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 …
Category: About Hallee
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.”
From the Mom of a Former Florida Public School Student
Almost 20 years ago, when our daughter Kaylee was in the first grade in a Florida public school, all of the classes in her school had a weekly class (mandated by the county) with the guidance counselor to discuss character traits. Every month focused on a different aspect of character. One month, the aspect was “respect.”
In the Wake of a Nightmare
I’ve never been one to remember my dreams. Most of the time, I don’t even realize I have dreamed. But the other night, I dreamed that one of my children died and it was so realistic and vivid that I was awake for about five minutes, still in this unbelievably deep state of mourning and …
You Aren’t An Impostor
Impostor syndrome is the name given to the feelings when a person doubts his or her accomplishments and has a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a “fraud”. No matter how much evidence there is to the contrary, people with imposter syndrome still can be filled with incredible self-doubt.