What if the hardest person to forgive after a loss is yourself?

Guilt and regret can begin long before someone dies. When someone we love is ill, we may feel exhausted, impatient, frightened, or even wish for a break--and then feel guilty for having those feelings at all.

After a death, those feelings can become even more powerful. We replay conversations, decisions, things we said, and things we wish we had said. The mind becomes filled with if onlys: If only I had known, If only I had done more, If only I had been there.

In this episode of Hope After Loss, Marilyn Burns, M.S., L.P.C.C., explores the difference between guilt and regret, the painful trap of hindsight, caregiver guilt, and the complicated feelings that can come when a loved one's suffereing finally ends.

Most importantly, we talk about learning to look at the past with both honesty and compassion.

We judge yesterday's choices with today's knowledge.

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Support the show

Thank you for listening to Hope After Loss: Conversations on Grief.

If this episode spoke to you, please consider sharing it with someone who may need support and hope today.

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional mental health treatment.

If you have a question or a topic that you would like me to gently explore,
you’re welcome to email me at [your email].

While I’m not able to provide individual counseling through email,
I would be honored to hold your question and possibly share it in a future podcast, so others may feel less alone.

Thank you for allowing me to walk beside you. Until next time, be gentle with yourself. Learning to walk with this pain begins one day at a time, one choice at a time to love yourself.

Books by Marilyn Burns, M.S., L.P.C.C.

For additional support, hope and healing, you can explore my books, including Lost No More: A Mother's Spiritual Journey Through Her Son's Addiction, Where Are You, God?, and Now I Lay Him Down To Rest.

View my books on Amazon

What happens when the funeral is over, the phone stops ringing, and everyone else seems to have returned to their lives—but you're still grieving?

Grief doesn't follow a timetable. Whether it has been one year, five years, or twenty years since the death of someone you love, unexpected waves of sadness, memories, anniversaries, songs, and even ordinary moments can bring grief rushing back.

In this episode of Hope After Loss, Marilyn Burns, M.S., L.P.C.C., explores what it means to grieve long after the funeral. Drawing from nearly five decades of counseling experience and her own journey through profound loss, Marilyn discusses why grief can resurface years later, why there is no "right" timeline for healing, and how we can continue living without leaving the people we love behind.

You'll also hear about the difference between moving on and moving forward, why joy and grief can exist together, and how to give yourself permission to remember, love, laugh, and live again.

Love doesn't have an expiration date. Why should grief?

If you've ever wondered, "Shouldn't I be over this by now?" this episode is a gentle reminder that healing isn't about forgetting. It's about learning to carry love with you as you continue living.

Be gentle with yourself. And remember—there is always Hope After Loss.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Thank you for listening to Hope After Loss: Conversations on Grief.

If this episode spoke to you, please consider sharing it with someone who may need support and hope today.

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional mental health treatment.

If you have a question or a topic that you would like me to gently explore,
you’re welcome to email me at [your email].

While I’m not able to provide individual counseling through email,
I would be honored to hold your question and possibly share it in a future podcast, so others may feel less alone.

Thank you for allowing me to walk beside you. Until next time, be gentle with yourself. Learning to walk with this pain begins one day at a time, one choice at a time to love yourself.

Books by Marilyn Burns, M.S., L.P.C.C.

For additional support, hope and healing, you can explore my books, including Lost No More: A Mother's Spiritual Journey Through Her Son's Addiction, Where Are You, God?, and Now I Lay Him Down To Rest.

View my books on Amazon

Episode 11: When Grief Becomes Your Greatest Teacher: How Loss Changes Your Life Forever

Grief changes us in ways we never expect. While none of us would choose the pain of losing someone we love, our losses can become some of life's greatest teachers.

In this episode, Marilyn Burns, M.S., L.P.C.C., reflects on the unexpected lessons grief can bring—including deeper compassion, greater resilience, renewed purpose, and a fresh perspective on what truly matters. Drawing on nearly five decades as a licensed professional counselor, along with her own journey after the loss of her son, Marilyn shares heartfelt insights about how healing often grows alongside heartbreak.

If you've ever wondered why grief changes you, or questioned who you're becoming after the death of a loved one, this episode offers gentle encouragement and hope. You'll discover that while grief may always be part of your story, it can also shape your heart in meaningful and life-giving ways.

Whether your loss is recent or many years ago, may these reflections remind you that healing is not about forgetting—it's about allowing love, hope, and wisdom to guide your journey forward, one day at a time.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Thank you for listening to Hope After Loss: Conversations on Grief.

If this episode spoke to you, please consider sharing it with someone who may need support and hope today.

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional mental health treatment.

If you have a question or a topic that you would like me to gently explore,
you’re welcome to email me at [your email].

