Sherri Gragg
About the Author

Sherri is the author of four books, including Advent: The Story of Christmas (DaySpring, 2019), traces the story of redemption from Eden to Jerusalem. Sherri is a nationally published freelance writer and a 2012 award-winner in Writer’s Digest annual competition. She lives and writes in beautiful Franklin, Tennessee.

(in)side DaySpring: things we love
& you will too!
Find more at DaySpring.com
(in)side DaySpring:
things we love
& you will too!
Find more at
DaySpring.com
Recent Posts

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Thank you for putting words to a feeling I’ve been feeling for a long time. Sometimes you just need to be there for the person, nothing more, nothing less.

  2. This was so poignant and beautiful. It deeply touched my heart. The story itself is touching but it certainly affirms that smell is a powerful sense – and it makes me think of how our worship is a sweet smelling fragrance for our Father. Wonderful post.

  3. When I have been given permission to cry without anyone trying to fix it, or offer explanation have been the most healing in my own grief.

    My daughter, when my mother-in-law passed away kept one of Grandma’s sweatshirts so she could smell her scent. My mother-in-law had been my daughter’s foster daughter before we adopted her, so this grandma was also my daughter’s mama. Her passing was extremely hard on my daughter, and she could not put this grief to words, but left with feeling as though she was abandoned by God because He didn’t answer her prayers to heal Grandma, and abandoned by Grandma because she left my daughter.

  4. We just lost a very dear elder at our church. About 7 weeks ago he found out he had stage four cancer. He just passed away and so many at our church are heart broken, myself included. He was like a Father figure to me and lots of others. We also have a granddaughter who is adopted and we love her so very much.
    She has her moments when her grief over her losses have been so hard to watch. Sometimes we just have to let people feel the pain and grief over loss. Be there to listen and don’t try so hard to fix it.

  5. You know my story friend & no truer words were ever written! So blessed & Happy to see you featured here. God bless you Sherri!

  6. Words of truth spoken (written) here… Just lost a good friend Monday…but she’s dancing on ‘streets of gold’ now, and healthy and happy. Joy is supposed to be a big part of our Christian life, but ‘mourning’ is as well…
    Thank you.

  7. so beautiful. silence is so teachable and so important. To sit in silence with someone, It is both a gift and a blessing.

  8. Thank you so much for this beautiful piece. We have lost a baby son, and to this day–6 years later–the people I feel the most tied to are the ones who will still cry along with me. Nothing is more sacred than a friend who will mourn with you…or more rare. Thank you, Shari. Love in Christ, Taylor

  9. Beautiful story & beautifully written. It touches my heart deeply as I wrestle with my own losses & watching others grieve the loss of children now, or soon to come. Over the last several months I have spent much time considering ways we can encourage and support others during trials. This is definitely a needed message. Thank you for sharing.

  10. We lost our first baby six years ago , and the friends who will still cry with us today are rare and priceless. Life us so hard and when we can share each others’ grief, we truly become Jesus for another. Thank you for this post. It is so beautiful and true.
    Sincerely, Taylor

  11. My husband died a year ago after a long battle with cancer. The days since have been hard for me and our young daughter. I understand the good intention behind words such as “He’s in a better place” but that doesn’t make being without him any easier. Your words are beautiful and true: “…there are moments when grief is too sacred for words…” I’m getting used to it being hard without him, and I’m thankful that on the hardest days, I have friends who will just let me cry. They don’t offer platitudes; they just sit and pray and listen and hold a place for the grief that spills out of me. Thank you for sharing this part of your story; it is one of the best “how to help others deal with grief” pieces that I’ve come across and I know it will be a blessing to others.

  12. It’s a mystery, that entering another’s grief with your presence. Something sacred happens there.

  13. My neighbor lost her oldest son a few weeks ago. We did not know what to say or do. We just went and got some KFC and took it over to them. We pray that small act will let them know that we are saddened for them. It is so hard for parents to lose a child. In this case she had lost her husband years ago and now her son.

    I just pray for her and the family to have the peace that only God can give! When time elapses we will talk with them and cry with them–whatever they need.

    Great Post!