Turning your pain into your purpose, today on Get The Hell Out of Your Life.

Turning Your Pain into Purpose

 It's time now to Get the Hell Out of Your Life. A weekly broadcast with real people, sharing real struggles, and offering real hope. Today's show will encourage, inspire, and empower you to face life's challenges, with a bold confidence and renewed hope. Now, let's join our host, Ron Meyers, The Promoter.

Ron Meyers:

Hello, my friends. Today's show is a powerful show because we're going to talk about turning your pain into your purpose. There's a lot of people right now that are going through a lot of uncertainty, a lot of indecision in life, and, well, today's show is going to open the light to some darkness.

Ron Meyers:

If I walked out of this studio, and randomly stopped people, and asked them if they are dealing with some serious hell in their life, I would venture to say that 90%, maybe even more, would say, "Yes." Anxiety, fear, depression, uncertainty about life itself is keeping so many of God's precious children locked in a cage like a wounded bird, who peeks out of the cage, sees the world, wants to be healed so they can go fly.

Ron Meyers:

Well, I know people personally that I call the walking wounded. They do life in a cage. They have a fear of the unknown. Many of them have been beaten down emotionally and spiritually. They pray minute to minute for their pain to stop. And some of the walking wounded made a decision to do a permanent solution to a temporary problem. They commit suicide.

Ron Meyers:

My guest today lost her son to such an act, and this hell was so unbearable that she made the decision to turn her pain into purpose. Today, she is a leading voice in suicide prevention. And as difficult as this subject is, I know God has led me to share Sean's story with the world. Let's meet today's guest, Janice Morrissey, the mother of Sean. Hi, Janice. How are you?

Janice Morrissey:

Hi, I'm good. How are you today?

Ron Meyers:

I am doing fine. You have just a radiating smile. That's just a... I wish I had that smile. But you weren't smiling a few years ago and we'll get into that. But before we get into Sean's story, tell me a little bit about yourself.

Janice Morrissey:

I'm a mom of four. I have four boys. So, it's pretty crazy at my house when they were growing up. Lots of fights. Wife of 37 years or going on 37 years.

Ron Meyers:

That's awesome.

Janice Morrissey:

Yeah. Thank you. And a military family. My husband was in the military. My dad was in the military, and all four of my sons have served. So, I'm a big advocate for a military. And I had three Air Force sons, and of course my last one had to be a Marine [inaudible 00:03:11].

Ron Meyers:

Someone always has to be different.

Janice Morrissey:

He's our block head.

Ron Meyers:

Yeah. Well, I was there. Four! So, wow. That's awesome. I love the connection. Well, tell us a little bit about Sean growing up, the type of boy he was?

Janice Morrissey:

Sean was different than my other boys. You have four kids. And so, you decide what we're going to have for dinner, and Sean always wants something different. Never wanted what everybody else had. If everybody was going one way, Sean wanted to go the other way. He's just was his own person like that. And he was just a funny, funny kid. But he always had that quirkiness about him, where people just didn't understand him. He had a crazy little sense of humor, but he had a lot of fun.

Janice Morrissey:

And growing up, he's just... He had such a good smile, such a outgoing kid and everything. And going through high school, he still held his spark of happiness, but of course... And there's bullies and stuff. And Sean was a sensitive child so he couldn't understand why people would pick on other people. So that was tough for him.

Janice Morrissey:

But he decided he wanted to be a firefighter and that kid could start a fire out of nothing. He decided to be a firefighter, and he doesn't just want to be a firefighter, he wanted to be a firefighter in the Air Force. So, he waited till a billet came open, and [inaudible 00:04:27] firefighter in the Air Force. And got stationed in Davis–Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona. Loved it and all. And had great crew that he worked with. Just a fun kid. And I hear so many people tell me, "He was so good to us and he helped us out with so many things." Beause he would listen, he would give you the shirt off his back. He was a very giving person.

Ron Meyers:

Wow. And then November 17th, 2014 changed your destiny forever. What happened?

Janice Morrissey:

Sure did. Yeah. You start your day off. You go to work and everything's good. And by the end of the day, your day just turns upside down. So, of course, the people come to your house. Well, they didn't come to my house, they went to my husband's work in their uniform. And my husband said when they got out of the car, he knew. And we have all of our boys in the military at that time, one was in boot camp at the time for the Marines. And he said, "Which one?" Is what he asked. And that's how he found out.

