What does grief look like 17 years after losing a child?

Ron and Nan Deal share the story of losing their 12-year-old son, Connor, and what years of child-loss grief have taught them about love, memory, grief triggers and learning to live after the death of a child.

We talk about the long-term nature of grief, the ways loss continues to affect a family, and how parents can carry the memory of their child while continuing to build a life around the empty chair.

This is an honest conversation about child loss, marriage, enduring grief and finding hope without forgetting the child you love.

Ron and Nan share two memorable tools: protecting a “grief garden” with healthy boundaries, and “grieving between the rails” where sadness and hope run parallel, just like biblical lament. We end with the Scriptures they’ve clung to, including Proverbs 3:5–6 and the raw honesty of Psalm 22.

I’ll include the Focus on the Family video link they reference in the episode notes. If this conversation helps you, share it with someone who needs language for their pain, and leave a review so more grieving families can find it.

Click the link below to view Ron and Nan’s Focus on the Family video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwC0xmKjccs

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