This story shows how death and widowhood can turn into an amazing beautiful family. Rod & Jolene each share with us how they navigated the widowed life with children. They go into how each navigated the losses of their spouses only to find each other on an online dating site. They didn't know their paths had crossed many years prior growing up in the same town. They have since found love together and have blended their families and have created a magical journey that many widows/widowers do not find.

They were both blessed to have been married to each of their former spouses. Jolenes late husband Ed, lost his battle with sarcoma and Rod at age 33, lost his late wife Becky due to an illness she had lived with. Rod also shares the feelings of journeying through his loss and making many poor decisions in life and realizing giving his turmoils over to God and watching the transformation happening immediately. Jolene shares her journey of connecting with people who were the same as her with a likeness of losing a spouse.

In this episode we listen to Claire Richmond share her journey with a chronic illness that is very rare metabolic condition. She shares how she has found her light with the suffering and pain that she endures.

It took Claire 19 years to search for the answers and was diagnosed and knowingly living with it for 7 years. It is estimated that 1500 people in the US have this disease which is called "Acute Portferia".

She shares with is how her life is lived by defining what she loves not by what she does; this is her main motto to live by in life. Listen to this journey and all the knowledge that Claire shares with us with regards to this disease and other medical illnesses.

Her favorite quote is "let go or get dragged" - anonymous

Pictured with Claire is her rescue poodle "Lenny Bruce". You can find Claire at www.daringlyclaire.com and you will see how she chooses joy and embraces her new normal. Also find her on socials at Instagram: daringlyclaire

Our guest on episode 25 is our "grief" friend Kera Sanchez. She shares with us the loss of her mother and when she died and how it pushed her into a role of a grief journey she didn't understand. Kera shares her creation of her journal called "Legacy Letters Journal" and how you can turn lemons into legacies. She has since created a second journal "No Legacy Lost" that reflects what we all want to say and be remembered by.

Kera has gone on to create the first and VERY amazing "Get Griefy Magazine" that holds so much information and guidance for grievers. It's full of support, organizations, and foundations that anybody going through grief can relate to or lean into. It's where stories meet and grievers unite.

Give Kera a follow at any of the below IG or FB locations and give her magazine a follow. There are ways for you to support the work that is done in the magazine and offer to donate a coffee for the help of the magazine production. She also offers ways for you to submit articles or blog posts, so please reach out to her if you have something to submit.

Here is her song she shared that reminds her of her mother; it's by Andy Frasco "Dancing Around My Grave": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0x5i9sakXoI

Learn about and read the Magazine - https://www.getgriefymagazine.com/home

Learn about Legacy letters: https://www.legacylettersjournal.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getgriefymagazine/

https://www.instagram.com/legacylettersjournal/

Purchase journals: https://a.co/d/5LfKeQH

Purchase get Griefy: https://amzn.to/4bQnjom