Author Archives: joythruthemourning

NOTE: I think just about anyone who’s been on a mission trip will tell you it was a life-changing experience. Therefore, I’m sure in the few months after I returned from my mission trip to Atlanta I said the same thing. For a month in my life that I’ve cherished for the last 30 yearsContinue reading “Atlanta”

NOTE: To protect the identity and confidentially of everyone involved with the exception of Aunt Zoe all names, and when possible locations have been changed. By the time I reached junior high mom had let herself go. She had reached about 400 pounds and anything physical was too much for her. She tried to coverContinue reading “Not Quite Right”

NOTE: To protect the identity and confidentially of everyone involved all names and when possible, locations have been changed. Like any other kid I looked forward to becoming a teenager. When I would spend time with my “sisters” they were all teenagers and I wanted to be one too. I started high school in theContinue reading “Being a teenager”

NOTE: To protect the identity and confidentially of everyone involved with the exception of Aunt Zoe all names and when possible locations have been changed.  I don’t think at the time my 11-year-old mind understood I was grieving, however as I look back I went through a grieving process with Aunt Zoe. Now as IContinue reading “The Battle Begins”

NOTE: To protect the identities and confidentially of everyone involved with the exception of Aunt Zoe all names and when possible locations have been changed. That Saturday morning my mom came in and woke me up. I had slept in Aunt Zoe’s bed the night before. I probably wanted to keep it warm for her. I don’tContinue reading “Losing Aunt Zoe”

NOTE: To protect the identities and confidentially of everyone involved with the exception of Aunt Zoe all names and when possible all locations have been changed. I came into this world probably with a mouth on me already on what I’m sure was another cold October day in Cherokee, Iowa. My mom would tell me yearsContinue reading “A Normal Kid”

NOTE: To protect the identity and confidentially of everyone involved all names and when possible locations have been changed. By this time the entire town knew. I bumped into a couple of my old teachers, and my mom’s old boss. Past and present neighbors somehow managed to get a hold of me as well. They all had moreContinue reading “I’ll Fly Away”

NOTE: To protect the identity and confidentially of everyone involved all names and when possible locations have been changed. I woke up to more messages than I did when I arrived at their house the night before. The majority were from well-wishers around the community and those I had been to church with over the years. IContinue reading “Planning”

NOTE: To protect the identities and confidentially of everyone involved all names and when possible locations have been changed. The only thing that made this particular Monday morning different from any other Monday morning was that I had been out of town with the church’s youth and young adult group for the weekend. We did everythingContinue reading “The Day”

To me I was living a normal life. I was raised the only child of a single working mom in rural Iowa. My grandmother was just five minutes away and helped out as much as possible. My mom’s work hours started out pretty rough for a few years but after paying her dues she establishedContinue reading “Before The Mourning”