Janice Morrissey:

My husband came to see me at Walmart, that's where I worked at the time. And he called me and he said, "I got something to tell you, but I need you to stay at work. I'll be there." Of course, I know something's wrong right away. And as a mom, I start calling everyone of my kids. And of course, I can't get ahold of Sean. So, my husband got there and told me what happened. And it's really weird that at that moment, I thought, I'm not surprised by it because he was struggling, and he had always struggled with self-harm, because he was very sensitive on that point. But I also thought, "Okay, I guess his pain's over now."

Janice Morrissey:

But it did change our whole lives. Everything we do now is centered around sharing Sean's story, talking about Sean, and getting his name out there. Because there's lots of Sean's out there. And also, I feel, by me sharing Sean's story, it's going to help others change their lives, and help them with what they struggle with.

Ron Meyers:

Now, you say there's lots of Sean's out there. What do you mean?

Janice Morrissey:

I mean, there are a lot of people that struggle with self harm, thoughts of suicide. I mean, it's unimaginable how many people there are. I talk to people all the time about Sean. I talked to them about suicide. And pretty much, I have not met a person yet, that has not been affected by suicide. I have not met one person yet. Either, you've known somebody, you have had personal struggles, or you have lost someone to suicide. So, I've not met a person yet that has not been affected by it. So, I really feel like that's something that we all need to share.

Ron Meyers:

Listeners, I will be giving a toll free number in a few minutes for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. In fact, it's right here. I'll give it to you right now. It's 1-800-273-TALK, T-A-L-K. And Janice, before you came in, I did a little research on my own in the state of Mississippi, and there is a suicide committed every 20 hours in the state of Mississippi.

Janice Morrissey:

Yes.

Ron Meyers:

That's terrible.

Janice Morrissey:

And we rank 32 in the country for suicides. I don't if you saw this with the populace. For a 100,000 deaths last year [inaudible 00:07:43] had 445 for the year. And we had 15 deaths for every 100,000, and then nationally, it's 14 deaths for every 100,000. So, we're kind of inching on up there, and you don't want to be that.

Ron Meyers:

In February of 2017, you were working at Walmart and you were having a bad day, a real bad day, and you made the decision to do something. What was that?

Janice Morrissey:

Well, I had a bad day at work. I felt... You have that pressure all day that something wasn't right. I just was feeling just troubled. So all day long, I couldn't get my stuff together. I was crying. I couldn't figure out what was going on. And I haven't cried in a while, at that moment, because that was three years past Sean's death, but I'd always been looking for something to do.

Janice Morrissey:

And I feel, because of all the anxiety I was having that day, at one point, I decided, "I am going to leave my job. I'm done with working at Walmart. I'm going to go and do what I feel like I need to do." And at that point, what I needed to do was to craft and I started business called Sean's Story with a semi-colon and share his story and let everybody know that it's not finished. I'm sharing his story and I'm talking about. Oh, sorry.

Ron Meyers:

Well, no. I love what you're saying, it's awesome. The one thing that intrigued me when you shared your story, you said that you were at work and you could feel Sean screaming at you to find a new purpose for your life.

Janice Morrissey:

I did. I know this sounds crazy, but Sean talks to me a lot, and he talks to me in different little ways, and I have to listen to it. And I had been ignoring that voice, because my husband's been telling me for like a year, I need to leave my job. And I kept on, "No, no, I need to stay here." And so I was ignoring Sean's calling to have me leave my job. And at that day, it was just so much pressure on me, and I feel like it was Sean telling me, "You need to go now."

Janice Morrissey:

And by the end of the day, when I decided to leave my job, I came home from work and it's like midnight, because I get off late. And I went online, I paid off all of our bills. I had such a peace. I called my store manager the next day, I said, "I'm giving my notice." Very calm and I kept thinking, "This is so crazy. But because Sean told me to do this..." And I truly believe he did, I felt very calm about it. I made the right decision, and I wouldn't look back. I don't look back. It's the best decision I ever made.

Ron Meyers:

Well, I loved your term. You were going to turn your pain into purpose.

Janice Morrissey:

Yeah. I found a purpose in my pain.

Ron Meyers:

You found a purpose in your pain. And listeners, we're going to take a break, and when we come back, we're going to hear about the purpose in the pain, and also, some ideas for you. And later in the show, I'm going to share something with you that I have never shared with anyone. And it's very, very personal. And that's coming up later. We'll be back in just a minute.

