If you are in immediate danger or need urgent medical attention, please call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.
Additionally, whenever you face an overwhelming emotional crisis, panic, or a night that feels too heavy to carry alone, compassionate support is nearby. You do not have to go through this moment by yourself, so please reach out to these free, confidential resources.
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
- Call or Text: 988
- Availability: Support is available 24/7, 365 days a year.
- What it is: This free national network connects you directly to trained crisis counselors. However, you don’t have to be suicidal to call. Instead, they are ready for anyone experiencing extreme emotional distress, trauma, or grief panic.
The Crisis Text Line
- Text: HOME to 741741
- Availability: Services remain open 24/7.
- What it is: When speaking out loud feels like too much physical or emotional effort, this option lets you text silently with a crisis counselor. Consequently, it offers a gentle way to get grounded and catch your breath.
The Trevor Project
(For LGBTQ+
Youth & Young Adults)
- Call: 1-866-488-7386 or Text: START to 678-678
- Availability: Help is accessible 24/7.
- What it is: This specialized, safe, and judgment-free service provides crisis intervention and support for young people. Furthermore, trained counselors offer tailored care to guide individuals through difficult moments.
Navigating the map: Tools for the journey
“There is no single roadmap for this terrain, and you do not have to figure it out all at once. Instead, you can take things one step at a time. Below, you will find books, organizations, and digital spaces that offer steady ground whenever the path feels uncertain.”
Popular Books on Loss and Grief
Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief
by David Kessler
Renowned grief expert David Kessler expands on the classic five stages of grief. In this book, he introduces a vital sixth stage: finding meaning. Additionally, he serves as an essential guide to healing after tremendous loss. This deeply intelligent book offers an inspiring path away from suffering and toward hope.
Bearing the Unbearable: Love, Loss, and the Heartbreaking Path of Grief
by Joanne Cacciatore
Dr. Joanne Cacciatore provides a deeply honest guide through profound loss. Importantly, she refutes the idea of “closure” and rejects traditional stages. Instead, she illustrates how grief is a natural extension of love. She gently encourages readers to honor their pain rather than search for a quick fix.
Beyond Tears: Living After Losing a Child
by Ellen Mitchell (and a collective of grieving mothers)
Written by nine grieving mothers, Beyond Tears offers a candid, compassionate guide through the unimaginable loss of a child. Together, these mothers share their personal stories to help bereaved parents navigate the first year and beyond. Consequently, this book offers steady hope during the darkest hours.
It’s Ok that You’re Not Ok
by Megan Devine
Writing as both a therapist and a grieving partner, Megan Devine offers deep insight into the unspoken truths of loss. She directly challenges the societal pressure to return to a “normal” life. Instead, she presents a healthier path. She teaches readers to build a meaningful life alongside grief rather than trying to overcome it.
National & Local (Southern NJ) Grief Support Groups
The Compassionate Friends is a nonprofit organization. They offer emotional support, friendship, and hope to families grieving the loss of a child, sibling, or grandchild. Additionally, their peer-led support groups and virtual chapters ensure no family walks alone. Because of this, parents can find an understanding community anywhere. These meetings remain open to all and completely free of charge.
Supporting families in South Jersey and Greater Philadelphia through miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant loss, Three Little Birds is a dedicated, volunteer-run nonprofit. They offer virtual and in-person support groups, creative healing workshops, and bedside hospital accompaniment with personalized memory-making support during the time of loss.
GriefShare is a weekly, Christ-centered support program. It helps individuals navigate life after the death of a loved one. Participants can join a 13-week group at any point in the cycle. Furthermore, each session includes video seminars, open group discussions, and personal study materials in a welcoming, understanding environment.
Alive Alone provides peer support and community for parents grieving the loss of an only child or all of their children. Designed to combat deep isolation, the organization offers monthly Open Zoom gatherings on the 10th of each month, peer networking, and specialized connection groups tailored to unique loss experiences.
The Moorestown Visiting Nurse Association offers free, professionally facilitated grief support programs for families in South Jersey. These meetings take place on weekdays at their Moorestown location. For example, their offerings include Growing Through Grief for adults. Also, they provide Expressions for Children, a creative art-based group designed to help youth process loss.
GRASP offers a safe, non-judgmental environment for anyone who has lost a loved one to addiction or overdose. Through peer-led meetings facilitated by those who share the same experience, GRASP breaks through societal stigma to offer deep connection, understanding, and hope.
Podcasts
Podcast: Hosted by Jana DeCristofaro, LCSW, Grief Out Loud is a podcast by the Dougy Center offering compassionate, cliché-free discussions on bereavement. Blending personal stories with expert insights, each episode provides practical tools for navigating loss, supporting grieving children, and honoring a loved one’s memory.
Podcast: While We’re Waiting® offers a safe, faith-based space for parents grieving the loss of a child. Hosted by Jill Sullivan, this podcast features honest conversations and personal stories that gently navigate the realities of heartbreak. It provides practical wisdom, spiritual comfort, and community to help families live well while holding onto hope.
Podcast: Child Loss & Grief Support for Moms offers a safe, comforting environment for mothers grieving the loss of a child. Host Lisa K. Boehm draws from her own journey and grief training to share practical tools for managing triggers, processing deep sadness, and honoring a child’s memory while navigating life forward.
Modern Spaces
Website with resources: Grief in Common is an online community created to offer the validation, connection, and understanding that grief requires. By setting up a personalized profile detailing your specific loss, you can easily connect with others who share a similar journey. It provides a dedicated, safe space where grief is truly honored, and no one has to heal alone.
Website with resources: A family-owned organization dedicated to bereavement support, Grief Watch provides comforting books, ceramic keepsakes, and remembrance materials. Founded by perinatal grief pioneer Pat Schwiebert, they created the cherished book Tear Soup. Their gentle, handcrafted resources are used by hospitals, hospices, and families across the country.
Website with resources: Designed as a compassionate, cliché-free space, Modern Loss explores the honest, raw, and unexpected realities of grief. Founded by two friends navigating sudden loss, the site offers personal essays, practical tools for estate and digital logistics, and a welcoming community for grievers of all backgrounds.
Website with resources: Farewelling is a modern platform designed to help families create personalized, ad-free online memorial pages. In addition, non-technical users can quickly share life stories through photo galleries and interactive timelines. Furthermore, visitors can light virtual candles and share memories while families maintain full control over privacy settings.
Website with resources: What’s Your Grief offers a comprehensive, down-to-earth approach to grief education. Specifically, created by mental health professionals, the platform breaks down complex emotions through creative expression and online courses. Additionally, it provides practical coping tools for grieving individuals, supportive friends, and professionals alike.
Here to help you navigate through your journey.
I am not a professional. I just want to help others who may be experiencing the deep, at times unbearable pain of their loss. I am not the first to walk this path, and I am surely not the last. You do not have to navigate this rough journey alone.
To give everyone a soft place to land, we have created a private, moderated online community for bereaved parents, grandparents, and parental figures. Jayna’s Light on Facebook is a space where you can share your favorite memories of your child or children, read others’ stories, or simply sit quietly and know you aren’t alone. There is no pressure to speak or share, no timeline for your grief, and no requirement to do anything more than just exist alongside peers who truly understand.
A Legacy of Light, Born of Love
A Safe Haven for Grief
Jayna’s Garden, Southern New Jersey, United States of America
Contact: mom@jaynaslight.org
Quick Links
This website is open to all who are grieving, but our private Facebook group is a dedicated haven strictly for parents, grandparents, and parental figures navigating child loss. If you are seeking a community of shared understanding, you are so welcome to join us below.
Join Our Private Facebook Community