197 Author Dr. Jerry Woodbridge on Children's Grief, Widowhood, and Writing the Loved, Lost, Won Series

197 Author Dr. Jerry Woodbridge on Children's Grief, Widowhood, and Writing the Loved, Lost, Won Series

In Hospice Explained episode 197, host Marie Betcher, a registered nurse and former hospice nurse, interviews educator and author Dr. Jerry Woodbridge about grief, faith, and her writing. Dr. Jerry shares her background in education and educational technology, her sudden widowhood in 2004 when her husband died one day after a colon cancer diagnosis, and the impact on her children, including her son's unspoken panic attacks and a difficult move from Florida to Indiana. She describes how journaling, faith, and ballroom dancing supported her grief, leading to her widow's devotional Trading My Sorrows for the Joy of the Lord. Prompted by a TEDx conversation, she wrote the children's grief novel Joy Overcame Sorrow with a companion Joy's Journal, and released book two, The Intersection, about twin loss and survivor's guilt. She is also researching a future book about a military family's loss and emphasizes moving between sorrow and joy through love.

00:00 Welcome and Disclaimer

00:38 Meet Dr. Jerry Woodbridge

03:21 Sudden Loss and Widowhood

05:38 Parenting Through Grief

10:15 Adoption and Added Complexity

10:53 Writing Through Grief

14:55 Joy Overcame Sorrow

19:26 The Intersection Twin Loss

22:35 Anticipatory Grief and Faith

24:38 Turning Pain Into Purpose