Speaker 4:

Does God speak to us today? If so, what does He sound like? Thundering roars, crashing waves, a booming megaphone? Maybe sometimes, but maybe it's not quite as Hollywood dramatic as all that. Maybe it's a little more simple. John, 10:27 says, "My sheep hear my voice. I know them and they follow me." In the midst of all the noise and questions, God is speaking and we can hear His voice, we just need to learn to recognize it.

Speaker 4:

So, what does He sound like? He sounds like love, reconciliation, kindness, wisdom, hope, truth. Do you know those sounds? Then maybe you hear His voice more often than you think. Maybe you're being led by Him more than you realize. Maybe God is speaking to you and you actually are listening. You just didn't know it.

Speaker 5:

(Singing).

Ron Meyers:

Listeners, welcome back. Today, my guest is Janice Morrissey and her son, Sean, a firefighter in the Air Force, committed suicide back in 2014. And she is a leading force now about suicide prevention. And now she's going to share some things with you that, if anyone out there is dealing with some pain in your life, she's going to share some things that she's learned. And also, we want to give some information and a phone number in just a little bit, the National Suicide Prevention hotline. Janice, so you leave Walmart, you pay off your bills, you're ready to go out there, so, what do you do?

Janice Morrissey:

Well, I started off doing a crafting business. I have a little Cricut, and so I was making decals, and I had made these decals called Remembrance Decals, which were ribbon shaped, but they were in the color of either suicide awareness colors, or I've done either breast cancer, with the pink. I've done dementia colors ribbons. And I put on the ribbon the person's names and days that they lost them as a remembrance of them. And I was selling the ribbons for 10 bucks and donating all that money to AFSP, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Janice Morrissey:

Well then it just kind of evolved into other crafts. And now I'm doing cups and stuff, which are glitter tumblers, and painted tumblers and stuff for people. But what I do it for is a therapy kind of... And I tell people, I can't say it's cheaper than actual therapy because it really is more expensive, but it's very calming. So, I craft and I make these things, and then I donate a portion of my proceeds to American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. So to me, I couldn't afford to just donate a lot of money, but I can make things that I can generate money off of, and then donate that money.

Ron Meyers:

And listeners, you know if you've listened to me for a while, I always say that there are no accidents, that God is always putting people in our paths. While I had the pleasure of meeting Janice at Christmas City. I didn't even know about her story, but she had a booth there, and she was a pretty hot exhibitor there. Everybody was stopping at her booth. And so we went and had a conversation and eventually we led to where she's sharing Sean's story today.

Ron Meyers:

Now, you said earlier that there's a lot of Sean's out there, and I agree. I know some Sean's out there. What can we do? What can we tell folks out there that know a Sean, to do before something could be too late?

Janice Morrissey:

Well, the biggest thing is to talk. Okay. If you see someone that you know that their behavior has changed, or they have suicide ideology, anyway, they're thinking about suicide. If you know someone, you just need to talk to them. Start that conversation, just be there for them. And the biggest thing is conversation. Suicide is one of those very complex issues that you can't say, "This is the formula. Anyone doing this will die by suicide." That's not it. It could be anyone and it's really hard to be aware of who they are, because they hide it so well. They want to be happy, so they try to make themselves happier.

Janice Morrissey:

But the biggest thing is to sit down and have conversations, real conversations, not on Facebook or a little tweet and say, "Hey, how are you doing?" No, have the real conversation, like, "I see that you look unhappy. You seem to be struggling. I want to help you." Be pointed on your conversations, don't sit there and just say, "Hey, how you doing?" So, that's the big thing. Talk.

Ron Meyers:

And if someone out there is listing and then say, "Well, I don't have anybody to talk to." And, "I'm feeling this." Then we need to have them call the number. Call a mental health provider, talk to a preacher, talk to someone, but you cannot be isolated, right?

Janice Morrissey:

No, don't isolate yourself. And don't feel like you're alone. Lots of people struggle with this. Lots of people struggle with self harm. I know, after I lost my son, I had the lowest points in my life. But I also realized that I have other people in my life, I have other children, I have my grandchildren, my husband, my friends, and all my family. So, there's more people out there that I need to stay here for. And everyone needs to know that. We all have people we need to stay here for. And you just need to talk to them.

Ron Meyers:

So Sean's with you every day in spirit, as you go out there. You showed me in your little she shed that you've got a Sean's couch in there. So a little piece of Sean is on everything you do, on every decal, and every little cup. So, you are sharing Sean with the world.

Ron Meyers:

My question is, do you know when you go out there and after you have a conversation, do you walk away saying, "I think I helped that person."

