This image floored me. How could something as complex as the grief of having a child ripped away weeks before his 15th birthday be conveyed so astutely? We still live. We laugh. We experience. We enjoy. We plan. We teach. We minister. We love and are loved. And the entire time, there’s this giant abyss …
29 Good Years
Today is my husband Gregg’s last day in military uniform. He is finishing up his National Guard drill day and will take those boots off for the last time. He will officially retire from the United States Army on Tuesday. He’s been in for 29 years, has served in combat zones for 8 years – …
Keeping Your Marriage Strong After Tragic Loss
When Jeb was killed, Gregg and I heard over and over again that the statistic was super high for divorce after child death. Actually, it’s not that high. About 16% of marriages end in divorce after the death of a child, and only about 8% say it was because of the death. So, that’s good …
Our Christmas Letter
It is a season of Noël, a word that comes to us from the Latin verb nasci, meaning “to be born.” This season is a time when believers commemorate the birth of Christ our savior, Yeshua Hamashiach, who the Greeks called Jesus of Nazareth. It is a time of joy, which is a gift from God. It is a season of celebration that though we are wretched and unworthy, the Creator of the universe loved us enough to send His Son into the world to testify to the truth and redeem us.
Not Alone in the Fire
We recently went back to the Fort Knox area for the first time since our son Johnathan (Jeb)’s memorial service. We visited his Taekwondo Master (where he earned his black belt), visited his youth group leader, we stayed with friends whose children and our boys were good friends and spent hours and hours playing and …
For Good
In the months since Jeb’s death, I’ve heard several people tell me to hold fast to the promises of Romance 8:28. “For all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose.” I love God. I believe wholeheartedly that I am called according to his purpose. Gregg …
The Story of What Happened to Jeb
We have intentionally kept the details of what happened to our son Johnathan Eugene Bridgeman – “Jeb” – quiet because there was an active police investigation. We felt it was better to wait until everything was finalized. Gregg found out yesterday that the investigation is closed. I feel like it’s important to share, because there …
A Time of Lamentation
“Ma’am this is (I don’t remember) with the Winchester Police Department. Where is your son supposed to be?”
I answered, “He’s walking home from Walmart.”
The officer took a breath and said, “Ma’am, there’s been an incident and, if this is your son, I’m sorry to have to inform you, but he’s deceased.”
