The Compassionate Friends

Recently, God has blessed me with wonderful news. I've been accepted to submit articles to the Open to Hope column within The Compassionate Friends E-Newsletter. To gain access to my articles, click on OpentoHope and enter my name Jean Williams in the search box. You'll see my photo above the articles.

This is one more step forward. My goal is to build a platform, as I work toward writing a book about our loss of Joshua through suicide. I hope to help those parents who've suffered as we have. To encourage them it's not the end; even though it feels like we've dropped off the end of the world. I do believe it's true that nothing hurts more than losing your child.

Nothing.

Many friends and family members have supported me on this seven-year journey, and I want to say, "Thank you and I love you. You know who you are."

Now for more news: Open to Hope Foundation is hosting a free Webinar on Valentine's Day.

Below is their advertisement for the Webinar.

Until next time . . . breathe.



Valentine's Day After the Death of a Child; Brought to You by The Compassionate Friends and The Open to Hope Foundation


Monday, February 14, 2011
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM PST




Join us for a Webinar on February 14

Join us for a free Webinar!!

Dr.Bob Baugher joins Dr. Gloria and Dr. Heidi on Valentine's Day. Dr. Bob Baugher is a psychologist and certified death educator who teaches at Highline Community College in Des Moines, Washington. Bob has co-authored a number of books and has given hundreds of workshops on coping with grief and loss, and is a trainer for the Washington State Youth Suicide Prevention Program.
System Requirements
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Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server
Macintosh®-based attendees
Required: Mac OS® X 10.4.11 (Tiger®) or newer
Reserve your Webinar seat.

To Whom Shall We Go?

Within minutes after we found Joshua, I was propelled to make several choices. I did two things first: I called the ambulance and then Joshua's siblings and close family.

The third and most important choice I made that morning was spiritual. Believe it or not, my terror and sorrow was so great that I sensed a screaming call to choose between Satan and Lord God.

My response to this choice came immediate and without doubt. In John 6:68, Peter says it much better than me, ". . . Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life."

Indeed.

I hope this helps to know that even in time of immense trouble, we can and should rely upon our Lord God. Many blessings will follow, including the spiritual safety we enjoy within God's presence.

Until next time . . . choose him daily.

Who Needs Jesus When We Have TV?

After Joshua died, my husband and I didn't turn on the TV for two weeks.

I remember the first time we did sit down to watch a program. I told my husband I couldn't watch stuff that had nothing to do with my life without Joshua. He turned it off.

In time we thought we needed to rest our minds because of our loss, and we watched TV. Feeling odd about it, I viewed selected programs with my husband. Still, that didn't seem right. I prayed about my struggle, and I stopped watching Television altogether.

I studied my Bible with my concordance when I would have normally watched TV. I found more time for Jesus, and the oppression TV had on me disappeared. I needed more of God, and TV had served to distract. For me, Television had been an idol. I didn't want anything to replace even a moment of Jesus in my life, especially when I needed His strength to rise out of bed each morning.

We watched movies on our screen, though, and we got a few classics like Lucille Ball and Shirley Temple. They made me laugh and smile. It was more wholesome entertainment, not like TV sitcoms and the commercials.

When my husband and I moved to Oregon, we banned the TV. The quiet our home now experiences is amazing. Sometimes in the winter, we view wholesome biblical movies, and we watch documentaries on the men who suffered and died for translating the word of God to English.

If you're thinking of banning your Television, you'll be amazed at the calming transformation to your spirit.

Worried about getting the news? Use your Internet for that.

Let me know if you stopped watching your TV to allow more time for Spiritual matters, and tell us how that has affected your lives.

Until next time . . . share Jesus with others.

Author Note: The photo above is of Joshua playing Twister with his friends. Joshua wore the peach-colored western shirt I made for him.