Janice Morrissey:

I absolutely do. In fact, when I did the Christmas City booth and... I haven't shared this with you on that, but I talked to a lot of people in my booth, and I actually have friends that come and help me, so they can run the register or whatever. So, I can just step aside and have conversations with people.

Janice Morrissey:

And it was amazing, the amount people I actually connected with and was able to talk to about losses in their lives. I had people that came up to me, and because they read about it, said that they also had struggled with self harm, with suicide. They had also lost someone to suicide. And I even had a person tell me that the work I do is, I'm ministering.

Ron Meyers:

Yes.

Janice Morrissey:

Yeah. I never even thought about that. But because I try to make that time to talk everybody about it, I feel like I do make a difference. And I hear stories all the time about how much I have changed their lives or I have helped them.

Ron Meyers:

Well, I think of the... There's a scripture verse that says in Romans 8:28, it says, "All things work together for good, for them that are called and love the Lord." What I'm saying is that God can take tragic, tragic situations, and you had the foresight and the get up and go to do something, and now you're making a difference in other people's lives because of the pain that you went through. As you said, you turned your pain into a purpose.

Janice Morrissey:

Yes. Exactly. And you have to find some kind of purpose, not just through the pain, but with your life in general. You have to figure out what you're here for. And it took losing my son to realize I'm here to help others, to give them hope, and to maybe help somebody else, to change their lives, to help them realize that they're important. They matter.

Ron Meyers:

Exactly. They matter.

Janice Morrissey:

I'm being their voice.

Ron Meyers:

Listeners, that phone number, toll free, 1-800-273-TALK. That is the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. And anybody, when you're going through any kind of trials, crisis, whatever it is, please, please, don't isolate yourself. Go talk to someone, talk to someone, and your life matters. God created you with an incredible plan. And we also have to understand, for those of us that believe in God, that there is an enemy out there whose mission is to kill, steal, and destroy our dreams, and our hopes, and our lives. So there's a battle that takes place all of our lives, a spiritual battle between good and evil.

Ron Meyers:

Even I can be a crazy, fanatic, wild man for Jesus on the streets. But at the same time, I can feel the spiritual warfare against me on a daily basis. Like, "Ron, why do you do stupid stuff like this for? Nobody wants to listen to this." But I know that's a lie. That's a lie because we're doing good. We're doing good. You're doing good. And you have such a good spirit around you. So, do you set a goal that when you go out every day you're going to share Sean's story with at least one or two people, or do things just happen?

Janice Morrissey:

It just happens. I feel like I happened to be at the place I need to be when I talk about it. Like I said, I talk to people all the time and then they shared their stories. I actually worked with a lady that I have known for over 20 years at Walmart, at the time. And when I started sharing Sean's story, I found out that her son had died by suicide. And she said that the week after I started sharing Sean's story, was the most she's ever talked about her son since she lost him.

Ron Meyers:

Yeah.

Janice Morrissey:

And it felt like it helped her, it freed her up to talk.

Ron Meyers:

And I know, listeners, this is radio, you can't see through, but she has this beautiful little locket around her neck of Sean. How old was he in that picture?

Janice Morrissey:

This is his graduation picture from high school. He was 18.

Ron Meyers:

Okay. And he's got a little fire or symbol in there.

Janice Morrissey:

Charm.

Ron Meyers:

Yeah.

Janice Morrissey:

Little charms.

Ron Meyers:

Yeah. And so, that's a precious keepsake, isn't it?

Janice Morrissey:

Yes, it is.

Ron Meyers:

Amen.

Janice Morrissey:

It is.

Ron Meyers:

So, closing words, thoughts, anything you feel, as you said, you minister to people out there. So, you've got the microphone and there's somebody out there that needs to hear what you're about to say. What would it be, anything?

Janice Morrissey:

I guess, the big thing is, remember that you matter, you matter to so many people. I don't even know you and you matter to me. So, I need you to know that, that if you are struggling with something, reach out, talk to somebody, this talk number, the National Suicide Prevention number, or crisis number, they will talk to you, they will help you out. So if you can't talk to anybody, you can talk to them.

Janice Morrissey:

There's also a text number you can text if you don't feel like talking. So, there's so much that you can do. And just remember that you matter. And if you forget that, remind yourself of that, you matter.

Ron Meyers:

Yeah.

Janice Morrissey:

And someone's going to be whispering in your ear, your mind is going to tell you things, and you got to know, break through that, and just those two little words, "You matter."

