Shows
SOLACE: Soul + GriefFinding Hope After LossSend us a textLoss can make the world feel smaller, but something larger than sorrow keeps breaking through: a steady love that refuses to leave. We open a gentle path through grief by walking the terrain of Lent and Easter—naming the desert honestly and listening for the first hints of dawn. Along the way, we draw on Rumi’s striking line about love and separation and on Romans 8:35, asking what it means to be held when everything else feels unsteady.Together we reflect on how Lent becomes less a ritual and more a refu...
2026-02-0609 minSOLACE: Soul + GriefMourning TogetherSend us a textSome losses hit the national bloodstream and leave us reeling. The impact ripples beyond family and friends to anyone who sees their own hopes reflected in that life. We sit with that shock and name what it does to trust, to community, and to our sense of moral ground. Rather than drowning in numbness, we slow down to ask what faithful, human grief looks like in public.We talk frankly about the sanctity of life and why no cause, no grievance, and no ideology justifies taking it. Wrestle with how to ho...
2026-01-3011 minSOLACE: Soul + GriefOrdinary Grief, Extraordinary LoveSend us a textThe bells are quiet, the colors turn to green, and the calendar says ordinary time—yet your heart still feels anything but ordinary. We lean into that tension and talk honestly about the everyday weight of grief: the way a scent can stop you in a doorway, how an empty chair can crowd a room, and why the ache itself can be a sign that love is alive and doing its work. With clear, gentle language, we name what so many feel but hesitate to say out loud.We explore how cu...
2026-01-2310 minSOLACE: Soul + GriefGrief Resolutions for the New YearSend us a textThe calendar turns, but grief doesn’t follow dates. We open this new year by laying out seven honest, compassionate resolutions for anyone carrying loss—practices that respect your pace, honor your person, and rebuild daily life without pretending the hurt is gone. From the first minutes, we name a core truth: this is your grief and only you can know what helps.Together we explore personal ritual as a lifeline—cooking a favorite meal, choosing a song, carving a quiet corner, or adopting visible symbols that speak without explanation. Beyond formal...
2026-01-1613 minSOLACE: Soul + GriefMourning The One Who Saw You BestSend us a textToday, my daughter-in-law, Rachel takes us through the intimate, complicated journey of losing her father to COVID and finding unexpected grace in hospice care. Along the way, Rachel names the ache of anticipatory grief, the way traditions become flashpoints, and how a single sentence from a nurse can rearrange your world.What sets this story apart is the quiet courage in the details. Rachel’s father, a man who prized his intellect, drifts in and out of lucidity while she becomes his advocate and historian, translating his life for overworked staff. Wh...
2026-01-0919 minSOLACE: Soul + GriefHope After LossSend us a textA nation’s grief can teach a child what silence looks like. With the Kennedy assassination as a first brush with public loss, we unpack how early experiences shape the way we mourn, speak, or go quiet when death enters the room. From the shock of seeing tragedy unfold on television to the private unsteadiness of waking beside a loved one who slipped away in the night, we explore how the manner of death changes the contours of grief without changing its weight.We talk about what gets lost when families do...
2026-01-0212 minSOLACE: Soul + GriefShakespeare Wrote His Grief So His Wife Could Hear ItSend us a textA mother’s cry, a father’s silence, and a play that turned private loss into words the world still leans on—we trace the tender line from Hamnet to Hamlet and what it reveals about how we grieve. We open with the film’s intimate portrait of marriage under strain, childbirth risk, and a family reshaped by the death of a son. From a boy’s heartbreaking plea to save his sister to a mother’s raw lament, the story refuses neat answers and invites us to feel the full weight of love.
2025-12-1910 minSOLACE: Soul + GriefAdvent, Grief, And The Waiting MiracleSend us a textWhat miracle are we waiting for when the holidays feel heavier than ever? We open the door to that question and follow it through Advent’s candles and into the honest landscape of grief—where tears, memory, and hope share the same table. Guided by Isaiah 55, we explore how God meets thirsty hearts with real nourishment, how love takes on flesh in fragile places, and how the Advent wreath holds darkness and light together without rushing us to feel better.The promise of scripture becomes more than poetry—it is a horizo...
2025-12-1211 minSOLACE: Soul + GriefADVENT Hope Grows When We Wait With GodSend us a textHoliday glitter can sting when the heart is tender, so we slow down and name what’s real: Advent and grief both teach us how to wait. Remember the courage it takes to admit our limits, the grace of beginning with Jesus, and the honest paradox of holding sorrow and joy in the same hands. And a hopeful way forward for anyone who feels out of sync with the season.We explore the tension between cultural pressure to “make it magical” and the gospel’s invitation to place our grief beside us and wa...
