Tag: Healing

Spiritual Prepping

{Day 6} Spiritual Prepping: Heal

Michele Kearns

Well….the prompt for Day 6 of the 31 Day Five Minute Free Write Challenge is: Heal. Whole. How I got heal from whole I do not know. But then again, I guess you can’t be whole unless you heal.

I had another verse in mind that applies to our country’s need for healing. But upon finding out someone is in the middle of planning her husband’s funeral, I decided to focus on healing of the deceased and a widows healing.

The King James Bible is being used today because of the beautifully written verses on healing I found while doing my research.

Today’s verse speaks healing to me because when your spouse passes away, his light breaks forth in heaven and his health springs forth speedily. What he did not have here on earth, God speedily gives him in heaven.

The righteousness of your spouse – His faith in Jesus Christ – goes before him when he moves to heaven. Upon arriving in heaven he gets to see the glory of God. What a reward!

As for widows, one morning light will break forth through your grief, healing it. Grief is darkness and darkness will never overcome the light of your faith in Jesus Christ. That light will precede you while living your part in God’s story and you will see God’s glory here on earth.

What a reward, what a joy-filled reward!

Bio: Michele Kearns is the founder and HUG© (Hope Unites Globally) Award-Winner of JoyReturns. She shares her widowhood adventures hoping to inspire widows to move through grief and rebuild their lives. A graduate of Kent State University with a Bachelor’s degree in communications, she’s currently using those skills as a virtual contact center representative for a Fortune 100 company. She’s also managed call center teams, co-facilitated a grief support group, and helped small businesses with various writing assignments. Michele loves Jesus, books, history, music, chocolate, red roses, and golden retrievers. She is also the amateur photographer behind the blog OgleOhio.com.

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2 Pieces Of Evidence

Michele Kearns

While writing Thursday’s post about how this blog helped me heal, I was in and out of a negative state.

Why?

Because it forced me to not only examine how I’ve healed but whether or not I truly have healed.   

Yes, I know I have healed as much as possible from Joe’s passing. However, others do not think I have healed.

Exhibit #1 – This Blog

Other people see this blog as proof that I have not healed one bit.  They see it as my attempt to hang on to or resurrect Joe.

Well that is not true.  This blog was never intended to be about him, it was always intended to be about my journey through grief, extended unemployment and any other adventures life throws my way.  Sharing my adventures is the best way I know to educate others about widows and our experiences.  This way people know how to help widows and what to expect should they suddenly lose their spouse.

Exhibit #2 – Dating (NOT!)

They also see that fact that I have not dated as proof I have not healed.   Single men my age are a rarity.  Now they might not be such a rarity if I hung out in bars – UGH!!!  Been there, done that.  I spent 5 nights a week at the local disco during some of my college years.  (Hey!  It was great exercise.)   If I am to date again, then God will put a man in my life somehow, someway, someday.  (Ooppss…someday never comes.)

Knowing I have these 2 pieces of evidence against me, was dragging me down last week as I wrote the healing piece.  

Positive

So what did I do to get back into a positive state of mind? 

  • I listened to music – “Elvis Country (Legacy Edition)” is my latest favorite. 
  • I also listened to a speech given by my friend Jeff that is on my MP3 player.  I would listen to it at night while waiting to fall asleep. 
  • I updated my “Awards and Performance Portfolio” located in the top menu.  Being creative is a great way for me to change my thinking.
  • I made sure I kept up with the daily devotionals. Currently I am reading through the Bible in a year with a devotional from “Words of Hope.”
  • I also made sure Rommie and I had some extended play time, time away from job searching and blog writing.  Playtime with her is a great way to get out of a funk.

Forward

The healing post is written and I shared why it was hard to write, so on to a new, fresh, exciting topic – like what color I will chose to paint my nails tonight.

Have a joy filled week and remember:

“The human spirit is stronger than anything that can happen to it.”

 George C. Scott

 Coming tomorrow: “My Escalator Speech”

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How JoyReturns Helped My Healing Process

Michele Kearns

My friend Rosalyn is starting a blog and currently is doing preliminary research.  She asked me some questions about setting up and writing a blog.  One of the questions was

“How has writing this blog helped in your own healing process?”

The answer – my identity has been at least partially restored.

Identity Theft

I lost my identity when Joe passed.  I no long knew who I was.  What did I like?  What was my favorite color? What are my hobbies?  It is common for any widow to feel this way after her husband’s passing.   Joe and I were married for 14 years but knew each other for 16 years.  I adapted to watching a lot of TV, especially science fiction.  My life revolved around him, my job, our house and Rommie.  My hobbies of reading, crocheting and photography went by the wayside.

Now I had to find an answer to

…where have you come from, and where are you going?

Genesis 16:8

I knew where I had come from but I had no idea where I was going, what I liked to do, wanted to do, or even should do.  That was just pertaining to my personal identity.  Then 1 year later, I’m headed for the unemployment line.  Now I have to figure out who I am as a professional.

“Meet The New Boss,”

JoyReturns has helped me establish an identity as a blogger.  OgleOhio is helping me establish an identity as a photo-blogger.  Blogging is not anything I would ever have done if it were not for hearing the words “widows website” in my head one morning even before I opened my eyes.

“Same As The Old Boss”

At the bank I was the first person management ask to train new hires.  This training was done one-on-one with the person sitting beside me watching me work and listening to me explain systems, policies and procedures and work with delinquent customers.

Well with JoyReturns I am still doing one-on-one training, just on a different subject and using a different delivery method. 

Next

How blogging about surviving my grief journey and extended unemployment along with photo-blogging are going to help me with my next job, well that remains to be seen.

But this I do know –

The use of this blog in getting my identity at least partially re-established has helped me heal.