This blog has been on my heart for a long time, but I have hesitated to write it because it’s a hard thing to talk about. Though I had experienced loss before, losing Joel made me face true grief in a new and bigger way. We truly could not have made it through that time without our friends, family, and the community that lifted us up as we grieved, both then and now.

One of the biggest blessings to me was that everyone treated Joel like he was our son – because in our hearts he truly is. I was afraid that others would not understand our grief because we never actually got to take him home, and yet the opposite was true. Each person who spoke to us did so with grace, gentleness, and compassion, knowing that we had indeed lost a son...