Joy in Mourning

Lessons #3 & #4. Ending 2022 " Replacing despair with Joy" and 'Will you help me forgive and extend Grace and not let bitterness settle in" .. Wow big lessons for me ending this year. It was a challenging year but God is good and he got us through it. Listen in on the final episode of 2022 and I hope it will encourage you and give you strength to persevere and find Joy in 2023!!

Lesson #2. " Focus on your Blessings" Handling the holidays can seem overwhelming when you are grieving the loss of someone you love. Something's that helped me on my grief journey is this amazing verse, Proverbs 3;5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding: in all ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight"! Listen in and see how the smallest things you can do to remember your loved ones and to focus on the blessing that they were in your life.

Lesson #1. "Allow your self to Grieve" This is a 4 part series of the lessons that I have learned along my journey . As we come to the end of 2022 I want to share some encouraging words and scripture verses to navigate you through the tough times holidays can bring. 1 Peter 5:7 " Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."

"Reset and Recharge" A big lesson I learned over the past few month " The Cycle of Emotions & Trust " Life is just messy and I want to encourage you to stay strong and trust.( Psalm 46:1) says " God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble". God will give you the strength you need to get you through each day. Be encouraged by this truth.

'Your Story Doesn't End Here'. How does your grief tend to define who you are? Anyone that has walked through change has walked through loss, and all loss changes us, but it doesn't have to change our story it just gives us strength to write a new chapter. Listen in and get encouraged to press on, you can do it.

A beautiful and amazing women Edy share her love story of 64 years of marriage to lose her husband Myers just 6 years ago. Edy is such an inspiration to so many and through her grief she says she found so much joy in the " Sea of peace". Phillipians 4: vs 6-7 "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 6. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Listen in how a beautiful friend of mine found Joy through turning challenges into blessings. “What joy for those whose strength comes from the Lord, who have set their minds on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. When they walk through the Valley of Weeping, it will become a place of refreshing springs. The autumn rains will clothe it with blessings. They will continue to grow stronger, and each of them will appear before God in Jerusalem.” Psalms 84:5-7

" A New Tomorrow" Some one you loved died... and now you keep hoping or wishing that it wasn't true. Today I want to share with you hope and encourage you that you will find your way to a new tomorrow with God's word and promises! Luke 1:78- A new day will dawn on us from above because our God is loving and merciful. 79- He will give light to those who live in the dark and in death's shadow.He will guide us into the way of peace.”

Real Talk!!! How did I find Joy in being a care taker??? If we desire to please God and be blessed, we should honor our parents. Honoring is not easy, is not always fun, and certainly is not possible in our own strength. But honor is a certain path to our purpose in life—glorifying God. “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord” (Colossians 3:20).

This was a big one for me!!! Do you struggle with this??? Lean in and let me share with you some ways and steps to help you to navigate through being an empty nester... Empty nest syndrome refers to the grief that many parents feel when their children move out of home. This condition is typically more common in women, who are more likely to have had the role of primary carer. Empty Nest Syndrome is a term that is used to describe the distressing responses that some parents experience when their last adult child leaves home permanently. Reactions might include: sadness, depression, irritability, anger, resentment, anxiety, guilt, loneliness, and even some physical symptoms.

My beautiful friend Cheryl Carey shares her story of Laying hold of promises from God that got her through her grief after an abortion. Cheryl has found joy in many things such as conducting a post abortion bible study for women called " Forgiving and Set Free"! The scars of abortion are often so deep that women have difficulty sharing their pain with others.This Bible study is a tool for women who want to repair their relationship with God. Only God can turn your wailing into dancing and not living with the guilt, and he promises to turn weeping endured for the night, joy would come in the morning. Cheryl is currently working at Eve's Hope in Palmetto Bay. Eve's Hope offers women medical services and factual information regarding their pregnancy options and shares with them alternatives to abortion that embrace life-affirming decisions. The Gospel is crucial in our ministry. It is through the message of hope that the life of the mother can be transformed and the life of the unborn saved. Your support gives women the strength to choose life for their unborn baby and to experience the unconditional love of Christ. Every 20 seconds in the United States a baby is lost to abortion. That adds up to 1.2 million lost lives each year. In Florida, there were more than 74,865 abortions in 2020, 14,574 were in Miami-Dade. Miami ranks third in the nation for the number of abortions. 205 children are aborted every day in FL, 9 every hour, and 1 every 7 minutes. You can change that. When you choose to partner with Eve's Hope, you are supporting LIFE. https://eveshope.info

Healthcare provider "Patty Murphy Kump" shares her story of 30 years in the Physical Therapy/Athletic training field. Patty struggled with emotional eating, sugar addiction, hypothyroidism, menopause, chronic fatigue and depression. Patty also lost her dad and share how she finds JOY in helping others. Patty became a health coach 4 years ago and loves to give back to others and share her health journey! https://form.jotform.com/220835201882149

Listen in as my beautiful friend Lisa Lorenzo shares her story about losing her mom and how she found a "Greater Spiritual Hunger" for the Lord and she gives us some practical steps you can take to purposefully grow in your hunger for the things of God? Lisa has found joy in the midst of grief through her podcast "Faith with Friends" and gives encouragement and inspiration through God's word! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/faith-with-friends/id1596618536

Greif and Mourning what is the difference ? I also share some practical action steps that I found very helpful in my journey of healing.

Listen in on another amazing story of courage and bravery from a great friend of mine Karen Leonetti. Karen was faced with a cancer diagnosis and as a result is now losing her sight. She has found the Joy with her guide dog Shanti and shares her story of fighting the good fight!

Listen in and see how Tresha Barrett found joy in the midst of grieving her father's death and in the face of a breast cancer diagnosis.

Host Lisa Smith kicks off her Joy in Mourning podcast with her twins Todd Smith and Taylor Hidalgo (formerly Smith). The three reflect on life after the loss of of their father and Lisa's husband Robert G. Smith, who was a Florida Highway Patrol officer killed in the line of duty when the twins were 3 years old. Listen now as they discuss how they found joy in Christ even amidst the tragedy, and how they are now thriving almost 25 years later.