Tag: grief recovery

Unemployment

A Rainbow During A Storm

Michele Kearns

It was dark and stormy when I left work yesterday.  After getting in my car I looked out the windshield and immediately opened the car door, jumped out into the storm and grabbed my digital camera from the trunk.

What did I see that excited me so much?

This HUGE rainbow. It spanned the parking lot, the road and ended somewhere into the fields on the other side of the road.

These pictures do not do it justice and if I had not been at work, I would have gotten some buildings in the picture so you had a better perspective. I am not sure if the company I work for would appreciate pictures of their building on my blog.

Yes, I stood out in the storm with lightning and thunder all around to get these shots.  There was just enough light getting through from the Western sky to cause the rainbow.

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A Lesson

Just like this rainbow was there during a nasty storm…

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so God is with us during the nasty storms of our lives.

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May you always find the rainbow God puts in your storms.  All you have to do is look for it.

 

grief, Unemployment, Weekend Wisdom

Weekend Wisdom: Self-Beliefs

Michele Kearns

May you realize the truth in today’s quote from my friend Jeff Nischwitz.  When I read it earlier this week I knew it had to use it for today’s “Weekend Wisdom.” It applies to the grief recovery process in addition to every other area of life.

Most of what is blocking your path are self-beliefs that you are holding onto. It’s time to let it go. 

Jeff Nischwitz

Letting go of your negative self-beliefs during grief is a slow and painful process but you must do it to experience joy again.

Here’s to letting go!

grief

I Am A Griever

Michele Kearns

I am a griever.

I am a griever in the sense that I grieve when death strikes, but then move forward with life.

I believe in the power of grieving, in the power of crying and letting grief out instead of keeping it bottled up.

However, I do not believe in forever grieving a loved one’s passing.

Why would I grieve Joe’s move to heaven every day? That would be very selfish of me. He is in paradise and to grieve over that fact 24/7 six years later is wrong.

Special Occasions

Yes, there will be occasions where grief will surface, like when his niece gets married later this year. I will go to the cemetery with a silk flower arrangement in the wedding colors. I will have a few choice words for him as he should be here to give his niece a hug and to welcome his new nephew into the family.

After leaving the cemetery I will go to the wedding and reception and enjoy myself. It will be an example of joy and pain co-existing with joy winning the day.

How I Think Of Joe

When I think of Joe, I live out what is on our marker at the cemetery:

“Think of me, think of me fondly when we’ve said good bye.”

You musical theatre lovers will recognize the song “Think of Me” from “The Phantom of the Opera.”  It  was Joe’s favorite song and sung by the character Christine Daae.  It seemed appropriate to put the phrase on our marker.

Focus, Focus, Focus

My focus is on the positive – Joe is in heaven with God, Jesus, his brother, mother, father and the rest of the Kearns family who moved to heaven before Joe.

There will come a time when your focus will also be on the positive memories and the fact your loved one is in paradise – where there is no pain and suffering and life is grander and more beautiful than here.

2 Years

If it has been more than 2 years since your loved one’s move to heaven and you are still in an active grieving mode, I have one question for you – “Why?”

Think of him fondly while moving forward with your new and wonderful life.

It will not be easy but nothing worthwhile ever is and life here is still worthwhile.