2025-12-0508 minSOLACE: Soul + GriefNo One Dies Alone Because God Shows UpSend us a textGrief doesn’t follow rules, and it rarely shows up quietly. We open a conversation about the last moments of life—what we witness in hospice rooms, what we fear in sudden or violent deaths, and the heavy shadow of suicide—and we offer an audacious hope: that God meets every soul at the threshold. Not as an abstract idea, but as a presence that brings a softening, a peace that settles over the body and face, a love that refuses to arrive late.From years of bedside chaplaincy, we share pattern...
2025-11-2108 minSOLACE: Soul + GriefAutumn, Grief, HopeSend us a textWe trace how fall’s shifts mirror grief, moving from the first sting of emptiness to practical safety steps, group support, and spiritual care. Poems by Paula Porter and a closing meditation widen hope, and we share ways to plan for the holidays with honesty and rest.• honoring the rawness of early grief and the image of autumn’s balance• fear named as part of grief and steps to face it• practical safety ideas for living alone and learning new tasks• asking friends and family to teach skills and share lo...
2025-11-1413 minSOLACE: Soul + GriefWhat Separation Teaches About LoveSend us a textWe trace Rachel’s caregiving through COVID barriers, hospital chaos, and a rare moment of blessing from her father, who tried to dance in a neck brace on the day he came home. Fear, advocacy, and dignity shape a story that turns separation into a deeper kind of love.• Rachel’s layered losses and why she chose to share• COVID-era separation and window visits with her father• the work of advocacy • comfort versus intervention that reframed caregivingPlease support us by subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, or Spotify. ...
2025-11-0719 minSOLACE: Soul + GriefSeeing Love Beyond DeathSend us a textWe explore grief’s gray spaces, where love does not disappear but changes form, and we practice seeing God’s presence in simple, daily ways. Thich Nhat Hanh’s cloud-to-rain teaching helps us notice our beloved in new forms while faith widens the heart that holds them.• grief as gray rather than black and white• shock, aftershocks, and anniversaries as normal rhythms• love as the other side of grief that endures• energy of love dispersing and widening beyond one person• Thich Nhat Hanh’s cloud and rain m...
2025-10-3112 minSOLACE: Soul + GriefGrief Has No Stages, But A PathSend us a textWe share a gentle guide to facing holidays and anniversaries after loss, with practical tools that reduce pressure and honor love. We explain why grief isn’t linear, how waves return, and how faith, ritual, and support help you endure and heal. (See: hospicefoundation.org)• choosing plans and rituals that fit your energy• communicating needs and setting expectations with family• compromising so different grief styles can coexist• understanding anticipatory grief and the dual process model• recognizing triggers and normalizing waves years later• seeking professional help when function does n...
2025-10-2413 minSOLACE: Soul + GriefGrieving A Family Pet With Grace And HonestySend us a textWe explore the raw, tender reality of losing a family pet and how everyday rituals make their absence feel vast. We unpack disenfranchised grief, memorials, and how surviving pets can mourn too.• why pet loss can feel as deep as any bereavement• daily bonds that make absence hit hard• urgent choices, and easing suffering• parenting while grieving and holding space for kids• coming home to an empty house and grief pangs• disenfranchised grief and finding safe listenersIf you have questions about spiritual direction while grievin...
2025-10-1714 minSOLACE: Soul + GriefLight, Power, and LoveSend us a textKeeping vigil, reflecting on the gap between a rich life and a plain death, and wondering how faith, science, and ritual help us hold loss without letting it define us. The dead may be invisible, but we explore how their presence can still affect us.• why stories of death need telling and retelling• readings on the nearness of the dead and what comfort means• the vigil: hospice, timelines, and private moments of farewell• different grief responses within a family• finding a language for dying after hospice work• humo...
2025-10-1023 minSOLACE: Soul + GriefBreeze Between WorldsSend us a textWe share Rachel’s story of layered loss during 2020 and how a simple breeze became a faithful sign that love endures. We explore last words, waves of grief, and practical rituals to feel presence without denying absence.• why naming love before goodbye brings peace• how grief arrives in waves and why that is normal• the role of nature and sensory cues in healing• continuing bonds as a healthy way to stay connected• building simple rituals to steady daily If you have questions about spiritual direction while grievin...
2025-10-0307 minSOLACE: Soul + GriefLove Conquers GriefSend us a textToday we explore a traditional Rosh Hashanah reading from 1 Samuel about Jonathan's loyal friendship with King David, and; extracts powerful lessons for those on a grief journey. The biblical story demonstrates how love transcends hatred, and ultimately has the healing power to mend our deepest wounds. Especially grief.• Examination of the biblical story of Jonathan protecting King David from King Saul• Love is greater than hate, physical harm, and can heal all wounds• Love, especially God's love, can accompany us through our grief journey• True and faithful love for God...
