Writers Support

I watched a writer of Hope books speak to a group of 80 people about writing. He was looking for 10 people to share stories of kindness. How someone else in their life reached out and was kind to them.

He said, “You start with rejoicing in the suffering. That suffering is the solution.” He quoted a bible verse. He talked about how we would be writing one story together. A kindness story together. It is true that “The world needs more kindness”.

He said, “Outrage is easy, and kindness is hard.” Again, he said to look around us to find a kindness story and that we would write one together. He said it takes only ten people to fill a book. That is all that Amazon allows.

He was looking for ten people out of 80, and he had that many volunteers to be in his book as soon as the 45-minute presentation ended. He then talked about what they would receive for publishing with him.

Then he said that to write a Kindness story, we will write about suffering, endurance, character, and hope.

This is what I wrote while listening to his talk:

When suffering from cancer, my friend was there for me. She would call all of the time, especially when I needed her the most. I was scared and lonely, and she perked me up every time.

She was a friend of my sister first, and when I met her, she was so kind and told me she was my sister Carrie’s sister, and that made us sisters! That was great, as I only had 1 bio sister, and she died from Leukemia in 2010.

She came to my appointments when the hubby couldn’t be there. She was there when I was coming out of a respiratory code. She talked me through coming off the respirator, as I was strapped down with a mask over my face and thought I was being tortured.

I have been in remission for twelve years, and she was there for me and continues to be, even though we now live a few states away. She calls when she can feel that something is going on with me.

It is just like we have always been together, as we will pick up right where we left off. What changed in my life is not being lonely, as I know there is always someone there for me when and if I need it! My suffering with loneliness and cancer was helped so much by friends like Felicia.

Endurance to me means we have both been through hardships. She lost her daughter to cancer. Her daughter left her twin daughters, whom their father has raised. Because she had those girls, it made her cancer and herself less likely to survive for long. She knew that and did it anyway.

Her granddaughters were very young when their mother died.

Felicia knew what cancer is like, and she endured and was able to help me, and give me hope to live on and help others! After her daughter died, my sister died, and we looked for a grief group. We didn’t find one, so we started one.

We helped others with old trauma, grief, and loss, and facilitated that group. We didn’t get our grief taken care of. We did that for a season and then moved on, as we couldn’t and really wouldn’t be the best facilitator, as we had new grief to work on.

We help others because we know we have to. That is the kind thing to do when you have been through it yourself. We both help others to grieve and to give hope that they don’t have to do anything alone. The ideal helper is a God of your understanding. Mine is Geezhaymanido (Kind and loving spirit).

Until then, and even when that is not there, we can share kindness and hope, as we have suffered and endured. I learned 40 years ago that when it comes to trauma, grief, and loss, our helpers need to do their own work to be truly helpful to others.