“Now I am trusting myself. I trust my decisions. I stand by my decisions. I know what’s best now and I speak up now.” Melissa Pierce didn’t succumb when tragedy struck, she persevered through the pain and transformed into a stronger person because of it. She learned to accept herself as the person she had become. She moved on to write a book and share her experiences with others.

A Widow’s Tough Story Filled With Gold

• Melissa’s story starts when Melisa and David were a couple struggling with fertility in 2005 and they decided they wanted to adopt two little boys. In 2011 Melissa woke up and David did not. She had become a widow overnight. 
• Melissa relayed her story of struggle, how she moved closer to her family and decided to get help. The first six months she felt like a zombie, but came to the conclusion that if she didn’t help herself she couldn’t help her kids, so she started her road to recovery.
• When a widow’s grief and stress showed up in her body, she took part in things that made her feel good: yoga, acupuncture, massage and exercise. Over a year later she found she was recovering but continues to have her moments to this day.
• Melissa learned to accept the person she has become after her husband’s death and has become stronger for it.

Listen to the episode for the full story.

Resources Mentioned in the Show: http://filledwithgold.org/

Stacy’s Journal

Welcome to Stacy’s Journal! In this segment, I let you peek into my journal as I share my thoughts on a topic or resilience resource.

Grief is a tough thing. I would like to encourage everyone suffering through grief to seek professional help. Don’t attempt to go through grieving a loss on your own, even if you don’t feel like you need it. There is often a stigma surrounding counseling and therapy, letting a stranger in is a daunting task however bouncing your feelings off someone and talking about what you’re feeling can really help you heal.

For those who are grieving, or even just those who are in turmoil, find something you truly enjoy. Keep exploring until you find it. Melissa found tap-dancing and found it to help her get out of her head and just have fun. It could be anything from Jiu-jitsu to coloring pictures just find something that you like doing.

That’s all we have for today. Last episode, Jennifer Lynn McGraw shared her own trials and tribulations – to grow from your past and help others on their own journey, you might want to go back and have a listen. Next week, we’ll interview Anna Seewald who experienced a catastrophic earthquake that changed her life forever.

I love interacting with our listeners on social media. We’re on Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube, and just about anywhere you can hold a great virtual conversation. Plus, I answer all my emails personally, so feel free to email me: stacy{at}stacybrookman{dot}com.

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100 Most Important Memoirs of the Past 200 Years

Our memoir of the day is One Liter of Tears written in 1986 by Aya Kito. This story follows Kitō’s coping with both her teenage life and her degenerative disease. She keeps a diary of what she feels and the hardships she endures. As the disease progresses, the diary became her outlet for describing the intense personal struggles she underwent in coping, adapting, and ultimately trying to survive her disease. As she notes in one entry, “I write because writing is evidence that I am still alive.”  Check out One Liter of Tears and all the memoirs on this list at stacybrookman.com/100memoirs.

About: Melissa Pierce

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Melissa Grahek Pierce is the author of Filled With Gold, written with Christine Fadden. She went through a tremendous trial when she lost her husband after adopting two young boys, and the book is the story of her journey. Now, she helps other widows cope with their own losses and move forward. She enjoys her roles as a wife, mother, sister, life coach, and friend. Melissa currently calls Portland, Oregon, home.

Links:

Website:  Filledwithgold.org

Facebook Page: Filledwithgold