Surthrival

"But I can't draw!" is the response I often hear when I talk about my drawing journal.

This is an entry from Saturday morning. There's not any drawing on it. Sometimes I draw. Sometimes I just do a brain dump of what I'm thinking and/or feeling in a colorful, creative way. This isn't one of my prettiest or most well designed. That's not the purpose. The purpose is to get on paper what you are thinking and feeling, to express what's in your head.

On this day, I read from the book of Esther and was thinking about my purpose and passion and how God gave Esther the guidance and courage she needed to accomplish HIS purposes - Be both courageous and humble, bold and respectful, strategic and full of faith. I asked the Lord to give me courage, wisdom for when to speak up, guidance from God and the power of the Holy Spirit.

The words in purple on the right ending in -ing are the traits I possess, the ones God gifted me with. The words around that list are the areas the Holy Spirit has laid on my heart to focus on. These may change. That's OK. For now, this is my passion, where I want to put my energy and attention

TRY IT! Be free in your expression. Do it without judgement. Create for the joy of it!

Listeners, I took a longer-than-expected break from the podcast. I needed a re-set, time to rest, be still and wait on the Lord. What are next steps for ? How do I proceed? I'm still wrestling with these questions.

But today...

Today, thanks to the encouragement of my friend, Robert Hill, I am recording a podcast.

Do I still have something meaningful to say? Do mourners need to hear other's stories of grief and how they surthrived? Is this the right vehicle for the message?

We'll see. As my listeners, I hope you'll tell me.

Lonely Hearts Club ~ I didn't ask to join

It’s been almost two and a half years since Matt died. For several months I’ve written this post as a journal entry , but each time it seemed too personal, too soon to share. I’m ready now to reveal a part of my lonely heart.
As time goes by, I find myself feeling MORE lonely rather than LESS lonely. You would think it gets easier, not harder. For me, this feeling of loneliness overcomes me at night, frequently on Sunday nights.

This quote spoke to me: “The loneliness hits when the day is over, and you have a thousand things to say but no one to say them to.” I have a rich life, full of meaningful activity and connection. But at night…sadness washes over me. I long to sit next to someone I love and watch Auburn basketball or Tracker. I want to talk about my day and hear about theirs. I want to take a day trip to Cheaha, laugh and make memories. I want to sit next to them at church and talk about the music and sermon over lunch at Soho Social. I long for companionship, to be cherished. These longings don’t diminish my grief or love for Matt. I’m just not done.

https://www.surthrivalpodcast.com/podcast

This Do in Remembrance of Me featuring Milton Brasher-Cunningham and Shaun King, two creative theologians who take a fresh look at commemoration of Communion.

Monday, November 10th www.surthrivalpodcast/podcast

COMFORT of the TRAVELING SISTERS

In Monday’s SURTHRIVAL Remembrance episode, Charlotte Cushing Cearley recounts the sudden loss of her husband upon their return to the United States after a lifetime spent serving in Africa. Recently, Charlotte invited her two sisters to accompany her on a special birthday trip of remembrance to Africa, revisiting one of the places she and her husband lived and worked. Her story highlights the comfort and healing that come from shared journeys and familial support in times of grief.

May their memory be a blessing.

I heard this Jewish saying recently and thought it appropriate for this upcoming Surthrival series, "Remembrance" that launches October 13th. In these episodes we're talking about the healing power of remembering those we loved, lost and miss. These rituals and objects of remembrance are very bespoke to the mourner. They can also change along the journey. Here is the proposed list of episodes for "Remembrance":

Episode 1: Hungry Ghosts with my daughter, Madison Gaines where we get real with our feeling around the loss of Matt and how we differed but got through it together as a family

Episode 2: Going Home with Charlotte Cushing Cearley, a story about three sisters visiting Charlotte's home in Africa after the death of her husband

Episode 3: This Do in Remembrance of Me with Shaun King and Milton Brasher-Cunningham where we discuss Communion and other rituals around remembering

Episode 4: Holiday Hurts Panel Conversation discussing the pain we can feel during the holiday season when it feels everyone else is full of joy and merriment

Episode 5: Making Lemonade with Boswell Family about bringing good from loss where they created Pastoral Point Guard www.pastoralpointguard.com after losing Parker, their son and brother

Be sure to subscribe (and share) on your podcast app (Apple, Spotify, iTunes). www.surthrivalpodcast.com

Spend some time learning about the Jewish ritual of sitting Shiva. This ancient practice is about the community coming together for seven days to surround and comfort the grieving person.

SURTHRIVAL Series 3 Episode 3: You Don’t Have to Say Anything! Sitting Shiva Podcast Episode · Surthrival Podcast with Stacia · 09/15/2025 · 36m

Sometimes people who are grieving have a difficult time falling asleep. As a matter of fact, sometimes people who aren’t grieving have a hard time falling asleep. This is not typically a problem for me, but lately I have been using this YouVersion app as I fall asleep. It features calming music with two voices speaking prayers or scripture. Without fail, I am asleep before it ends. Try it! It’s an amazing way to end your day focused on things above.