When a Child is Gone: A Reflection on Grief and Lo

There are no words big enough to hold the weight of losing a child.

It’s a pain that doesn’t follow rules. It doesn’t come in neat stages. It comes in waves—some days soft, some days like a storm.

When a child dies, the world changes. Time feels broken. The future you imagined disappears in a moment. The silence in their room feels louder than anything.

People may try to comfort you with kind words, but often, there’s nothing anyone can say that makes it better. And that’s okay. Sometimes, just breathing is all you can do. Sometimes, just getting out of bed is enough.

Grief looks different for everyone. Some cry. Some go quiet. Some get angry. Some feel numb. Some need to talk about their child all the time. Others can’t bear to hear their name yet. All of these are normal. All of these are human.

You might wonder if you’ll ever feel like yourself again. The truth is, you might not—not the way you were before. But slowly, gently, you can grow around the grief. You can carry the love forward.

Your child mattered. They still matter. Their life, no matter how short, made an impact. They will always be yours.

If you’re grieving, be kind to yourself. Let the grief be what it needs to be. Ask for help if you need it. There’s no timeline. There’s no right way to mourn. There’s only your way.

And in time—when you’re ready—you might find that your heart, though broken, still beats with love. The kind of love that doesn’t end.