WELCOME! To the new blog which I will be updating often. I will share about life, love, thoughts, loss, comfort, and humor.
When I started this website 7 years ago and published “What’s Next” to get it out to all who needed it, I thought it was a neat idea to invite people to share their stories of their loved ones. I still think it’s a neat idea, and I am still always happy to put up your stories (you can submit them by emailing me here).
However, I found that a lot of people just don’t think they can write (you can ;)) so I’m taking this space in the direction of writing myself and sharing things that I share on social media, but in a larger dose here. The longer story is always so worth it.
I hope to interest, inspire, uplift, and even share in your hard times by sharing myself. Anything to let you know you are not alone.
“What’s Next” the book is still being sold and I hope you buy a copy for yourself, or anyone you know who’s lost a loved one. What has kept me going in tough times (because books are expensive and expensive to ship) are the stories from people this book has helped, has comforted, has made smile in their hardest times.
I recently had a moment on my closet floor. I don’t know why I like my closet, probably because it’s the only place no one else really goes. Life has piled on a lot for me in the last several years, as it has taken a toll on so many of us, if not all of us.
I went in there just beside myself and laid down next to a pair of shoes I kept of my Dad’s, and in the fetal position cried a deep cry. I laid there looking at my boxes full of books still perfectly packaged for sale, and I felt like I had failed that they didn’t all sell out immediately (so dumb that we do this to ourselves with anything really). And as I had that feeling, immediately I felt that was a terrible thing for my mind to say to myself.
I thought of the stories of the kids who lost their parents and this book helped them. Of the child who’d lost her grandparents and she carried the book around with her because it made her feel better. Of the Mom of one of my friends who was comforted by the book when she lost her husband. Of another Mom of one of my friends who couldn’t believe how the book spoke to her. I thought of the child who a friend bought it for, who would sleep with it at night. Of the woman who found it at the airport (I leave them random places sometimes with the inscription “If you found this, it was meant for you”) who came up to me and hugged me and said I helped her so much in that moment. If you haven’t, you must read her story in this blog. It is the story with the picture of the clouds and the airplane wings next to it.
Of course that made me cry harder. This wasn’t about me. It was never about me. If I did it all, and had just one of those stories, that was enough. Way enough. To know I touched another human being in that way, to know I could help them in that way, I could cry now again.
THAT is what I set out to do. And THAT is why I won’t stop trying. It has been blood, sweat, and tears. Literally & figuratively.
And it has been worth every bit for those moments. It will forever have been worth it.
In that moment in my closet, everything shifted for me. I went from feeling hopeless about nearly everything, to thinking of those people and knowing I have done good for people, I have done it, and I am going to keep doing it.
Without going right now into all the backstory (although you can find some here on previously written blogs) I will tell you THAT is why I am going to start this blog. To continue all of this. To continue doing what I love which is offering what I have to give to you. To give to anyone it will help.
I do need money to survive and help my family, like everyone else, so I do appreciate every single purchase of the book. And I would tell you even if it weren’t mine.. it is a really great gift for someone, for yourself.
So from here on out, this will be the place to find my blog, I will post here, and I will post often.
So you don’t miss them, you can sign up to receive notifiers when there is a new post, or favorite this page and check back often.
I hope today something really good happens to you, even if it’s teeny, take it in. There’s so much good to be had.
And I’m here for you.
With Love,
Jamie