One of the most beautiful gifts we can give to others is our presence in their pain. Knowing you are not alone when you are walking through something hard is so important, especially when it involves the death of a spouse.
When you lose your teammate in life, it’s disorienting, overwhelming, and traumatic. Here to help us understand the difficult circumstances that arise from the passing of a spouse is my guest, Amy Graves Boyd.
Amy’s life took an unexpected turn in 2020 when she faced the loss of her first husband, Bryan. He passed away just three months after being diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. This was not the way life was supposed to go. During and after this dark season, Amy had to navigate not only her own pain, but also the pain of their children who lost their father at such a tender time.
As her family walked through the valley of the shadow of death, Amy experienced God’s tender embrace. Today, she’s passionate about sharing her story of faith, healing, and resilience.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
- How each family member mourns in different ways
- Practical ways to support someone through the loss of a spouse
- Helpful resources for anyone walking through a loss
- And more!
This conversation was so helpful in learning how to show love and encouragement to a dear friend who is walking through a loss today.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- Connect with Amy on Facebook
- Inheritance of Hope
- Never Alone Widows
- As a thank you for listening, get your 3 free eBooks.
My Key Takeaways:
1) Don’t wait to be asked for help. Especially if the loss is recent, many people won’t be able to assess or verbalize what they need. In most cases, people will wait far too long to ask for help, even when they really need it. Offering meals or gift cards is a great way to make the first move and meet practical needs that every family is sure to have.
2) Address what is overwhelming them. If you are wondering what someone needs help with, all you have to do is listen to what makes them feel overwhelmed or stressed. That could be taking a vehicle in for a much-needed repair, helping get kids to school, organizing Christmas gifts, doing yard work, or even filing taxes.
3) Set reminders to offer ongoing support. Just because time has passed doesn’t mean that the loss of a loved one isn’t still felt. Grief is a process, and different seasons will need extra support. One of the best ways to offer ongoing support is to set reminders around anniversaries, birthdays, or holidays that your loved one will now have to navigate alone. For instance, you could consider taking their children out before Mother’s Day or Father’s Day to help organize a gift for their parent.
About Amy:
Amy Graves Boyd’s life took an unexpected turn in 2020 when she faced the loss of her first husband, Bryan. He passed away just three months after being diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. She had to navigate not only her own pain, but the pain of their children who lost their father at such a tender time. Amy has experienced God’s tender embrace in the most heart-wrenching season of her life. She’s passionate about sharing her story of faith, healing, and resilience. Today, Amy and her family live in Columbus, Indiana, with her wonderful husband of one year, Sam. Together, they have learned to honor the past and celebrate the present with hope and gratitude.
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