From Heartbreak to Healing: How Faith Lights the Way
In the wake of loss and life’s hardest trials, readers share how faith became their compass, their comfort, and their strength.
Apr 20, 2025
Written by our Founder and CEO, the Celebrations Pulse letters aim to engage with our community. By welcoming your ideas and sharing your stories, we want to help you strengthen your relationships with the most important people in your life.
Last month, as the first signs of spring appeared and we looked ahead to Passover and Easter, I found myself thinking about life’s biggest questions: What gives our lives meaning? What happens at the end? And how do we keep moving forward when the world feels so uncertain?
That reflection led to writing a letter on the nature of faith — not necessarily in a religious sense, but as a quiet force that helps us trust, hope, and carry on, even when we can’t see what’s ahead. To me, faith is something we all rely on, whether we call it that or not. We don’t have all the answers. But we move forward anyway. That’s faith.
In the first of those letters, I asked you, the Celebrations Pulse community, to share your stories about the role faith plays in your life. I was moved by the overwhelming response — it’s one of the most thoughtful and heartfelt conversations we’ve ever had here.
A few readers thought I was making a case for religion, but most understood my broader message and shared how their own faith has helped them through life’s challenges. Reading your messages made one thing clear: For many, faith isn’t just a belief. It’s a lifeline.
Here are several of the powerful stories you shared.
Faith in everyday struggles
Rosie, a single mom for 14 years, wrote about how faith anchors her through life’s daily ups and downs. She finds something to be grateful for in each moment, choosing kindness, even in hardship. She wrote:
“I’ve learned to find something to be grateful for and treat each interaction as an opportunity. Life is about choices, and no matter our circumstances, we can make a positive impact — whether it's picking up trash, opening a door, offering a smile, or thanking a veteran. “With faith in this, situations I never thought possible have happened. Circumstances I don’t understand have produced good results. Faith can move mountains.”
Ashley’s story echoed similar strength. After battling chronic illness, her partner left, and she was left raising three kids on her own. Then came a bright spot in the form of David, a first responder who brought joy and stability. Though David passed away just before Christmas, Ashley and her children hold onto faith:
“Since then, we've lost our home, but never our faith. We say, ‘Wait and see how God takes care of us.’ And He always does.”
Faith through loss and caregiving
Carol shared how her faith deepened through years of personal and family challenges: surviving cancer in her 20s, raising a child with diabetes, and caring for multiple loved ones with Alzheimer’s. A near-death experience during surgery and a beam of light through stained glass reminded her that hope and healing often come from unexpected places. “Each experience, though painful, strengthened my faith,” she wrote.
Ellen’s faith was tested when her daughter was severely burned rescuing the family dog from a house fire. In the chaos and grief, Ellen found comfort in strangers, in prayer, and in the belief that even in heartbreak, there is meaning. “My faith was tested deeply,” she said, “but it grew stronger through this unbearable loss.”
Some of you wrote about faith, not just as comfort, but as purpose.
For Pastor Anthony, faith was the way out of addiction and into a new life. After overcoming a crack cocaine addiction that nearly tore his family apart, he founded a church — with no money, just conviction. On March 30, 2025, they opened a new building dedicated to families and children. “We’re here to share the message of faith and resurrected life.”
Unshakable faith amid suffering
Others shared stories that left me in awe of the human spirit.
Rosalie endured the loss of two children — her daughter to cancer, her son to addiction — on top of her own battle with breast cancer. Still, she gives thanks for every blessing. “Our faith continues to carry us,” she wrote. “We count our grandchildren and great-grandchildren as daily reminders of God’s strength.”
Rolanda was shot and paralyzed at 17. Since then, she has earned multiple degrees, pursued a law degree, and become an advocate for others with disabilities. “Faith is my anchor,” she said. “The best is yet to come.”
Katie wrote about the scariest moment of her life — learning at 31 weeks pregnant that her unborn son had serious brain issues. But instead of fear, she felt peace:
“My faith helped me stand firm. Today, Bobby is a 6’8” college junior studying game design. “We all need faith,” she added, “because life is too scary without it.”
Faith in a season of renewal
These reflections remind us that faith isn’t just something we carry. Sometimes, it’s what carries us. Whether rooted in religion or simply a deep trust in life’s arc bending toward good, faith helps us rise after a fall, love after loss, and keep going when the road is uncertain.
To everyone who shared your story with me, thank you. You’ve reminded us all that in this season of renewal, it’s our shared belief in something more — something better — that lights the way forward.
All the best,
Jim
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AUTHOR
Jim McCann is the founder, CEO, and chairman of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. as well as a business leader, author, and philanthropist with a passion for helping people deliver smiles. Devoted to helping others, he also founded Smile Farms, a 501(c)3 organization that provides meaningful jobs in agricultural settings to young adults and adults with developmental disabilities.
