Part 2 For the Brokenhearted: Hope After the Loss of a Child or Grandchild with Joy GaertnerPart 2 For the Brokenhearted: Hope After the Loss of a Child or Grandchild with Joy Gaertner
Crossroads with Jenny Bushkell
Jenny Bushkell and grief specialist Joy Gaertner talk about the intense pain of losing a child or grandchild, the difference between happiness and inner joy, and how small ‘glimmers’ and faith can support grieving families. The conversation also touches on practical resources such as community luncheons, workshops and mental health training for those living with deep loss.
24:14•11 May 2026
Hope for the Brokenhearted: Grieving Children and Finding Glimmers of Joy
Episode Overview
- Happiness is an external feeling, while joy is an inner gift you can intentionally look for, even in deep grief.
- Small ‘glimmers’—uplifting people, places and activities—can provide just enough light to carry heavy sorrow for another day.
- Time by itself does not heal grief; without healthy processes, pain can grow and surface as anxiety, anger or depression.
- Community spaces such as the Love Lives On luncheon give parents and grandparents a safe place to speak their child’s name and feel understood.
- Faith, prayer and scripture can offer closeness with God in sorrow, and silence should not be mistaken for God’s absence.
“The silence does not mean God is absent. He never leaves us.”
What can we learn from those who have battled addiction? Here, the focus shifts to a different kind of heartbreak: parents and grandparents facing the death of a child or grandchild. Host Jenny Bushkell talks with grief specialist Joy Gaertner, founder of Walking with Joy – Loss and Grief, about the kind of pain that feels like it will never lift and how tiny moments of light can still break through.
Joy explains the difference between happiness and joy in a way that makes sense when your heart is shattered. Happiness is the external moment – a pretty flower, a chance meeting with a friend – while "joy, in other words, is what's on the inside.
It's a gift that is given when I look for it." She shares her practice of hunting for “glimmers”: small, intentional moments, people, places and routines that bring just enough light to get through the next hour. The conversation speaks directly to those grieving children lost through illness, overdose, suicide, stillbirth, accident or homicide, and to the grandparents and siblings whose pain is often overlooked.
You’ll hear why time alone doesn’t heal anything – as Joy puts it, "time does not heal... if we don't do anything, time will make the grief bigger" – and why healthy processes and community are so crucial. Faith runs through every part of the discussion.
Psalm 34:18 – "The LORD is close to the brokenhearted" – becomes a lifeline, and Joy gently reminds listeners that "the silence does not mean God is absent." She also talks about practical supports such as the Love Lives On luncheon, grief recovery workshops, and mental health and suicide-prevention training.
If you're carrying a loss that feels too heavy to name, this conversation offers honest acknowledgement of that weight, alongside gentle suggestions for where you might find your next small glimmer of hope. Could this be the reminder that you’re not as alone as you feel?
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