Love That Never Leaves: Reflections on Our 29th Wedding Anniversary

Yesterday would have been my 29th wedding anniversary. I’m in my 8th year of “celebrating” solo, and even writing those words brings a mix of emotions I can’t quite put into one neat sentence.

I don’t often share this side of my story here, but I believe it’s important. Behind every businesswoman, every entrepreneur, every content creator — there is a person. A story. A reason why. For me, that “why” is deeply rooted in love, loss, faith, and the desire to build something lasting for my daughter and me.

Grief and gratitude, laughter and loss, longing and love — they all show up together. And in sharing them, I hope you see the lived reality behind the entrepreneur: a woman of faith who has walked through valleys, carried resilience, and is still building with God’s help.



I came across this photo again recently. It’s one of my favourites because it captures us so perfectly: me laughing so hard I could barely breathe, and him looking at me like I was the best part of his world. He had that gift — the ability to make me feel seen, steady, and safe. And my goodness, he could make me laugh.

That day, we weren’t thinking about “forever.” We were just in the moment. Two people wildly in love, promising to walk through whatever life brought us.

The Weight of What’s Missing

Anniversaries after loss carry their own kind of ache. The calendar whispers what could have been, and I feel the absence of what I imagined our life would look like by now. I wonder who we would have become together — the travels we might have taken, the jokes we’d still be telling, the new memories we’d be making.

And then there’s our daughter. She is such a beautiful, thoughtful, and courageous young woman — and I know he would be so incredibly proud of her. There are moments when I see him in her determination, clever wit and intelligence or even in the way she notices small details others overlook.

But I also see the weight she carries. We’ve both had to face struggles his absence left behind — some spoken, some too deep for words.

Parenting without him beside me has been the hardest thing I’ve ever done. And yet, in the struggles and challenges that I face being a widowed parent, I see the strength his love gave us.

Love has a way of leaving fingerprints on our hearts that don’t fade. Even in his absence, his presence is woven through our lives.

Lessons Love Left Behind

Over these years, I’ve learned a few things about love:

• Love is laughter. It’s the silly moments, the inside jokes, the times you can’t stop smiling even when life is hard.
• Love is legacy. It shapes the way you raise your children, the way you show up in your community, the way you choose kindness even when life feels unfair.
• Love is lasting. Death may separate bodies, but it can’t erase the bond of hearts. Love is stubborn that way.
• Grief is love. Or maybe it’s better to say: grief is another expression of love. Without love, there would never have been grief. I once read about a survey of people grieving who were asked: if you could press a button to erase your grief, would you? But there was a condition — pressing the button would also erase ever knowing the person. Most said no. Because to erase the grief would mean erasing the relationship and all the laughter, the joy and the memories in held. And no one wants to let go of love like that.
• Love is a gift. One we don’t earn, one we can never fully repay, but one we carry forward in the way we live.
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Carrying Love Forward

For me, that means choosing gratitude alongside grief. It means honouring the memories, but also daring to keep building a life that reflects joy and faith. It means seeing Madeleine’s smile and knowing she carries his spark.

It also means remembering that God’s love is the foundation beneath it all. Earthly love points us to a greater love — one that promises we are never truly alone, one that carries us when we feel too tired to keep walking.

A Word for You

If you’re reading this and you’ve lost someone you love, I want you to know this: you are not weak for missing them. You are not failing if grief still surprises you years later. And you are not alone in the ache.

Grief and gratitude will always walk together. That’s the paradox of love. And yet, there’s hope — because love never leaves.

Where This Meets My Work

Love never leaves, and neither does the calling God places on our lives. Even in seasons of loss or hardship, He can use us to build something meaningful — not just in business, but in how we show up in the world.

That’s what Faith + Funnels is about: building with faith, purpose, and courage, even when life feels uncertain. My business is not just about strategy — it’s about stewardship. It’s about turning pain into purpose, love into legacy, and grief into growth.

So as I share my heart here today, I want you to know: you don’t have to separate your story from your success. In fact, your story may be the very thing God uses to reach others.

Mini Devotional

📜 Scripture: “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” — 1 Corinthians 13:13

🕊 Reflection:

Love is not limited to one season of life. Even when circumstances change, even when loss comes, love endures. It is the thread God weaves through our stories — shaping us, sustaining us, and reminding us of eternity.

🙏 Prayer:

Lord, thank You for the gift of love and for the people who have shaped us, for the memories that still bring laughter, and for the assurance that love never ends. Comfort those who grieve, strengthen those who carry memories with both joy and sorrow, and remind us all that Your love is the foundation of our hope. Amen.

Stay Blessed

Deborah 💛