While I’m not able to provide individual counseling through email,
I would be honored to hold your question and possibly share it in a future podcast, so others may feel less alone.

Thank you for allowing me to walk beside you. Until next time, be gentle with yourself. Learning to walk with this pain begins one day at a time, one choice at a time to love yourself.

Books by Marilyn Burns, M.S., L.P.C.C.

For additional support, hope and healing, you can explore my books, including Lost No More: A Mother's Spiritual Journey Through Her Son's Addiction, Where Are You, God?, and Now I Lay Him Down To Rest.

View my books on Amazon

Children experience grief differently than adults, yet their pain is just as real. As a licensed professional clinical counselor for nearly five decades, I've had the privilege of walking alongside grieving children and their families. In this episode, I share what I've learned about how children process loss, the questions they often carry in their hearts, and how the caring adults in their lives can offer comfort, honesty, and hope.

We'll talk about common misconceptions about children's grief, what to say (and what not to say), and simple ways to help children feel safe expressing their emotions.

I'll also share why I wrote my children's book, Now I Lay Him Down to Rest, a gentle story created to help children find hope and reassurance after the sudden loss of a parent.

Whether you're a parent, grandparent, teacher, counselor, pastor, or simply someone who loves a grieving child, I hope this conversation encourages you and reminds you that healing begins with love, patience, and honest connection.

Thank you for joining me on Hope After Loss. If this episode encouraged you, please consider sharing it with someone who may need it.

Together, let's continue finding hope after loss.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Thank you for listening to Hope After Loss: Conversations on Grief.

If this episode spoke to you, please consider sharing it with someone who may need support and hope today.

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional mental health treatment.

If you have a question or a topic that you would like me to gently explore,
you’re welcome to email me at [your email].

While I’m not able to provide individual counseling through email,
I would be honored to hold your question and possibly share it in a future podcast, so others may feel less alone.

Thank you for allowing me to walk beside you. Until next time, be gentle with yourself. Learning to walk with this pain begins one day at a time, one choice at a time to love yourself.

Books by Marilyn Burns, M.S., L.P.C.C.

For additional support, hope and healing, you can explore my books, including Lost No More: A Mother's Spiritual Journey Through Her Son's Addiction, Where Are You, God?, and Now I Lay Him Down To Rest.

View my books on Amazon

Can Dreams Bring Hope? My Journey

Can dreams bring comfort after the loss of someone we love?

In this deeply personal episode, I share a dream that forever changed my understanding of grief and loss—and ultimately led me to write the book, Lost No More....A Mother's Spiritual Journey Through Her Son's Addiction. Dreams can become a source of hope, healing, and connection during our darkest times which it clearly did for me. I refer to this as a miracle and believe in miracles ever since.

Whether you believe dreams are spiritual experiences, messages from our subconscious, or simply part of the grieving process, my hope is that this conversation encourages you to remain open to the many ways love continues to reach us.

In this episode, we'll explore:

• Why dreams often become more meaningful after loss.
• My own life-changing dream and what it meant to me.
• Different ways grieving people experience connection—through dreams, signs, memories, music, or an unexpected sense of peace.
• How to remain open without feeling pressured to believe any one explanation.
• Why every grief journey is unique.

No matter where you are in your grief, I hope this episode reminds you that love doesn't end when a life does.

Thank you for allowing me to walk beside you.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Thank you for listening to Hope After Loss: Conversations on Grief.

If this episode spoke to you, please consider sharing it with someone who may need support and hope today.

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional mental health treatment.

If you have a question or a topic that you would like me to gently explore,
you’re welcome to email me at [your email].

While I’m not able to provide individual counseling through email,
I would be honored to hold your question and possibly share it in a future podcast, so others may feel less alone.

Thank you for allowing me to walk beside you. Until next time, be gentle with yourself. Learning to walk with this pain begins one day at a time, one choice at a time to love yourself.

Books by Marilyn Burns, M.S., L.P.C.C.

For additional support, hope and healing, you can explore my books, including Lost No More: A Mother's Spiritual Journey Through Her Son's Addiction, Where Are You, God?, and Now I Lay Him Down To Rest.

View my books on Amazon

One of the greatest fears after loss is that healing means leaving our loved one behind. It doesn't. In this podcast, Marilyn Burns shares how it's possible to move forward while continuing to carry love, memories and meangful connections with those who remain forever part of our lives.

How do we move forward after losing someone we love without feeling like we're leaving them behind?

In this episode of Hope After Loss, Marilyn Burns, M.S., L.P.C.C., explores one of the most common fears grieving people face: the belief that healing means forgetting.

The truth is, grief isn't something we "get over." Instead, we learn how to carry our loss alongside our love, memories, and hopes for the future.

