Reflections of a Healing Heart: Notes of Encouragement, Love Letters, Pivot Points, Prayers

By T. Monique

Healing is a process, a personal process that encompasses individual strength, behaviors, actions, and attitudes. We get to decide, when, how, and why we complete the healing process. Many times, we petition for God to speak, to acknowledge, or to send a sign for the pain, challenges, and places we face. If we listen close enough or pay attention, we will find He does send a Word through a scripture, person, circumstance, or our own prayers. Unfortunately, there are times we simply miss “it”! Times when we overlook the exact thing we asked God for and there are times when we can’t recognize God’s answer amid our troubles because they feel so loud, big, painful.

This compilation of Love Letters, Notes of Encouragement, Pivot Points and Prayers are a remembrance of God’s Word speaking to the challenges, pains, and places over a young adult life resulting in hope, encouragement, and connection. Through the Love Letters we see how God’s love is revealed and supported by scripture. In Notes of Encouragement, we find God’s word releasing us from the frustrations of disappointment, resentment and perceived failed opportunities. In Pivot Points, we find God’s word soothing our decisions, discretions, and renewing hope. Finally, in Prayers we find an honest conversation with the Father.

The reflections within the Love Letters, Notes of Encouragement, Pivot Points and Prayers acknowledge the hurt which began the healing process. We all deserve to heal from past hurts to embrace the possibilities of future happiness. Recognizing that the Father will answer, that healing is possible, and He wants us to be filled with the Fruit of the Spirit is a beautiful phenomenon filled with real hope. There is a petition for each of you to lean in, to listen for, or remember when, God spoke directly to your challenge, pain, and place. Be encouraged.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Mar 27, 2022
• ISBN: 9781664261167

T. Monique

T. Monique, a psychologist with over 17 years of experience in professional and personal consulting. A military Veteran and Marine spouse, she has facilitated over 200 relationship, resilience, career and family workshops in the US and abroad. She lives in Texas with her husband and poodle; they have four children.

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Copyright © 2022 T. Monique.

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except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

WestBow Press

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views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are

models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Interior Image Credit: Shad Pipes and Tiffany Redmond

Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible, New International

Version® NIV® Copyright © 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica, Inc.

TM. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

ISBN: 978-1-6642-6117-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-6118-1 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-6116-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022905113

WestBow Press rev. date:  03/25/2022

Dedication

To my mother, a woman courageous enough

to stay unloved while loving deep.

To my son, a man curious enough to accept and create pain.

To my daughter, a woman confident enough to hurt while hurting.

To every soul that cried, person who fought to

find their voice and reasons to live fully,

We will all dance like David again!

Proverbs 27:19

"As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart."

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Contents

Reflective Expectations

Introduction

Part 1:   Love Letters

Part 2:   Notes of Encouragement

Part 3:   Pivot Points

Part 4:   Prayers

Closing Thoughts

Acknowledgments

Reflective Expectations

Welcome to a journey of healing through reflection. Reflections of a Healing Heart is an anthology of thought-provoking moments, experiences, and choices. It is a guide through what healing looked and felt like over two decades of life. This compilation is a sharing of verse and life in which the reader has the freedom to love, laugh, cry, empathize, and possibly sympathize with the circumstance, moment, and realization of truths.

The following pages don’t tell you what to do, how to think, respond, or when to act. Instead, they describe a series of self-reflection in which a decision to acknowledge our support, internal and external, and learn through lessons and experiences. It’s a collection of relatable stories, heartaches, successes, reminders, and affirmations that God is good, still on the throne, and able to use anything, anyone, even bad decisions for His good.

Ultimately, reflection is a process. This book will formulate a unique concept of development and healing through reflections in spaces and times. It is intentional. It is reminiscent of the time, energy, encouragement, and breath that galvanized a hurting young woman to become a mature healing woman.

Finally, Reflections of a Healing Heart are choices that inspire hope and encouragement. This book is a nudge for each person to write or read their own love letters, identify their pivot points, appreciate their notes of encouragement, and remember their prayers. These four areas of expression engage our hope and encourage us to find joy. Moreover, we model for the next generation hope, healing, and a choice to heal from past hurts, challenges, and choices.

Be blessed; be encouraged while discovering healing through reflections.

Introduction

For years, I wrote to myself. I wrote letters of love, notes of encouragement, points of healing, and prayers of comfort. I poured out my soul, hoping to be refreshed, renewed, and reminded of God’s promises. These pages guided me through dark, lonely, frustrated, and painful moments as well as nurtured and etched love, encouragement, and support. Often, the pages I penned saved me from my guilt, shame, and remorse. These pages revealed the help that led to healing my heart.

From these pages, I learned my strength. These pages identified areas I needed to grow and build, exposing areas I waded through painfully but overcame. These pages spoke life. These pages faced fears and realized setbacks while exploring truths. These pages!

What would I be without these pages? Where would I have gone or not gone without this outlet of expression? The words flowed from my heart and mind. On these pages is where my soul began to escape darkness and bondage. These pages allowed me to find myself, the light, through the Word. These pages saved me and activated the healing process, beginning with my heart then my behavior. It was in these pages that I experienced Psalm 34:4—I sought the Lord, and he heard me and delivered me from all my fears.

As I sought…I wrote.

As I felt heard…I wrote.

As I was delivered…I wrote.

As I calmed my fears…I wrote.

As I renewed my strength…I wrote.

As I regained confidence…I wrote.

The compilation of love letters, notes of encouragement, pivot points, and prayers that are shared got me through the best and most challenging decision of my life—separating from a meaningless existence.

This separation meant I would be rearing and loving my children in-between homes with wisdom found in the Word. This separation taught me that I would relinquish control of a world I created, which represented misery and loneliness, and I would find the Fruit of the Spirit. This separation meant starting over, but I explored His plan with purpose. This separation meant losing the perceived comfort of monetary resources to gain joy unspeakable joy. After all, God promised beauty for my ashes and joy for my sorrow.

This separation was necessary for my well-being. I began to model and become the woman, partner, mother, friend, professional that would make my tribe proud. That would make me proud. Moreover, I aligned with God’s Word, promises, and chastisement. This separation meant that I had to let go of the pain, challenges, and places where I could NOT breathe or heal. The break was necessary, and I was ready for the promises and purpose God had in store for me. I had to let go, to separate, to live.

Reflections of a Healing Heart acknowledges the hurt. Acknowledgment requires us to realize what we hold, recognize the variations of growth, and offers a choice in how we respond. Reflections was a creative response to the healing process. Depending on God through His Word, His people, and self-awareness was vital.

Reflections of a Healing Heart was a healing choice. It was healing to love my current husband, healing to love my children, and healing to enjoy life and live to the fullest. In the healing process, I was able to be energized, happy, and available to support and love people, including loving me.

Reflections of a Healing Heart is an opportunity for me to proclaim the goodness of my Lord. I found my strength to live, love, and be happy through the Word of God and share with others through love letters, notes of encouragement, pivot points, and prayers.

Be blessed and encouraged!

PART ONE

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Love Letters

1 Peter 1:22

"Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying

the truth so that you have sincere love for each other,

love one another deeply, from the heart."

Love Letters

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Love Letters: The Definition

Authoring a love letter can nurture, build, or repair a relationship. It instills hope and rekindles passion. Relationally, the words of a love letter can pierce the soul and speak to the inner person. Love letters allow the author to pen emotionally charged messages, catapulting hope for the future or a release from the past.

Writing a love letter is an opportunity to capture deep feelings and