Dedication

For this blog I am abundantly grateful to my husband.

Thank you for building this space with me, for holding my hand through our deepest heartbreaks, and for honoring the memory of our four precious babies.

I could not have turned my grief into this haven without your love, patience, and endless tech support.

I am also forever grateful to my mother for her endless support and gentle guidance.

She taught me how to embrace grief rather than avoiding it—which has made all the difference.

To our two precious wild things; thank you for continuously challenging the girl mom stereotype.

You truly keep us going, laughing, running, and push us to do better every day—giving us grace each time we fall short.

To my precious baby saints: Keanu, Selah, Noah, & Jude;

It was an honor to carry you in this life.

May your intercession carry me back to you in eternity with our Blessed Lord Jesus.

To Saint Jude, Patron Saint of Hope, and in loving memory of my brother, Russell.

“Saint Jude, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, pray for us who are so miserable.”

Saint Jude was my brother's favorite saint. As he struggled with his mental health, he felt like a lost cause himself, though he was deeply loved.

Selah Always is placed under the patronage and protection of Saint Jude to honor my brother's memory.

This website is a sanctuary for anyone carrying heavy crosses, wrestling with deep despair, or grieving a profound loss.

May Saint Jude's prayers guide you to a place where you can pause, breathe, and find the strength to endure.

To Saints Louis and Zélie Martin, a holy couple who intimately knew the crushing weight of family grief, chronic illness, and mental suffering.

As parents, Louis and Zélie endured the shattering pain of empty arms four times over, losing four of their beloved children in infancy and childhood.

Together, they walked through the valleys of terminal illness, deep anxiety, and the heavy cross of physical and mental decline.

Yet, in the midst of these profound earthly trials, they always chose to pause, trust, and press forward with an unwavering faith.

I place Selah Always under their gentle patronage as a sanctuary for every parent, sibling, and family member carrying the heavy burden of loss or watching a loved one suffer.

For anyone who feels entirely overwhelmed or broken by the realities of grief, we pray that Louis and Zélie's shared story of grief inspires you to take things one breath at a time.

May their intercession wrap you in comfort, validate your tears, help you find grace and strength in the intermission of your pain, while reminding you that our deep earthly sorrows are tenderly held in heaven.

She found me in my affliction and guided my weeping soul to the feet of Christ Jesus.

To you, Mother, I give thanks.

Most Holy Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—I offer this work, trusting in the promise that He who keeps track of our trials will turn our mourning into eternal joy.