Marilyn shares insights from both her personal journey as a bereaved mother and her decades of experience as a mental health counselor. Together, we'll discuss how grief changes over time, why joy and sorrow can exist together, and how finding a "new normal" doesn't mean letting go of the people we miss.

If you've ever felt guilty for laughing again, making plans, or rediscovering happiness after loss, this episode is for you.

You don't have to choose between honoring your loved one and living your life fully—you can do both.

I'd love to hear from you.

What has helped you move forward while keeping your loved one's memory alive?

Share your thoughts, questions, or experiences at hopeafterlosspodcast@gmail.com.

You may hear your question featured in a future episode.

If this episode touched your heart, please subscribe, follow, rate, and review Hope After Loss. Sharing this podcast with someone who is grieving can be a powerful act of kindness.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Thank you for listening to Hope After Loss: Conversations on Grief.

If this episode spoke to you, please consider sharing it with someone who may need support and hope today.

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional mental health treatment.

If you have a question or a topic that you would like me to gently explore,
you’re welcome to email me at [your email].

While I’m not able to provide individual counseling through email,
I would be honored to hold your question and possibly share it in a future podcast, so others may feel less alone.

Thank you for allowing me to walk beside you. Until next time, be gentle with yourself. Learning to walk with this pain begins one day at a time, one choice at a time to love yourself.

Books by Marilyn Burns, M.S., L.P.C.C.

For additional support, hope and healing, you can explore my books, including Lost No More: A Mother's Spiritual Journey Through Her Son's Addiction, Where Are You, God?, and Now I Lay Him Down To Rest.

View my books on Amazon

Signs From Our Loved Ones: Coincidence, Comfort, or Connection?

After a significant loss, many people report experiences that leave them wondering whether their loved one is still near. In this episode, Marilyn Burns explores the common signs people describe after loss, including dreams, meaningful coincidences, familiar scents, songs, animals, and moments of unexpected peace. Through personal stories and professional insight, Marilyn offers a compassionate conversation about connection, hope, and the enduring bond of love.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Thank you for listening to Hope After Loss: Conversations on Grief.

If this episode spoke to you, please consider sharing it with someone who may need support and hope today.

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional mental health treatment.

If you have a question or a topic that you would like me to gently explore,
you’re welcome to email me at [your email].

While I’m not able to provide individual counseling through email,
I would be honored to hold your question and possibly share it in a future podcast, so others may feel less alone.

Thank you for allowing me to walk beside you. Until next time, be gentle with yourself. Learning to walk with this pain begins one day at a time, one choice at a time to love yourself.

Books by Marilyn Burns, M.S., L.P.C.C.

For additional support, hope and healing, you can explore my books, including Lost No More: A Mother's Spiritual Journey Through Her Son's Addiction, Where Are You, God?, and Now I Lay Him Down To Rest.

View my books on Amazon

Episode 6: Faith After Loss: Finding Strength in Something Greater Than Your Pain

When life doesn't make sense, many people begin asking difficult quesions about faith, God and suffering. In this podcast, Marilyn Burns shares how faith can become a source of strength--not because it removes the pain, but because it helps us find hope and meaning while walking with the pain.

Grief has a way of shaking not only our hearts, but our beliefs.

In this episode of Hope After Loss, Marilyn Burns, M.S., L.P.C.C., explores what happens when loss leaves us questioning faith, meaning, and the very things that once grounded us.

Whether your comfort comes through God, prayer, spiritual connection, nature, the universe, or simply the hope that something greater exists beyond your pain, this conversation offers gentle encouragement for the grieving heart.

If you’ve ever asked:
Why did this happen?
Where was God?
How do I keep going when life no longer makes sense?

This episode is for you.

Healing does not require perfect faith—only a willingness to remain open to comfort, meaning, and light.

💛 Questions around faith inspired Marilyn’s children’s book, Where Are You, God?

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Thank you for listening to Hope After Loss: Conversations on Grief.

If this episode spoke to you, please consider sharing it with someone who may need support and hope today.

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional mental health treatment.

If you have a question or a topic that you would like me to gently explore,
you’re welcome to email me at [your email].

While I’m not able to provide individual counseling through email,
I would be honored to hold your question and possibly share it in a future podcast, so others may feel less alone.

Thank you for allowing me to walk beside you. Until next time, be gentle with yourself. Learning to walk with this pain begins one day at a time, one choice at a time to love yourself.

Books by Marilyn Burns, M.S., L.P.C.C.

For additional support, hope and healing, you can explore my books, including Lost No More: A Mother's Spiritual Journey Through Her Son's Addiction, Where Are You, God?, and Now I Lay Him Down To Rest.

View my books on Amazon