Grief touches every life, but in the midst of loss there are often unexpected glimmers of hope–rivers in the desert. In this heartfelt conversation, author Katherine E. ST. joins Tina Fornwald to share the journey behind her book Rivers in the Desert: Glimmers of Hope in Impossible Times. Together, they explore the many faces of grief — from the loss of loved ones to broken relationships, health challenges, and financial struggles — and the ways faith, forgiveness, and community can bring light into the darkest seasons. With deeply personal stories, poetry, and even the healing power of music, Katherine invites listeners to see that even in life’s deserts, rivers of hope still flow. I am sharing my experience of loving the same man for 32 years, a mother to two adult children, a retired military officer, a breast cancer survivor, and my connections with others.   Anyone experiencing suicidal thoughts should reach out to a suicide hotline or local emergency number in their country: Psychology Today Suicide Hotlines and Prevention Resources Around the World. — Watch the episode here   Listen to the podcast here   Rivers In The Desert: Healing Hearts And Broken Places With Katherine E. ST. Hello, Widowhood. Our guest is younger than normal, but wisdom is large. We’re going to talk about something being too much and being a lot. The revelation was profound. In the conversation about how to support the grieving, she asked some good questions. This conversation about Katherine’s book, Rivers in the Desert: Glimmers of Hope in Impossible Times, is something that’s going to benefit you, encourage you in your moment of desert, and bring the glimmer of hope that is the spark and the start to know that life will have meaning. Let’s get into this conversation.     Welcome To Widowhood: Beyond The Obvious Grief Hello, Katherine. Welcome to the Widowhood. Hello. Thank you for having me. When you hear, “Welcome to the Widowhood,” what are you thinking? Initially, I think, “I’m not a widow. I don’t know what that is.” Not that I don’t know what it is, but I haven’t had that experience in life. You always explain to me that it’s beyond being a widow. It’s that everybody experiences grief. People can relate to that feeling. When I hear that, I hear welcome to the community that you’re building and encouraging those who have gone through situations of grief. Thank you. Rivers In The Desert: A Young Author’s Journey Through Impossible Times You’re welcome. You nailed it. It is a conversation of grief and loss. With my husband’s time in this world ending, I haven’t felt like he’s lost. That is a profound level of grief, but in that we experienced a lot of pain. There are similarities in that process as far as how we manage pain. We’re going to talk about the obvious. You wrote a book, Rivers in the Desert: Glimmers of Hope in Impossible Times. Tell us. What are we talking about, impossible times at 28? I need the community to understand. “I’m going to listen to the 28-year-old in the book. What hard times does she have?” Break it down. There are so many different things and aspects. I know we’ll get into some of them inside the book. I may not have experienced what some people would call obvious grief, but there have been so many different situations and times in my life where I have felt lost and my world falling apart. There are family relationships and situations not working out, where you would think that they would be working out, friendship relationships breaking, or even my relationship with myself in believing who I am, and then finding out, “No, that’s not who you are. This is not what you’re supposed to be doing. You’re not as good as what you thought you were.” There are all kinds of realizations smacking you left and right. Impossible times came when it was all of those different aspects happening at one time. It is feeling, “What is my life right now? I want to be doing what I should be doing, but I’m in this place. This person is leaving me. I thought this person would stand by me.” It’s one thing to grieve when somebody has left the world. It’s another thing feeling left when they are still here. The painful part of it is that we are here. We could be doing well together, but there are things in the way. Now I feel alone and even feel at times that God has left. It is all kinds of grief, turmoil, and frustrations that I was dealing with, growing pains, I guess you could say at some points, and just humanity in life. Thank you. That was a very good overview. I’m going to warn you or prepare you. I let you give a topical overview. It’s called real talk. We want some real situations, some real tea. You don’t have to use the person’s name. The people leaving you, I want more of that situation. I want to hear about what that loneliness is. When you write a book talking about glimmers of hope, that hope is further illuminated when the reader understands what your impossible times were, because now they can grasp that. Another level of transparency is going to be required. I’m preparing you now. You can change the names to protect the innocence, but the description, so you can start thinking about what that’s going to look like. That’s hard. It is, but that’s why I’m preparing you. The dedication is, “For every soul that has ever found themselves in an impossible season.” What came to mind for you when you thought about impossible seasons and your readers who would take this book in those very difficult moments? It is friendships that I thought would last forever, and did not. I see a mother or father who has suffered a miscarriage. I see someone who was