Ron Meyers:

Right.

Janice Morrissey:

Remember it.

Ron Meyers:

Exactly. In fact, take a little sticky note, put it on your mirror. Everybody looks in their mirror every day-

Janice Morrissey:

That's right, you matter.

Ron Meyers:

Yes, and say, "I matter." Yeah.

Janice Morrissey:

Exactly.

Ron Meyers:

And start saying, you matter, you've got a gift and a talent the world needs.

Ron Meyers:

Well, Janice, God bless you. Thank you-

Janice Morrissey:

Thank you.

Ron Meyers:

...so much for coming in and sharing your story.

Janice Morrissey:

Thank you.

Ron Meyers:

Wow. Listeners, that phone number one more time. American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, 1-800-273-TALK. Oh, one thing, Janice.

Janice Morrissey:

Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Ron Meyers:

How can they get in touch with you or buy some decals or cups from you?

Janice Morrissey:

Okay. So, I have a Facebook page and I do a lot of... I don't do Etsy because I want to do one-on-one, I like to talk to people personally. So, you could just send me a message if you're interested in doing a cup or something. But my Facebook page is www.facebook.com/seans.story2014. So, I lost him in 2014, so that's why that's part of the name. So it's seans.story2014 and that's on Facebook. And all my information is on there. You can get in touch with me.

Ron Meyers:

Thanks, Janice. God bless you.

Janice Morrissey:

Thanks.

Ron Meyers:

Well, listeners, I'll take a break and when I come back, I will share something that's very, very personal to me and I haven't shared it probably with anyone until now.

Speaker 6:

It's popular these days to refer to God as only a higher power. And as the philosophy goes, just plug into any religion and you've plugged into the higher power. God disagrees. You see, you wouldn't try to plug your toaster into your clock, and you wouldn't plug your VCR into your cat. No matter how sincere you are in your belief, you get no power. God says, "If you want the power of love, eternal life, and peace, you plug into only one place." His son, Jesus Christ. That's real power. A powerful reminder.

Ron Meyers:

I wanted to end my life at the age of 14. You see, I was the odd ball of seven children. It seemed like I could do nothing right. I wore a label called, "Misfit." I was removed from the public schools in the second grade and transferred into a Catholic school. My parents thought the nuns could keep me aligned, and boy were they wrong. If you were told long enough that you're a misfit and good for nothing, well, you begin to believe it.

Ron Meyers:

So, one day I wrapped a belt around my neck, tied it to the rod in my clothes closet and fell to the floor. Then, in an instant, the rod collapsed on my head and I sat there with a pair of bell bottom pants draped over my face, crying. But then my friend, the room got dead still. I could hear my heart beating. And then the most beautiful, loving, peaceful voice spoke inside of my chest.

Ron Meyers:

The voice said, "Ronnie, do not hurt yourself. I love you and I have a plan for you." I knew, in an instant, it was Jesus. I learned all about Jesus from Sister Mary Catherine in school. That day, God stepped into a scrawny, confused little boys room and saved his life. Now you may ask, "Why did God speak to you?" I have no idea, but life has shown me that desperation will bring God into a person's life.

Ron Meyers:

For me, it was a still, small voice. For others, it could be an angel that comes into your life in the form of a friend or a stranger. It could be the sermon you hear on Sunday, or a talk from a motivational speaker. Just like today, I believe God is speaking to someone through this broadcast. Now that encounter with God was 48 years ago. I turned my pain into pursuing my purpose. Since that day I have plowed through adversity and pain 100s of times because my purpose is greater than my pain.

So, what's the answer to life's struggles? Well, what's the question? What is it you want from God? The Bible says, "You have not, because you ask not." If you still think, though, God is a fairytale and you're not ready to trust God, well, then talk to someone. There are many professionals and counselors whose destiny is to help bring renewal and hope to individuals.

So, my message to you today is this, your life matters. You have a plan, and it's an awesome plan. And you will have struggles, but when you walk in God's purpose for your life, He will turn your pain into your purpose.

Speaker 7:

Ron will be back in a moment to wrap up today's conversation. We want to encourage you today with God's promise to you. It comes from the book of Jeremiah, chapter 29, verse 11, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." That's God's promise to you, when you choose to commit your plans and future to Him. Now, back to Ron.

Ron Meyers:

Well, my time is up friends and I hope you were as blessed as I was. God loves you. God has a plan for you, and today is the day to Get The Hell Out of Your Life.  The suicide prevention hotline number is 1-800-273-TALK