What You See What You Say What You Store: Living Life After Loss

By Martha M. Morris

What happens when life deals you a hand and you cant see how you can possibly win with what you have been dealt? How do you cope when things dont go the way you plan or think they should go? How do you respond when your expectations do not come to fruition?

Losses (of any kind) in this life are inevitable and cause us to feel wounded, violated, and left unattended. The purpose of this book is to help facilitate the healing and wholeness that will manifest in our lives after we traverse through the stages of grief.

When life deals us a hand that we would rather not have, we rely on and trust in the truth of Gods word to bring us to victory!

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jun 21, 2016
• ISBN: 9781512745634

Martha M. Morris

Martha (Miller) McCollum Morris was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. After graduating high school, Martha married her first husband, Frank McCollum in 1966 (Frank died in 1991). Two children were born to this union. Martha served her country in the United States Air Force and retired in 1994. After retirement she graduated from Southwest Texas State University, receiving a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. She married Elder Lawrence Morris, Sr. in 2008. (Lawrence died in 2014). Martha currently resides in Converse, Texas, where she enjoys spending time with her children and grandchildren. She is a founding member of Now Word Covenant Church in San Antonio, Texas. She conducts grief workshops as well as one-on-one counseling for members and non-members of the church who have experienced loss of any kind. Truly her misery after the death of two husbands has certainly become her ministry. Her compassion for hurting people, especially women, is the springboard that has catapulted her ministry to the level it is today. Martha can be contacted by mail at Now Word Covenant Church, 12525 Nacogdoches, San Antonio, Texas 78217, by phone at (210)-490-9673 (WORD), or by email at [e-mail].

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Copyright © 2016 Martha M. Morris.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

WestBow Press

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Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-5127-4564-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-4563-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016909231

WestBow Press rev. date: 6/21/2016

CONTENTS

Chapter 1 Understanding Grief

Chapter 2 What You See

Chapter 3 What You Say

Chapter 4 What You Store

Chapter 5 Acceptance

This book is dedicated to:

My family and friends---and friends I consider to be family. I love you all.

In Memory of:

Frank McCollum

Lawrence Morris Sr.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

T.K. Floyd---Thank you for gently pushing me and keeping me on track until this project was completed. You were the hand that propelled me forward. I love you more than you know.

FOREWORD

Grief is a reality in our lives---we all experience grief. Despite the inevitability of loss, helping others through the grief journey is a privilege. Martha has done so for many years, both at our church and in our community. Her gentle spirit and kind heart make her an ideal advocate for those experiencing grief. She is selfless, compassionate, understanding, and inspiring. And she is known for giving the absolute best hugs! I have seen firsthand the impact she has on the individuals who participate in our Grief and Understanding classes. She has made a life-changing impact on the lives of a number of people.

Her ability to empathize is enviable to me as a pastor---she is able to relate to others on such a deep level, making her an incomparable asset to those enduring the grief process. I'm incredibly grateful to have her gifts available to the members of our church family. I have no doubt this book will bless your heart, mind, and soul.

Much love to you,

Keith Graham

Pastor Keith Graham, Now Word Covenant Church

PREFACE

This book was written after receiving a word from God spoken to my spirit two months after the death of my precious husband, Lawrence Morris Sr. Lawrence breathed his last breath as his spirit and soul left his body to be in the presence of the Lord on September 6, 2014, after a nine-month battle with lung cancer.

To some it may sound as if Lawrence lost his battle since it resulted in his death. Quite the contrary! In actuality, Lawrence won his battle and gained victory because he left his mortal existence and human body to take on immortality. He now has a glorious existence in the presence of almighty God! He traded his sickness and agonizing pain for his reward of unspeakable joy and everlasting peace. The Bible assures us of our eternal peace in the presence of God in 2 Corinthians 5: 6, 8, where it says:

So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. ... We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.*

No more emergency room visits, long hospital stays, daily medications, pokes, prods,