A Song of Great Joy!Mental Health Resource
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If you have experienced the death of a loved one in the past ten years and are over eighteen years old, we invite you to participate in a brief online study of the ways that individuals make sense of and find meaning in loss. All participants will be entered in a raffle to win one of two $50 gift certificates to Amazon.com.
Your participation will contribute to a better understanding of grief and loss. The researchers, Dr. Brian Vandenberg, and Rachel Hibberd, are most grateful for your time and help in completing the study. If you have any questions, please e-mail rhibberd@umsl.edu. The study has been approved by the Institutional Review board of the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
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Book Corner
In her debut memoir, Aundria Sheppard Morgan searches for purpose in a life she doesn’t want, revisits the strained relationship with her mother, and questions God, who allows unrelenting adversity as she faces the loss of her first love and husband James. A voice that is at once eloquent and honest cuts to the core, stripping away masks, and revealing raw emotions. In Cross My Heart and Hope to Die ~ A Memoir we dip into Morgan’s soul through poetic vignettes that lead each chapter. With unflinching candor she tells their love story. Hope and tragedy intertwine as James wrestles with guilt over killing his brother, his ten years in New York prisons, and his desire to rise above his past. Loving James helps Aundria set aside a lifetime of anger and embrace her mother. Beautifully written, it dares us to “call it what it is” so true healing can begin.
Word Cloud
Funeral Wreaths
A Song of Great Joy!
There she sits…alone in the corner—huddled in a wrap threadbare and torn…
Slowly she rocks back and forth humming or muttering, I cannot tell—her head in her hands, drooping eyes full of tears, she draws her shawl up closer to her chin to keep the cold out—to keep the warmth in…
Her shoulders shudder as she shakes off the cold; the tears down her face continue to roll…
The wind swirls loose leaves around her feet. Her chest heaves—and she lets out a sigh.
Shyly, she hides her face from the ones passing by—veiled in tears, she hesitantly lifts her head as one approaches, who sees her heart instead.
His face shines with radiant tenderness. With gentle hands, He touches the lock of hair that has fallen over her eyes.
She looks up, and to her surprise, He’s smiling—His eyes lock with hers; the gaze that looks down to her very soul is warm and inviting.
Her lips quiver…Does she remember how to smile? Does she dare to try? What will He say?
All these thoughts flash through her mind…He read her thoughts…his smile grows bigger and wider as He kneels down beside her.
Gently, He says, “Arise, come—let me love you. I will care for you!”
She finds herself standing; raised up with ease; even her heart is free—her countenance is changed.
He takes her arm in His; they begin to walk…He throws back His head in laughter. His voice rings out, “I love you, my daughter. I will teach you how to again rejoice and dance, and I will clothe you with radiance.”
She looks down and sees that with each step she takes, she has changed! Her face now holds a smile; her clothes are new and glistening.
She looks to His face—a nod of approval is all that He can manage, because of the laughter still rolling out of His mouth—she begins to giggle…hesitantly, she lets herself laugh.
Soon she begins to feel waves of joy singing through her—a song of great joy!
Copyright © 1998 by Susan Bradbury. All rights reserved.
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