Tag: Season 1
-
When Fear Clouds the Future: An Advent Reflection for Special Needs Moms
In this Advent reflection, Carrie M. Holt closes out the year with a powerful reminder for the special-needs mom who finds herself afraid. Drawing from the Christmas story—Zechariah’s uncertainty, Mary’s shock, and Joseph’s quiet fear—Carrie shares how God met each person right where they were, in their real-life moments of confusion and overwhelm. Through honest…
-
God With Us in the Unexpected: An Advent Reflection For Disability Mothers
In this Advent reflection, Carrie M. Holt invites weary, overwhelmed, and tender-hearted special needs moms into the ultimate unexpected story—Christmas. Through a first-person narrative inspired by Mary’s journey in Luke and Matthew, Carrie draws parallels between Mary’s unexpected calling and the everyday realities of disability parenting: medical crises that interrupt holidays, the longing for peace,…
-
Finding Rest in Caregiving: Burnout, Faith, and Letting Go with Jess Ronne
In this profoundly moving conversation, Carrie M. Holt talks with author and advocate Jess Ronne about her powerful and unexpected story—one marked by disability, grief, resilience, surrender, and the refining work of God. Jess shares her journey from learning of her son Lucas’s profound disabilities, to walking with her late husband through terminal brain cancer,…
-
Acceptance: Learning to Live, Grieve, and Thrive in a Life You Didn’t Expect
In this episode, Carrie Holt closes her grief-cycle series by exploring acceptance, a stage often misunderstood in the journey of raising a child with disabilities or receiving an unexpected diagnosis. Carrie explains what acceptance is not—it’s not “moving on,” it’s not pretending everything is fine, or always a permanent emotional destination. Instead, she unpacks acceptance…
-
When Grief Needs Words: Learning the Practice of Lament
In this episode, Carrie M. Holt continues her grief-cycle series by exploring lament—the Biblical practice of bringing our raw, honest emotions to God. Through Scripture, personal stories, and reflections from resources like Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy, she explains why lament becomes the bridge between overwhelming sorrow and renewed trust. Carrie outlines the four parts of…
-
When The Grieving Cycle Includes Anger: How to Respond with Curiosity, Connection, and Coming to God
In this episode, Carrie M Holt explores one of the most misunderstood emotions in the grief cycle: anger. Whether it’s anger at a diagnosis, inaccessible systems, unfair treatment, or even at God Himself, Carrie reminds us that anger isn’t inherently sinful — but it is an invitation. She walks through real examples from her own…
-
The “Shoulds” That Sink Us: Untangling Guilt in Grief
In this episode, Carrie M. Holt discusses the complex emotions of guilt that often accompany the grieving process. She unpacks the difference between conviction (from the Holy Spirit) and accusation (from the enemy), and how the “shoulds” we carry pull us deeper into shame and self-judgment. Carrie offers practical advice for managing guilt, including the…
-
Control to Trust: Facing Fear and Anxiety in This Unexpected Journey
In this solo episode, Carrie explores fear and anxiety as one of the recurring stages in the grief journey for parents and caregivers of children with disabilities. She unpacks the distinction between fear and anxiety, drawing from Adam Young and Hilary Jacobs Hendel, and shares how perceived dangers often shape our reactions more than present…
-
Marriage, Caregiving, and Connection: A Conversation with Bruce Holt (Part 2)
In this final episode of the month, Carrie is joined once again by her husband, Bruce, for a candid conversation about marriage in the midst of caregiving. From survival mode in the early years after their son Toby’s diagnosis, to counseling and intentional connection in later years, Carrie and Bruce share the real struggles, arguments,…
-
A Father’s Voice in Special Needs Parenting with Bruce Holt
In this heartfelt episode of This Unexpected Life, Carrie M. Holt sits down with her husband, Bruce, to share the often-unspoken perspective of fathers in the world of special needs parenting. Together, they revisit the day they received their son Toby’s diagnosis, the wave of grief that followed, and the heavy burden of guilt Bruce…