Spiritual Conversations with Children with Lacy Finn Borgo

Content Warning: This episode includes discussion of grief, loss, and emotional pain that some listeners may find difficult. In this tender and deeply meaningful episode of Mess Makes Meaning, we welcome Jessica Field, Spiritual Wellness Coach, as we explore one of life's most challenging realities: grief. While grief can be a difficult topic to discuss with children, it is an experience that touches every family in some way. Avoiding the conversation doesn't make the pain disappear, but learning how to walk through it together can help children feel supported, understood, and loved. Drawing from her extensive background in trauma, mental health, social services, and spiritual care, Jessica offers compassionate guidance for parents and caregivers navigating loss alongside the children in their lives. Together, we discuss how children experience grief, the questions they may ask, and the ways adults can create safe spaces for honest emotions and healing conversations. Throughout our conversation, Jessica reminds us that grief is not something to fix or rush through. Instead, it is a journey that calls for presence, patience, and connection. She shares practical insights for supporting children through difficult seasons while also acknowledging the challenges adults face as they carry their own grief. This episode is filled with heartfelt moments, honest reflection, and gentle wisdom for anyone seeking to care for children through times of loss. Join us as we explore how love, compassion, and community can help us navigate grief together and discover hope even in the midst of heartbreak. To learn more about Jessica and the workshops she offers, visit her website.

In this joyful and thought-provoking episode of Mess Makes Meaning, we are joined by Rev. Dr. Lakisha R. Lockhart, mother, wife, educator, theologian, consultant, advocate, and self-proclaimed coolest auntie around. As Assistant Professor of Christian Education at Union Presbyterian Seminary and Executive Secretary of the Religious Education Association, Lakisha brings a vibrant perspective to faith formation that embraces creativity, movement, play, and the wisdom of the body. Together, we explore the often-overlooked importance of play in the lives of children and adults alike. Lakisha invites us to reconsider play not as a luxury or distraction, but as an essential part of learning, growth, spiritual development, and human flourishing. Drawing from her work in Christian education, Womanist theology, and creative arts, she shares how play creates space for curiosity, imagination, connection, and deeper engagement with both faith and community. Throughout our conversation, Lakisha challenges us to honor play as the important work of childhood while also recognizing our own need for joy, movement, and creativity as adults. She offers practical insights into how families, educators, and faith communities can create environments where wonder and exploration are welcomed and encouraged. Whether you're a parent, caregiver, educator, or faith leader, this episode is a refreshing reminder that play is not something we outgrow; it is a vital part of what helps us learn, connect, heal, and thrive. Join us as we rediscover the sacred gift of play and its transformative role in nurturing the whole person.