Why Did God Allow This? One Widow's Journey Through Grief, Faith, and Finding Hope Again | BW: 210

 What do you do when the person you love dies suddenly, your prayers seem unanswered, and everyone expects you to “move on”?

 

Connect With Lucy 

Book on Amazon: https://a.co/d/046M4w5J

Healing Journal: https://www.etsy.com/shop/LTPHopeShop

Website: https://ltphopeauthor.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LTPHope

Podcast: When Goodbye Comes Too Early, available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and iHeart Radio

 

Brave Widow Resources  

 

 

In this deeply honest episode of The Brave Widow Show, Emily speaks with Lucy, also known by her pen name LTP Hope, about losing her husband, Tim, just four weeks after his diagnosis with stage four T-cell lymphoma.

 

Lucy shares:

  • The shock of receiving a terminal diagnosis
  • Why she refused to leave the hospital without answers
  • Advocating fiercely for a loved one in medical care
  • Wrestling with God after unanswered prayers
  • The loneliness of coming home to an empty house
  • Why functioning does not always mean you are okay
  • How therapy, journaling, worship music, and community helped her cope
  • The painful reality of grief in the second year
  • How she transformed her loss into a memoir, podcast, and YouTube channel
  • Why widows should take their time before making major decisions
  • Practical reminders for handling finances, legal matters, belongings, and life insurance after a loss

 

 

Lucy’s message is simple but powerful: you do not have to rush grief, and you do not have to walk through it alone.

 

 

Chapters

00:00 Why this conversation matters
02:00 Lucy’s story and losing Tim
03:00 Receiving the cancer diagnosis
04:00 Fighting for answers and medical advocacy
05:00 Wrestling with God after loss
06:00 Tim’s final morning and the angel at the door
07:00 Coming home to an empty house
08:00 When friends disappear and grief is misunderstood
10:00 Functioning does not mean you are okay
11:00 Journaling, therapy, and learning to breathe again
15:00 Finding courage to share your story publicly
20:00 Practical advice for widows in early grief
24:00 Faith, hope, and surviving the second wave of grief
27:00 Upcoming Brave Widow events and resources

 

 

💬 If this episode helped you, please: 

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  • Share this with a friend who’s facing grief or the holidays without their person

 

If you’re new here, my name is Emily Tanner. I’m the founder of Brave Widow and Brave Widow Academy.

 

I help widows move from barely surviving their loss… to rebuilding a life they can actually love again without feeling like they’re betraying their person.

 

By day (and for 20+ years), I’ve led large teams and complex operations in the corporate world. 

 

After my husband Nathan died in 2021, just shy of our 20-year anniversary, I took everything I knew about leadership, systems, and change — and started applying it to grief.

 

Since then, I’ve:

Shared my story publicly to make widows feel less alone.

Launched the Brave Widow podcast, now with 180+ episodes and listeners around the world.

Coached hundreds of widows 1:1 and in groups, and talked with thousands more through the podcast, communities, and events.

Built Brave Widow Academy, a 6-month coaching program with a clear framework for moving from deep grief to rebuilding a life you can love again.

 

I don’t teach “just think positive” grief tips.

 

I teach widows how to:

Heal their heart.

Stop waiting on “time” to fix everything.

Take small, brave steps toward a life that feels meaningful again.

 

How I Got Here…

 

2021: My husband Nathan dies unexpectedly. I’m 4 kids in, overwhelmed, and drowning in paperwork, decisions, and pain. Therapy helps, but I still feel stuck with no roadmap.

 

2021–2022: I start devouring books, interviewing widows, trying grief groups, and studying coaching — desperate to find something that actually helps me feel different.

 

2022: I start the Brave Widow podcast, recording episodes while terrified and crying between takes — but determined that no widow should feel as alone as I did.

 

Year 1: I begin coaching widows 1:1. Word spreads quietly. The same patterns and problems keep showing up, so I start building frameworks instead of one-off advice.

 

Year 2: I launch Brave Widow Academy — a structured, 6-month coaching program with a step-by-step path: from deep grief, to stability, to rebuilding.

 

Year 3: Brave Widow has listeners around the world. I’ve personally coached hundreds of widows and spoken with thousands more through consults, lives, emails, and DMs. 

 

Today: My work is simple:

 

Help widows stop surviving each day… and start rebuilding a life that makes them genuinely glad to be alive again.