Widow Strong Q3 Mission Impact Report

Widow Strong Saturday Edition Newsletter

Ever have one of those days…weeks…or months? Me too. As we outreach together to serve our widows and their children at Widow Strong, the month of September became my personally most challenging time for 2021.

We had a wonderful Red Carpet event (thank you to all who came and supported) and a fantastic Q3! Then, my family and I were under the weather, which led to my coordinating events from home and holding grief support zoom meetings while we were all still recovering during September. My girls and I are doing well now, thank God!

As we continue to serve our widowed community, I’m reminded of a principle that has guided me for many years both as a widowed mom and as the founder of Widow Strong.

It is simply this: when I feel overwhelmed either raising teenagers as a solo mom or shouldering nonprofit responsibilities, I stand on God’s promises of protection and provision. (Click here to see a list of Biblical promises for widows and their children).

Whether you’re the CEO of your business or your home, take a moment to reflect that it’s not all on you.

Isn’t that a relief?

I love the Amplified Bible version of what 1 Peter 5:7 says, “Casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully].”

And when you have done all you can do…

Stand.

Keep showing up for your life and your family. Make the NBD: Next Best Decision. Sometimes the NBD is to relax, take a break from
stress, and do something fun with your family. Choosing to rest is its own act of faith. Sometimes the NBD is to tidy up and just try again tomorrow.

Let your heart rest knowing that God has your back as you stand your ground for your family and as you craft a life you love. This process takes time.

Standing Ground
There’s a story my father told me once of a church in Poland that stood their ground every Sunday for 22 years after their church building was raised during communism. When communism fell in Poland (over two decades later) the church building was rebuilt in its original ground.

But it’s that period of expectant waiting where the real transformation took place. 

Those Polish church members became warriors of perseverance through literally standing their ground. Without a building, they kept attending church services. In the snow. In the rain. Outside. For 22 years… By the way, Poland isn’t known for short or mild winters.

By choosing to stand, their legacy became the power of perseverance.

The Power of Widow-ing Strong
When I became a widowed mom and felt entirely overwhelmed and actually briefly considered giving up on the day of my late husband’s memorial service, my father sternly reminded me that his mother, my grandmother, went to a concentration camp after becoming a widowed mom and parented her children (my father and aunt) through unspeakable challenges as a Polish Catholic in Auschwitz and Bergen Belsen. (I made an Southeastern Emmy award-winning documentary about my Polish family’s story entitled Burning Questions, you can watch it on Amazon Prime by clicking here).

My grandmother’s legacy of perseverance as a widowed mom wasn’t just about her survival or the survival of her children in Nazi-occupied Poland. My grandmother’s legacy outlived her and literally changed and saved my life as a newly widowed mom in 2007.

How we shepherd our pain matters far beyond our years on earth. 

My grandmother is my example of Widow-ing Strong and I am continually amazed at the stories of strength in our own widowed community! These stories of hope are our powerful collective legacy of perseverance!

“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” Ephesians 6:13

Fall is coming and, with your help, we have more exciting events planned for the rest of the year. Let’s jump in!