158 | A Period, Not a Question Mark with Tommy & Susan Cartwright

07/12/23 • 25 min

While We're Waiting® - Hope After Child Loss

We had the incredible privilege of hosting two While We're Waiting events in Botswana, Africa, a couple weeks ago, and today's episode opens with a brief summary of our time there. The bereaved parents we met there were gracious and kind, and we are so grateful that we were able to play a small role in assisting them to find community with others who truly understand the journey of child loss, and are leaning on Jesus to get them through. It was an experience I'll never forget.
Today I also have the pleasure of introducing you to my friends, Tommy and Susan Cartwright, from Pineville, Louisiana. They are the parents of Chad, a personable young man with a magnetic personality and a tender heart, who served honorably in the United States Army, completing a 13-month-tour of Iraq. He fought another battle as well, and that was a battle against addiction, and ultimately God received him into Heaven in May of 2011 due to an accidental heroin overdose. Today, the Cartwrights share his story, and discuss the impact his passing had on their marriage relationship. Come back next week as we extend our conversation to include some very practical issues faced by parents after the loss of a child.
Click HERE to access the "How the Non-Bereaved Can Help" document that was referenced in this episode.
Click HERE to listen to my interview with Scott and Karen Harmening.
Click HERE to listen to my interview with Lisa Armstrong.

I would love to hear your thoughts on the show. Click here to send me a message!

** IMPORTANT** - All views expressed by guests on this podcast are theirs alone, and may not represent the Statement of Faith and Statement of Beliefs of the While We're Waiting ministry.
We'd love for you to connect with us here at While We're Waiting!
Click HERE to visit our website and learn about our free While We're Waiting Weekends for bereaved parents
Click HERE to learn more about our network of While We're Waiting support groups all across the country.
Click HERE to subscribe to our YouTube channel
Click HERE to follow our public Facebook page
Click HERE to follow us on Instagram
Click HERE to follow us on Twitter
Click HERE to make a tax-deductible donation to the While We're Waiting ministry
Contact Jill by email at: [email protected]

I would love to hear your thoughts on the show. Click here to send me a message!

Previous Episode

157 | "Discerning Biblical Truth" Conference Panel Discussion - Discerning Truth in the Battle: Lies of the Enemy

In last week’s episode I shared a panel discussion from the Discerning Biblical Truth for Bereaved Parents Conference on “Ten Truths About Child Loss” ... and if you missed it, I hope you’ll go back and listen ... especially if you find yourself wondering if what you’ve been experiencing after the loss of your child is “normal”.
Today, I’d like to share another panel discussion from that conference ... This one is titled, “Discerning Truth in the Battle: Lies of the Enemy and Putting on the Armor of God”. We all know that we as grieving parents are especially vulnerable to the attacks of Satan, and this discussion will give you some tools to fight back. Again, the panel includes Brad and I, Don and Patsy Akin, blogger Melanie DeSimone, and Gary & Laura House, who founded the Our Hearts Are Home Ministry. A video of this discussion is available on YouTube and you'll find the link below in the show notes.

And be sure to come back next week, as I’ll be sharing with you some of our experiences from the While We’re Waiting Weekend for Bereaved Parents we hosted in Botswana, Africa! I can’t wait to tell you all about it!
Click HERE to view this discussion on YouTube.
Click HERE to learn more about the Our Hearts Are Home ministry and read about their many offerings for bereaved parents.
Click HERE to follow Melanie DeSimone's blog, "The Life I Didn't Choose",

I would love to hear your thoughts on the show. Click here to send me a message!

Next Episode

159 | Moving Past the Why with Tommy & Susan Cartwright

"You have to do what you know to do, even when you don't feel like doing it. Persevere, pray, read the Bible, and surround yourself with a supportive community" ... Good advice from Tommy and Susan Cartwright, whose son Chad died following an accidental heroin overdose in 2011. Today we extend our conversation from last week and discuss the sometimes unhelpful things people say, dealing with the holidays, moving past the "why" to the "what now", and finding the path from pain to purpose. I believe you'll be encouraged by our discussion.
Click HERE to access the "How the Non-Bereaved Can Help" document that was referenced in this episode.

I would love to hear your thoughts on the show. Click here to send me a message!