Laura Klouzek

Laura Klouzek and her husband live in rural Missouri. They are the parents of five children and grandparents of six. We were foster parents for 12 years. Laura currently works in the court system for the State of Missouri. Her son, Lucas, died in July of 2008 after a short fight with cancer. His death and her journey through grief have prompted her to help others through her writing.

Articles:

New Normal for Mom after Death of Adult Son

New Normal for Mom after Death of Adult Son There was no rain, just some dark misty clouds. There in the sky was a beautiful rainbow. We were traveling home from the hospital after our son Lucas died, and saw the rainbow come from nowhere. It stayed with us 10 minutes or so, and I knew deep within me that God had sent that sight for me, to give me some sort of peace or hope for the future. It has been over a year since we beheld that gorgeous sight, and every time I see a rainbow, I am […]

First Christmas without a Son

The first year my husband and I were married, we lived in Nurnberg, Germany. He was in the army, and I was not about to let him go to Germany for a year without me. We celebrated our first Christmas in Nurnberg. It was a fun time, it was a tough time. We had always spent Christmas with family, and our first Christmas as a couple, we were thousands of miles away, and sometimes pretty lonely. I bought some Christmas music, and played it over and over. Every time the song, “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” came on, I would […]

Mother’s New Normal Includes Memories, Laughter, and Pain

To borrow a few words from Huey Lewis, “The power of love is a curious thing”. Love, the ultimate emotion, has been the subject of songs, poems, and books for centuries. This elusive feeling has the power to make people laugh, cry, lose their temper, become violent, become humbled, and return for more. How is it that people can cry for a loved one who has been gone for years? We do not forget the love, and our hearts definitely do not forget the happiness of relationship or the hurt of loss. In our quest to remember those who have […]

Despite Loss of Son, It Remains ‘A Wonderful World’

I love the song “Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong. I used to have it as a ringtone on my cell phone. I took it off my phone in 2008 when my son, Lucas, passed away. I heard it every time someone called during those two weeks to check on Lucas’s progress, or to see how we were faring as we were living in the waiting rooms at the hospital. Lucas didn’t get to come home with us when we left there. He had already left to be with his Father in Heaven. After that day, I had to take that […]

Even the Worst Events Can Lead to Healing

The sharp edge of grief came into my life when my son, Lucas, lost his life to cancer. It was a sudden, brief battle for him, and the beginning of a season of life I certainly did not wish to enter. The utter devastation that fills your world when a loved one dies is almost indescribable and for a time, it is also unbearable. Most people traveling this journey of life, death, and grief, just long for the pain to stop. Then we don’t want it to stop, because that will mean we forget, or it will mean we don’t […]

Child’s Insight Offers Meaning — and a Laugh — on Thanksgiving

The smell of turkey and stuffing was in the air, there was noise from kid’s playing and dishes being prepared in the kitchen. It was our first Thanksgiving since my son Lucas’s death in July. The previous Thanksgiving, we had all been together, and had even taken a special family picture to put on our Christmas cards. Lucas’s absence made the day dreary despite the holiday atmosphere. Dinner was on the table, and it was time for a prayer. I felt I couldn’t express thanks this particular day, as my heart was so heavy. As I looked at the other […]