2025-09-2611 minSOLACE: Soul + GriefLetting Go: Grief and AttachmentSend us a textToday we explore how our attachments to physical objects transform during grief. Loss requires us to reconsider what we hold onto and why, as we weave grief into the fabric of our lives rather than trying to overcome it.• Grief isn't something to "get over" but something we integrate into our lives• Moving to a new home revealed how many things I was willing to let go• St. Ignatius teaches about "disordered attachments" that keep us from being closer to God• Examining our attachments can help us move forward...
2025-09-2013 minSOLACE: Soul + GriefGrief and Letting GoSend us a textGrief chaplain Candy Lucas explores how our attachments to objects mirror our journey through grief, sharing personal stories about moving houses and her father's cherished Mona Lisa painting. She reflects on how objects can both comfort us and sometimes hinder our healing, drawing connections between physical possessions and emotional attachments.• Loss is a universal human experience we all face if we are truly living• Some episodes in this podcast are for fresh grief while others are for those further along• Moving to a new house revealed surprising willingness to let go...
2025-09-1317 minSOLACE: Soul + GriefBreaking the Silence of GriefSend us a textWhen we're grieving, our culture of rugged individualism often tells us to face losses alone, but healing requires the presence of others. This episode explores why seeking support during grief isn't weakness but essential wisdom for moving forward.• Grief and loss are inevitable in life but nearly impossible to manage alone• Many avoid seeking help due to fear of appearing weak, being vulnerable, or being judged• Past experiences with grief can provide strength for facing present losses• Journal writing helps put grief on paper and bring emotions into focus
2025-09-1214 minSOLACE: Soul + GriefSpiritual Lifelines: God's CompanionshipSend us a textToday we explore how to walk with God during grief when prayer feels impossible and faith seems distant. Grief creates natural spiritual questions as we navigate the physical, emotional, and psychological shifts that come with significant loss.• Picture God on your side rather than as the cause of suffering• God's compassionate presence walks with us through our pain• Trust God's nearness even when feelings suggest otherwise• Call on good memories to help navigate present darkness• Find at least one thing each day to be grateful for• Pray your pa...
2025-09-0514 minSOLACE: Soul + Grief"Joy" in MourningSend us a textToday explore the delicate subject of experiencing happiness in the midst of grief, examining how these seemingly contradictory emotions can coexist. • Life continues moving forward regardless of our personal grief, which can feel jarring and isolating• Happiness can emerge unexpectedly during grief through events like births, engagements, or achievements• Biblical passages often describe joy and sorrow as concurrent experiences rather than opposing emotions• Pain and joy are grounded in different realities - we can't stop pain from coming, but we can keep joy from disappearingYou...
2025-08-2916 minSOLACE: Soul + GriefNotes from a Grief JournalSend us a textJournaling serves as both a memorial and milestone marker on our grief journeys, allowing us to process complex emotions and track our healing progress over time. Journal entries spanning several years document my experiences with various losses and the spiritual dimensions of grief.• Grief journaling helps memorialize our journey and provides perspective on how far we've come• Personal journal entries reveal the complex, non-linear nature of grief processing• Spiritual themes weave throughout the journaling process, showing how faith can anchor us• Metaphorical language helps express grief emotions that defy stra...
2025-08-2213 minSOLACE: Soul + GriefA Medieval Prayer Manual Speaking to Modern GriefSend us a textGrief creates a profound rupture in our lives, affecting us spiritually, psychologically, emotionally, and physically. The 14th century spiritual classic "The Cloud of Unknowing" offers wisdom for navigating the darkness of grief through contemplative prayer.• Focuses on prayer as an act of will and love rather than intellect• Offers practical guidance for being fully present in prayer during difficult times• Emphasizes that even short, simple prayers are sufficient for connecting with God• Encourages embracing "the proper awe of the Lord" as foundation for wisdom• Provides comfort in knowing th...
2025-08-1508 minSOLACE: Soul + GriefSilence in the StormSend us a textWe explore Karl Rahner's profound spiritual insights from "Encounters with Silence," focusing on finding God within the ordinary routines of daily life. Rahner, a Jesuit priest and influential 20th century theologian who helped shape Vatican II, offers wisdom particularly relevant to those experiencing grief.• Karl Rahner entered the Society of Jesus in 1922 and was ordained in 1932• Rahner's vision provided theological support for openness and dialogue between Christians• His spirituality acknowledges the challenge of finding God amidst life's "empty noise" and "meaningless fury"• Rahner personally experienced grief through the loss of...
2025-08-0812 min