About/Contact

Testimonial

I am so blessed to be able to read your blog every morning. As a result, I usually start my day with a smile. If not a smile, I face the day with new ideas.

Susan

Michele R. Kearns

Email: michele.kearns@joyreturns.com

Blogger | Grief Geek | Loan Officer | Freelance Writer | Speaker | Amateur Photographer

Expert on surviving and thriving widowhood, because of  Malcom Gladwells “10,000 Hour rule.” (Link)

Communications Professional adept at building and maintaining customer relationships in retail, banking,   collections, credit unions and grief support industries. 

Follow @michelerkearns

About

JoyReturns is about my adventures through widowhood. It is a cheery uplifting site where readers learn that while not easy, joy does return after a spouse’s sudden move to heaven.

While I work on encouraging widows and educating those not grieving, I am not afraid to address the serious issues pertaining to grief and widowhood.  Writing about my bad and ugly experiences lets widows know what to expect and/or they are not alone.  Sharing negative stories is also how I educate those not grieving so they know what to expect when they encounter grief and/or how to help a widow.

Belief

I see blogging as a way to live out one of my belief’s:

Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, just as in fact you are doing.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NIV)

Contact Information

You can find me on Twitter and LinkedIn.    

Comments are welcome so please “Express Yourself” on any post.

My Mission

1) Provide support & encouragement to widows.

2) Educate people about my grief journey.

Topics

I developed a reputation for seeing issues from different angles and viewpoints at my previous job. Therefore, you will find that I sometimes write about topics from an angle you never would consider. For example, how the business community is like ancient Greece. There is not an article on that topic – yet.  However, you can find one on “Garlic, Grief and Hemorrhoids.”

My Passions

I am passionate about:

• Books: “The Bible”, “Gone With The Wind”, “Healing After Loss – Daily Meditations for Working Through Grief” are just some examples.
• Music: Jazz, Rock, Disco, Opera, Classical and Big Band were the musical styles I listened to growing up and still enjoy.
• Movies: All Time Favorites – “Gone With The Wind” & “Sound of Music”. Recent favorite “The King’s Speech”
• Photography – Check out “Finger-Snapping Slideshow”. Other examples are available in the Slideshow category.
• Golden Retrievers – Golden Retrievers In Need (G.R.I.N.) Check out Rommie’s Post – Part 1 for her story

Graduate of Kent State University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Rhetoric and Communications. Volunteer for Golden Retrievers In Need (G.R.I.N) and Co-Facilitates a Griefshare support group at church. The “Griefshare” program is run by Church Initiative base in Wake Forest, NC

~ ~ Thank You ~ ~

Thank you for taking the time to investigate my site. I know the topics of grief and widowhood are not high on your reading list and the time you spend here is appreciated.  Hopefully you will leave JoyReturns understanding widowhood a little better after reading about my grief journey adventures.

Testimonial

“…having searched the internet from end to end, yours is now the only site I visit every day.  Other sites are so depressing with detailed accounts of loss (too much information), bitterness, whining, sarcasm, dark humor, woe is me. I can’t take it and it is not helpful. Yours shows how a modern woman takes the punch and goes on. Your posts are uplifting and make me feel I have a friend by my side on this journey.”

Valerie