Year One of Grief

I was feeling a little low today after a weekend with friends and having to return to an empty quiet home. As I looked thru some photos I realized that while God took my sweet Pam far too soon we still lived an incredible life. We moved all over the country always looking forward to the next adventure. Often times change was hard, especially for the kids but looking back now I would change a thing...

Loss can come in many different ways. And no matter what, you will likely always remember what you have lost. If you think you can erase the past it's far more difficult than you can imagine. Don't get me wrong, we need to learn not to live in the past but work hard at moving forward. At the same time, it's OK if you have an ache in your heart from something you loved being lost. 

My visit to Memphis continued today and as I reflect on the time spent with old friends while making new ones I could not help bur reflect on losing Pam and thinking of all the friends we have who have also experienced great loss. Most of the people I'm talking about were not that old and it simply makes me a little mad at how it seems so unfair. At the same time, we simply can't give up on live n...

I'm back out on the road now seeing clients. This weeks stop was Memphis where I was able to mix in a visit with old friends while being introduced to a new friend who sadly, like me...lost her soulmate a few months ago. 

While driving to Memphis for a business meeting I stopped at a little country store for a restroom break. The store was nothing special, and it was only me and a older man inside who I discovered was the owner. We started a conversation and it became clear like the Carrie Underwood song says...Jesus had taken the wheel and I was about to experience another God moment.

We all will struggle with loss at some point in life. For me, not a day goes by that I don't struggle with the loss of my sweet wife Pam. However, today provided some nice moments in the form of connecting with others that have also experienced loss. At the same time I also was reminded of the movie "Castaway" and a line from Tom Hanks about facing tomorrow.

It's funny how we all think we can't make changes in our lives because...well, you just can't. We can come up with a thousand excuses for why keep doing the same thing over and over again. However, the one lesson I learned from losing my sweet wife is that this life is far too short to not explore options. I'll explain in today's Love Letter to Pam.

Have you ever been in the middle of the best dream you could imagine and the silly alarm goes off? I know, it makes you mad right? That's what happened to me today and kind of got the day off to a sad start. But, it had a nice recovery.

As I continue my journey after the loss of my wife Pam I've had a series of what I call God moments that have happened in some of the most unlikely places. As part of a short series I'm presenting on my podcast, The Jack Church Show, I wanted to share these with you via YouTube as well. No matter what your beliefs, these events I share cannot be attributed to simple fate, luck or whatever you want...

Many years ago when Pam and I first moved to California we met a wonderful older couple named Keith and Lola. We immediately bty ecame close friends because they adored our little boy Eric. Later when Pam was pregnant with our daughter Hannah, Keith had a stroke and died leaving Lola a fairly young widow in her early 60s. But thru the loss Lola became even closer to our family and was known as our...

I just finished my first business trip since the Pandemic began last year and as I prepared to head home it dawned on me...this is the first time ever I will be returning home and Pam will not be there to welcome me back. 

Dear Pam, it's been a little over 16 months since you left us for heaven and sometimes it still feels like yesterday. It's so strange on my work trip this week, I will see and hear things that stir such strong memories of our travels...

I was on a business trip and happened to end up near where me and my beautiful bride Pam celebrated our first wedding anniversary over 30 years ago. Rather than avoid the spot I actually made a special trip to the exact location where we celebrated the big day in January 1983. I could have avoided it, but I've learned there is no escaping memories and it's best to just simply face them head on. Is...

This is my first week out on the road with my new job. No longer in the studio doing television weather, I now sell products to televison stations which requires travel around the country. It's a job I actually had once before but hated the travel and returend to tv weather because it took me away from my beautiful wife Pam and our kids. Now, all alone in this world you would think this type of jo...

During our morning sales meeting one of our reps was moved to tears as she shared the news of her best friend losing her husband to a heart attach at the young age of 48 leaving her and their two children behind. Indeed. like my sweet Pam this man's life was cut short far too soon. Life just seems so unfair, but some how, some way, we have to keep moving forward.

Dear Pam, did I miss you today? What do you think? Of course I did. Not a day or hour goes by that I don't think of you. However, I am thankful for a beautiful dream I had last night..

In today's love letter to Pam I share how the day provided some great encounters with me meeting having meaningful conversations with 6 different people all having moved to the Nashville area in the last 3 months.

in the final months of my beautiful bride Pam's life I was desperate to keep her here on earth. I prayed daily for God to heal her. But, in the end he chose to take her to heaven where she received the ultimate healing and eternal life. And while I truly believe this to be the case, it was still hard to let her go.

Today's letter starts off with...Dear Pam, I love you so much and I miss you every day. While the pain of losing you is dulled by time...the memories remain strong. 

In today's love letter I share how I refuse to allow local, national and world events capture my heart and soul. That did and always will belong to Pam.

It snowed today and for the first time in recently memory I had President's day off. Of course without my sweet bride Pam here with me anymore having a holiday off is not such a big deal. However, in order to keep moving forward I managed to stay busy. I hope you enjoy today's letter.

It's Valentine's Day and many of us will be missing our loved ones while some have yet to connect with that special someone. My sweet bride Pam is in heaven these days so it's another Valentine's Day spent solo for me. But, in my daily letter to Pam you'll hear how it actually turned out to be a pretty good day.

Every day for over a year I write or some call it journal a letter to my sweet Pam now in heaven. I've been posting these on Facebook and they seem to resonate with a lot of people. So, I've decided to turn them into a daily podcast by sharing these letters with you. I hope you find them helpful.

Valentine's Day can be an incredibly exciting time for lovers around the world. At the same time it can be one of the more difficult days for those that experienced the loss of their loved one, divorced or maybe single and hoping to still meet that special someone. For me, it's a year of seconds. This will be my second Valentine's Day without my sweet wife Pam. However, I refuse to let the day get...

As we continue what some call the grief journey we begin to have more good days than bad. But, there are still those days when we wake up alone and simply want to pull the covers up over our head and not get up. However, this is the worst thing a person can do. Instead, push yourself to get up, get ready and get outside! Yes, I said get outside! It truly makes a difference. In this podcast I talk...