START HERE

Welcome!

Start Here is a supplement to my About/Contact page with links to my various adventures.

To Joe

My Grief Journey

• Why JoyReturns?
• How My Journey Began
• An Attempt To Describe Sudden Death
• I Never Understood
• Seeing Blessings In Death
• Joe’s Not In Dried Flowers 

Posts Written By or About Rommie  (Golden Retriever Daughter)

• Rommie’s Story Part 1
• Rommie’s Story Part 2
• Rommie’s Story – Finale
• A Treat From Rommie
• Surprise! It’s Rommie
• Rommie & Michele’s Backyard Snowfari Adventure (Rommie’s Last Post)
• HRH Rommie Kearns’ Obituary
• Happy 13th Birthday Rommie!
• “I’ll Meet You At The Door” My Last Farewell To Rommie

About Grief

• grief is NOT a mental disease
• Do You Want Healing?
• One New Reason Friend’s Abandon You
• 3 Benefits To Dating A Widow

Faith / Beliefs 

• Is Life Hard?
• Why Is There Pain and Suffering?
• “There’s A Little Light Inside Us All
• Why Christian’s Faith Sometimes Needs Built Up
• Creeds & Catechisms

10 Years A Widow Series

(A series about my observations based on my experiences from 2008 – 2018.)

• 10 Years a Widow: Hope
• Post #1,501 – Heart Transplant
• Post #1,500 – A Letter to Joe 
• Post 1,499 – Non Sum Qualis Eram
• 10 Years a Widow: Comparing Grief
• 10 Years a Widow: Think of Me Fondly
• 10 Years a Widow: Thy Will Be Done
• 10 Years a Widow: Desperate Ways
• 10 Years a Widow: Life’s Greatest Self-Improvement Course
• 10 Years a Widow: Friendships

Living A Joyful Life

• Take Up A Hobby For A Joyful Life
• Sabbath – Living A Joyful Life
• Pray To Live A Joyful Life
• Living A Joyful Life – Read Your Bible
• Living A Joyful Life – Exercise

Featured on Other Blogs

• My Butterfly Story – Widows Christian Place
• Letters to Grief Mash-Up :: A Compilation of Quotes – Heading Home – Kate Motaung
• How to Overcome Wallowing in Two Not-So-Easy Steps – Digging Deeper With God – Christine Drews

Michele’s Musical Lists for Funerals

• A New Funeral List For Movie Fanatics (2025 Edition)
• Funeral Music for Opera Lovers(2025)
• Classical Music for Funerals (2025)
• TV Theme Songs For Funerals (2025)
• 7 + 2 Funeral Songs For Musicians (2011)
• 10 Funeral Songs for Movie Fanatics (2011)

Various Resources

• Drink Deep A Musical Journey Through Grief – Chris Fabry Interview
• Drink Deep (page to down load music about grief)
• Music for the Soul (home page with a list of music for any situation)
• GriefShare – My Explanation 
• Like A Broken Vessel: The Gospel and Suicide – Sermon from Pastor Adam Hamilton of Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas.

Weekend Wisdom

Some of the quotes, poems and scripture I’ve posted on Saturdays and Sundays.

• What Makes Widows Beautiful
• Be Not Offended – Freda Hanbury Allen
• Charity Not Investment – Arthur C. Brooks
• Fan Into Flame
• Weekend Wisdom Goes To The Birds
• Official Irish Blessing of JoyReturns
• Official Hymn of JoyReturns

Weekend Wisdom For Anniversary Month – March 2006

Quotes and Scripture posts proving joy and grief can coexist during another anniversary month of Joe’s passing.

• Smiley Simone
• Climbing Grief
• Choosing Joy While Ill
• Psalm 28
• Irish Blessing & Spring Weather Awareness
• Keats’ Crocuses
• Dandelion Day
• Tulips
• Good Friday: What Jesus Endured
• Waiting
• Empty Tomb

Bookshelves

• Joy & Grief Shelf
• Christian Daily Living Shelf

411 For Employers

• Deep Impact
•  The Answer

Life Lessons

• Lesson From A “Love Note”
• Preparing for SHTF (Snow Hits The Fan)

I Believe In You – Series

• I Believe In You – 30 Day Blessing Challenge
• Dear Santa – I. Believe. In. You. 
• Dear Jesus – I. Believe. In. You.
• Dear God – I. Believe. In. You. 
• Dear Readers – I. Believe. In. You.
• Dear America – I. Believe. In. You.

Book Reviews – Launch Teams

I was blessed to be a part of several book launch teams. These are links to the book reviews.

• Placemaker; Cultivating Places of Comfort, Beauty and Peace – Christie Purifoy
• Battle Ready; Train Your Mind To Conquer Challenges, Defeat Doubt and Live Victoriously – Kelly Balarie
• Fear Fighting; awakening courage to OVERCOME your fears – Kelly Balarie
• The Broken Way; A Daring Path into the Abundant Life – Ann Voskamp
• The Way of Abundance; A 60 Day Journey into a Deeply Meaningful Life – Ann Voskamp

Rebuilding My Career – The Impossible Dream 

• Unemployment Is Harder Than Grief
• My Career Story
• Blogging And My Job Search
• Michele’s #1 Job Search Mistake
• God’s Hand In Michele’s New Job

 My Faithful Finish Lines Fitness Journey

(Please visit The Holy Mess for encouragement on your faith and/or weight loss journey.) Here is a link to Sara’s About Me page. Faithful Finish Lines has closed because God called Sara’s partner to walk a different path.)

• Tour de Parks
• What Faithful Finish Lines Meant To Me
• Princess Ledges, Grief & Exercise

Bio: Michele Kearns is the founder and HUG© (Hope Unites Globally) Award-Winner of JoyReturns. She shares her adventures, hoping to inspire widows to move through grief and rebuild their lives. Michele is a lover of Jesus, Disco, history, books, and lipstick. She is also the amateur photographer behind the blog OgleOhio.com.

 Contact Me

Bio: Michele Kearns is the founder and HUG© (Hope Unites Globally) Award-Winner of JoyReturns. She shares her adventures, hoping to inspire widows to move through grief and rebuild their lives. Michele is a lover of Jesus, history, books, and lipstick. She is also the amateur photographer behind the blog OgleOhio.com.