Mother of 15 and Radio Host Delilah Shares How She Handles Grief Around the Holidays After ‘Crushing’ Loss of 2 Sons

The holiday season can stir up complicated emotions — a blend of joy, nostalgia, loneliness, and grief all wrapped into one.

Radio host Delilah, who has spent decades offering comfort to listeners and sharing stories of love and loss, knows this emotional mix well.

“Everybody during the holidays feels a heightened sense of whatever their emotions are,” the 65-year-old says.

“When you’ve gone through loss, when you’ve gone through a breakup, when you’ve gone through losing a family member, or this year, jobs and the economy, those emotions you’re feeling can be heightened times 10.”

Her personal advice for getting through difficult moments is to pause and ground yourself. “Bring yourself back to baseline and say, ‘Just for today, I’m gonna choose joy. Maybe tomorrow I’ll stress out and worry again. Just for today, in fact, just for the next hour, I’m going to choose joy and peace.’”

She believes that hope is the anchor to hold on to. “When you have hope in your heart, you don’t have room for anxiety, you don’t have room for negativity, you don’t have room for anger or depression. When you have hope, you’re looking forward to a brighter tomorrow. That hope can sustain us through a lot. Trust me, I know.”

And she does. Behind her warm voice and soothing messages, Delilah has endured deep personal heartbreak.

In 2012, she lost her 16-year-old son, Sammy, due to complications from sickle cell anemia. Five years later, she lost her 18-year-old son, Zack, to suicide. Through those unimaginable losses, she has clung to the power of “faith and family.”

Delilah is a mother of 15 children — 12 through adoption — and a grandmother of 19. She recently took in three more children who are now 5, 6, and 10.

“I remember what it was like when I didn’t have faith and my family was falling apart,” she recalls. “I could barely make it through the day. The pain of life, the pain of loss is too crushing.”

Everything changed when she discovered her faith in her 20s. “I know that it’s not all on my shoulders. I don’t have to figure out the future. The Almighty holds the future in the palm of his hand. I just have to figure out what I’m gonna do in these 24 hours.”

For Delilah, focusing on today instead of worrying about tomorrow has become a lifeline. “Taking on the challenges of today and not obsessing about what may or may not happen tomorrow changes everything,” says the One Heart at a Time author.

As for the holidays ahead, she plans to make them magical for the younger members of her family — stockings, glittering trees, and a Thanksgiving feast included.

“It’s about making memories and establishing traditions for my kids and grandkids,” she says.

This year, she’s also encouraging her children to spread kindness through giving. Their annual tradition of crafting continues: the kids are cutting up old Christmas cards to make ornaments and gifts for family, friends, and beloved teachers.

Beyond the crafts and celebrations, Delilah is also sharing her signature wisdom with households nationwide. She recently partnered with Sonos to create the “Holiday Party Prep Talk,” a one-hour audio experience streaming on YouTube that pairs her comforting voice with festive music — plus helpful reminders like heating up the oven before guests arrive.

“This collaboration with Sonos is about focusing on the people that are blessed within your life and making those honest, intimate connections — not about whether or not your candles are lit or your centerpiece looks perfect,” she explains.

Whether listeners are celebrating cheerfully or sitting in quiet grief, Delilah continues to offer a voice of hope — and a reminder that even during the hardest seasons, there is still room for joy.