#128 - How do I cope with Grief and Loss with Grace? With Amanda Wilkinson

No one wants to become an expert on Grief.there's a kind of grief that rewrites you, and there's a kind of grace that meets you there.Amanda Wilkinson knows both.Amanda is the mother of Grace Wilkinson — Gracelyn — who, after an accident at school took six years of her life and eventually ended it, taught her family (and now the world) what it means to walk through the brutal and the beautiful at the same time.I met Amanda through her brother Ben Kjar (you might remember him from his episode on his film Standout), and the moment he introduced us, I knew I needed you to met her. She's brilliant; she's vulnerable; she's been put through what she calls an unsolicited PhD program in grief. And the gold she's carrying out of that experience is something we all need.Fair warning: we cried the whole way through this one. There wasn't a dry eye on set, and I don't expect there to be one for you either. Bring tissues.Amanda's book about Grace is on Amazon now, and I'll tell you straight — it's the kind of read that rearranges you. I finished it the day before we recorded, walked out into the living room, looked at my kids, and asked myself questions I hadn't thought to ask. Prayed prayers I didn't know I needed to pray.If a name came to mind while you were listening — a mother, a daughter, someone walking through loss, someone who needs to remember that goodness is still ahead — please send this to them.Grace is beloved. Grace matters. And the way you walk with grace through your own story is your legacy.Through this book you will not only come to know Grace Wilkinson, you will come to understand the Grace of God.📘 Connect with Amanda Wilkinson ➡️ Buy the Book: https://amzn.to/4no9ZP6 ➡️ More on Gracelyn Wilkinson: https://amandawilkinsonspeaks.com/gracelyn-wilkinson ➡️ Book Amanda to Speak: https://amandawilkinsonspeaks.com/speaking ➡️ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amanda.k.wilkinson.3 ➡️ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amandakjarwilkinson/00:00 Before we begin: a heads-up03:05 Meeting Amanda (and how Ben Kerr brought her to the show)04:10 An unsolicited PhD program in grief06:07 The conversations most parents never get to have09:14 When the doctors said we'd come to the end16:25 The list Grace made19:05 Recording an album from a hospital bed24:46 "Mom, when I move to heaven, can you still pray for me?"26:23 Angels, gather round: how Amanda prays now29:58 Hope is a relationship, not an outcome36:45 Transactional vs. transformational faith40:21 Why Grace gave away her flowers47:27 Becoming a death doula for her own daughter50:19 What Grace wants you to know54:18 An invitation to read her storyLet me know what part stuck out to you in the comments below:Want the Podcast Database I talked about? Get it here: https://mariannehickman.com/database🔔 Subscribe now and start building the life you've always dreamed of with me as your support. YOU'VE GOT THIS.📘 Connect with Marianne ➡️ 801-509-5495 ➡️ https://mariannehickman.com ➡️ https://instagram.com/marianne__hickman ➡️ https://tiktok.com/@marianne__hickman ➡️ https://facebook.com/MarianneEHickman ➡️ https://www.skool.com/mastery-hive-7407/about ➡️ https://www.threads.net/@marianne__hickmanFind out more at www.mariannehickman.com Subscribe to my newsletter here: https://hive.mariannehickman.com/newsletter#TheMarianneHickmanShow