Episode 173 :: Carole Holiday :: Stories of Learning Who You Are Again After Loss and Living with Grief

A self-proclaimed “accidental author”, Carole Holiday was living a very full life as a wife, mother, and nana, until one day, everything fell apart. Her marriage to her childhood sweetheart of over 35 years ended, followed by losing her job and ultimately filing for bankruptcy. Then she developed heart issues because of all the stress, and a continued windfall of loss, and grief in losing close loved ones, until it felt like there was absolutely nothing recognizable about the life she had known.    In her book I Don’t Know Who I Am Anymore, Carole shares her story, but it is such a unique book that weaves honest reflections, practical applications of how to minister to those in grief,  beautiful applications from scripture, and recipes to share with others or to comfort your own heart.  She asks powerful questions about what we build our lives on, and find our identity in. These can be good things like relationships, careers, and even our health, but they are ultimately temporal. Christ alone is the cornerstone that can keep a life on a firm foundation.    This is an episode for my friends who are asking God, “What do I do now?” when a dream has died. This is an episode for my single friends, my divorced friends, and my widowed friends who may feel unseen in their communities. This is an episode for those who have known any amount of grief or loss and need to know they are not going to disappear or drown in this season. There is hope for you, we can testify to it.  As long as you’re breathing, there is more for your story. You matter and your story matters.    Connecting with Carole:  Book Facebook Instagram Website   Please consider joining our Patreon community. If you have enjoyed what you have heard on the podcast today or from other episodes, we would so appreciate your support to keep the Simply Stories Podcast going. You can sign up for as little as $3 a month and each tier offers gifts that I hope will bless you in return. If you cannot financially commit at this time, please consider leaving us a star rating and/or review on Apple Podcasts.  My family and I are so grateful for each of you and how you are part of our story.  Scripture References: 1 Timothy 4:12-Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young  Psalm 95:6-, Matthew 16:24,  James 4:7- We lay it down before the Lord  Matthew 17:19-21-The mustard seed of faith Galatians 5:22-23-Produce fruit in me  Ecclesiastes 3:1-8-There’s a time to tear down and to build   Psalm 118:22, Matthew 21:42, Acts 4:11-Jesus is the cornerstone that the builders rejected Matthew 7:24-27-Building on the sand or the rock  Luke 22:31-Being shifted like wheat Luke 7:36-50-The woman who washes Jesus’ feet with her tears Luke 7:11-16-The widow whose son had died Mark 12:41-44-The woman with her small offering  John 11-Mary and Martha at Lazarus’ tomb Romans 8:22-29-Creation groans and longs to be restored Romans 8:26 -The Holy Spirit speaks a language of lament John 14:26-The Holy Spirit is our advocate Habakkuk 1:2-4-How long Lord will you make me look at injustice and violence? Jeremiah 17:9; Mark 7:21–23-The heart is deceitful above all else Psalm 6:6-David flooded his bed with tears 2 Samuel 12:1-25-When Nathan spoke to David, he  hit his face to the ground Psalm 56:8-God gathers our tears in bottles Matthew 21:12-17, John 2:13-25-Jesus goes charging into the Temple angry John 2:15-17-Jesus sat and created a whip  Philippians 1:6-God is not finished with your story  Psalm 107:2-Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story    References: -Dr. Paul Conti’s book Trauma: The Invisible Epidemic  -Seeing Beautiful Again- Lysa Terkeurst -The women’s movement of the 60’s  -Holocaust - hear the survivor’s stories  -Celebrate Recovery  -A.E. Graham’s episode where she shared about being in George W’s White House, and practicing scrutiny -Bonnie Lewis- wrote a translation of the Bible called Timshel -“Operation no more tears”- Sally Lloyd Jones -Lament in the Bible  -A “thin space”  -Patricia Raybon’s episode  -Jim Crow -Julia Child -Good Boundaries and Goodbyes: Loving Others Without Losing the Best of Who You are- Lysa Terkeurst - “Daniel Tiger”- “The Mixed Feelings” song - “Bluey”  - Life of the Beloved - Henri Nouwen   Connecting with Emily and Simply Stories Podcast: Instagram (Em life // Podcast Life) Facebook Twitter Blog