestones ... starting kindergarten, beginning junior high, entering their senior year of high school, or maybe going off to college for the first time.  Let me encourage you to rejoice and celebrate each of these milestones with your children.  Please don't waste precious time being sad that your children are growing up ... That is what children are supposed to do!  Those are things to celebrate, not to mourn.  Allow me to gently and lovingly encourage you to be thankful that your children are healthy with bright futures ahead of them. Take time to savor every moment and celebrate every milestone!Thank you for joining me for another bonus episode of the While We're Waiting podcast in this year-long series in which I share our family’s experiences as our teenage daughter Hannah battled glioblastoma brain cancer from February 2008 through February 2009.  My desire is to process through the events of those twelve months with the perspective that 16 years has brought … and point listeners to hope in Jesus along the way.I would love to hear your thoughts on the show. Click here to send me a message!** IMPORTANT** - All views expressed by guests on this podcast are theirs alone, and may not represent the Statement of Faith and Statement of Beliefs of the While We're Waiting ministry. We'd love for you to connect with us here at While We're Waiting! Click HERE to visit our website and learn about our free While We're Waiting Weekends for bereaved parentsClick HERE to learn more about our network of While We're Waiting support groups all across the country. Click HERE to subscribe to our YouTube channelClick HERE to follow our public Facebook pageClick HERE to follow us on Instagram Click HERE to follow us on Twitter Click HERE to make a tax-deductible donation to the While We're Waiting ministryContact Jill by email at: jill@whilewerewaiting.org

Today's episode is a continuation of my conversation with Daniel’s parents, Jim and Patty Polk.  As a pastor, Jim brings a unique perspective to our discussion, and as we begin this episode, he is addressing the re-examination of his faith that resulted from Daniel’s sudden and unexpected death.  From there, we move on to discuss biblical lament, how grief evolves over time, and advice for newly-bereaved parents.  I believe you'll be encouraged by listening in.     I would love to hear your thoughts on the show. Click here to send me a message!** IMPORTANT** - All views expressed by guests on this podcast are theirs alone, and may not represent the Statement of Faith and Statement of Beliefs of the While We're Waiting ministry. We'd love for you to connect with us here at While We're Waiting! Click HERE to visit our website and learn about our free While We're Waiting Weekends for bereaved parentsClick HERE to learn more about our network of While We're Waiting support groups all across the country. Click HERE to subscribe to our YouTube channelClick HERE to follow our public Facebook pageClick HERE to follow us on Instagram Click HERE to follow us on Twitter Click HERE to make a tax-deductible donation to the While We're Waiting ministryContact Jill by email at: jill@whilewerewaiting.org

The beginning of August 2008 brought a flurry of back-to-school activity.  Hannah was excited about beginning her junior year of high school, getting her cancer treatments behind her, and moving forward with life in general.  Things seemed to be moving along just as they should be with her treatment protocol, and we were savoring every moment we had with our girls.  Thank you for joining me for another bonus episode of the While We're Waiting podcast in this year-long series in which I share our family’s experiences as our teenage daughter Hannah battled glioblastoma brain cancer from February 2008 through February 2009.  My desire is to process through the events of those twelve months with the perspective that 16 years has brought … and point listeners to hope in Jesus along the way.I would love to hear your thoughts on the show. Click here to send me a message!** IMPORTANT** - All views expressed by guests on this podcast are theirs alone, and may not represent the Statement of Faith and Statement of Beliefs of the While We're Waiting ministry. We'd love for you to connect with us here at While We're Waiting! Click HERE to visit our website and learn about our free While We're Waiting Weekends for bereaved parentsClick HERE to learn more about our network of While We're Waiting support groups all across the country. Click HERE to subscribe to our YouTube channelClick HERE to follow our public Facebook pageClick HERE to follow us on Instagram Click HERE to follow us on Twitter Click HERE to make a tax-deductible donation to the While We're Waiting ministryContact Jill by email at: jill@whilewerewaiting.org