FYI - We have 55 ladies registered for our upcoming Women on the Grow one-day getaway to Shelter Island San Diego by Amtrak.
If you wish to register....go to this link https://jeweldiamondtaylor.com/2021/07/24/women-on-the-grow-gathering-one-day-getaway-shelter-island-san-diego/
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Remember every Sunday, 3:00 PM (Pacific), 6:00 PM I teach in my signature zoom room, "The Filling Station". You are invited to participate to be renewed, reJEWELvenated, and filled with strength, faith, pearls of wisdom, and focus for a new productive week. You have the option of being OFF camera and muted if you choose to just listen and be inspired.
To receive the link, send your request to JewelMotivates@gmail.com Or text 310-526.2552.
September 1 is the Angelversary of my 38-year-old son's passing. I have heard people refer to their personal trauma in many ways. If they are going through some tribulation, they may call it a storm, a flood, a spiritual battle, their wilderness, going through the valley, or a dark night of the soul.
Helplessly watching my son John (aka JJ) fade away in pain from cancer so quickly, my family and I were in a battle to save his life. We were stressed, weary, in shock, sad, and felt helpless and disoriented. These are the same symptoms that describe what military soldiers feel when they return home from battle, especially when they feel life is unpredictable and uncontrollable. Their anxiety is called Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). I don't look like what I have been through because of God's grace. I have "post-traumatic strength."
The amazing gift of grace that I have experienced and want to share with you is that, even though I went through the most stressful and painful battle in my life (my son dying from cancer), I have not experienced post-traumatic stress. God has given me post-traumatic strength! I realized I don't have to be strong all the time. I don't have to wear my superwoman cape all the time. It's ok to feel my feelings. It's ok to have boundaries. It's ok NOT to answer the phone. It's ok to practice self-care. It's ok to take a break. It's ok to cry. I learned that you can be broken but still blessed. It's ok not to have all the answers. I have learned a divine paradox which is ... I can live in pain AND peace. The pain from loss will never go away, but I feel resilient because I leaned into accepting the mystery and peace from God, which surpasses my human understanding.
I’ve been able to remain productive through my tears. Yes, there are overwhelming moments of feeling empty, nauseous, sad, or bewildered... but I’m still standing. I would never trivialize someone's pain from losing a loved one. Every grief journey is different. My faith was not robbed. I realized that the peace of the Lord could be with us when family and friends cannot.
When you have grown in God’s grace through a spiritual battle, you receive the gift of spiritual transformation. You begin to realize bad things do happen to good people. We will suffer in life.
Strength comes from realizing you don’t have to suffer from your suffering. My spiritual transformation and feeling raw in my vulnerability revealed some insights which gave me strength instead of stress.
If you are struggling with your emotional pain from loss, betrayal, abandonment, battle weary from family drama, disappointments, depression, illness, setbacks, tragedy, injustice, or unexpected circumstances, I pray you understand that pain is universal. May you experience God's grace, radical acceptance, fortitude, faith, and peace to pick up the broken pieces of your life and live a resilient life.
As I celebrate JJ's life, may I send you a complimentary copy of the e-book I wrote in 2015 after his transition? It is entitled, "Thank God I Don't Look Like What I've Been Through." To receive your copy, send your request to JewelMotivates@gmail.com No charge
JJ was a loving man, a critical thinker, loved the pyramids, a capricorn like me and his father, loved entrepreneurship working side by side with his father in the family limo business.
