Celebrate Life

Hello,

It’s my pleasure to introduce today’s guest-blogger Cheryl Wood. Cheryl is Miami Valley Works Administrative Assistant and great author. Please give her your attention as she shares her gracious journey through the grief process with you.

Shari

Celebrate the Life of the One You Love!  One of the best ways of honoring my loved ones and recognizing National Grief Day is to remember those excellent qualities that stood out about them.

My dad was a man who opened the door to skating, track & field and many other areas in life that motivated me in my young years.  He taught me much about life and he was courageous!  I admired his courage to stand up for what he believed in.

My only brother had a knack for working on cars and it helped him earn a living.  He did not go to school for it, it was something he inherited from my dad – it was in his DNA.  I say he was an Ace mechanic and was anointed for it, because he could repair people’s cars and the car would run forever on that repair.  He did it for me with every car I owned!

My mom was truly a saint.  She taught me how to be a lady, how to conduct myself and the true meaning of Love.  (I’m still trying to live some of the things she taught me) She taught me to be loving & kind. And although many thought she was a beautiful woman, she was more interested in how she treated people than how she looked in the mirror. Now don’t get me wrong, when she stepped outside, everything was in place – she was a sharp lady!  But her focus was conduct & character.  My mom and brother were sharp dressers while my dad and I were a little more casual.

As I remember my loved ones, I am thankful for having them as long as I did.  I cherish the memories and sometimes I cry.  But not for long because I know they want me to be happy and live my life to the fullest.  I miss them dearly and I’ll join them one day.  But not now – I have too much living to do!  I have dreams and things I want to accomplish.  They’re in my heart every day, motivating me to become my very best.

As a matter of factly, I wrote a book about my mom and the illness that led to her leaving planet Earth: “Surviving A Crisis – Without Emotion?”  My brother and I learned how a crisis can change your life and how to cope when one occurs.  My mom was a champion even when life threw her a hard ball. My second book “From the Hood to the Good?” is about integrity and having it in the workplace and any environment.  Integrity is who we are when no one is looking and our children need it.

I once heard a wise woman say, the best way to honor someone is to live the life they taught you.

Family is important. I want them to know how much I dearly love them and that I kept living what they taught me.  I keep their memories alive by cherishing their positive impression on my life.

I must rise and lay my pen down now, I know I’ll start crying and it’s okay.  Tears are our emotional release and outlet for the pain we feel in our heart and we must let it out.  But joy comes in the morning!

“…Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning” Psalms 30:5

Cheryl Y. Wood  8/5/2017