Life doesn’t always unfold the way we imagined.
Sometimes it breaks apart slowly, through years of disappointment, exhaustion, and survival. Sometimes it changes in an instant—through loss, grief, betrayal, financial collapse, or circumstances we never would have chosen. Sometimes we find ourselves standing in the ashes of what used to be, wondering where to go from here.
After the Ashes is a space for honest conversations about rebuilding life after loss, and learning to begin again when the future looks nothing like you planned.
Here’s How I Hope to Help You
This is not a space for pretending life is easy, or for tying hard stories into neat little bows. It’s a place for honesty. For rebuilding. For the slow, stubborn work of beginning again.
You are not alone in this.
I write from my own Christian faith because it’s the ground I stand on. But you are welcome here no matter what you believe. If you’ve walked through loss and you’re trying to find your footing again, you belong in this space.
Because even after the ashes, something new can grow.
Get to Know Leah!
Hi there! I’m Leah! I live in the foothills of Western North Carolina with my four youngest children (all adopted). I’m also the proud mom of one biological daughter, bonus (step) mom to four additional adult “children,” and Grandma Leah and Nonnie to four precious cuties, with another on the way.
I’m wildly crazy about my family and passionately in love with Jesus! As a Christ-follower, I take the command to care for orphans and widows seriously, because I know both ends of that spectrum intimately.
I was twice widowed (yes—two times!), all before the age of 45. Now a widowed solo parent, I’ve learned firsthand how deeply God cares for orphans and widows.
I share my story at women’s events throughout the country, telling how God reached out, rescued me, and continues to restore me. I’m also deeply honored to have shared my story internationally, leading women’s conferences in Liberia and the Andes Mountains of Ecuador.
Worth Noting…
Leah’s Official Bio
Leah Stirewalt lives in the foothills of Western North Carolina with her four youngest children (all adopted). She is also the proud mom of one biological daughter, bonus mom to four adult children, and Grandma Leah and Nonnie to four precious cuties, with another on the way.
Twice widowed before the age of 45, Leah knows firsthand what it means to rebuild a life after loss. She wrote through her grief on her long-time blog, Out of Deep Waters, and now writes at After the Ashes, a space for honest conversations about grief, faith, and beginning again.
Leah published her first book, Rescued and Restored, in 2016, detailing her first year as a widow. In October 2026, she released After the Ashes: A 30-Day Devotional for Rebuilding Your Life After Loss, and her podcast launches in November 2026.
Leah shares her story at women’s events nationwide, telling how God reached out, rescued her, and continues to restore her. She has also led women’s conferences in Liberia and the Andes Mountains of Ecuador.
Stay in Touch
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Leah’s Latest Release
After the Ashes: A 30-Day Devotional for Rebuilding Your Life After Loss
When loss burns through the life you knew, rebuilding can feel impossible, and even prayer may seem out of reach.
After the Ashes is a 30-day devotional for anyone beginning again after grief, divorce, hardship, or a change they never saw coming. Each day pairs a passage of Scripture with a short, heartfelt reading and a Reflection prompt for your own thoughts. The days unfold across four movements that follow the slow, unhurried work of healing.
Leah Stirewalt has been widowed twice and is raising four adopted children on her own. She doesn’t offer tidy answers or easy clichés. Instead, she writes as a friend who has sat in the ashes herself, found God near in places she never expected, and watched Him begin to bring beauty from what was lost.
You don’t have to rush, and you don’t have to be fine. You only need to open the first page.