Memoir Monday: Healing Is Holy
Did you know that?
I used to know it, but somehow it fell by the wayside.
For years, I associated anything labeled holy with religion.
Religion and I broke up.
It wasn’t who I thought it was.
Or at least it wasn’t what it presented itself to be.
But holiness isn’t owned by religion.
God owns it.
And God decides how it shows up in my life.
Saturday reminded me of that.
Recently, I’ve felt a growing urge to get out more. Not socially, but purposefully. I wanted to be in the company of other small business owners, authors, speakers, and people building something meaningful in their communities.
I’ve searched before, but everything seemed to lead me to Atlanta. Since I live in Northwest Georgia, I was determined to find something closer to home.
So I gave ChatGPT a job.
It returned a list of ten events in my area, and I was impressed.
Number two on the list was happening just three days later and was right in my price range.
As I tried to register, the link didn’t work, so I reached out to the organizer, Ms. Gigi Parker. Her kindness came through immediately in her response. She quickly sent me a new link.
To my surprise, the price listed there was twice what I expected.
I thanked her, told her I wouldn’t be able to attend, and wished her a successful summit.
She wrote back almost immediately:
“I have six sponsored seats left. If the cost is an issue, please don’t let it. I don’t want you to miss whatever God has for you. I will gladly make sure there is room at the table for you on Saturday.”
Her generosity touched my heart.
But even more than that, her belief that God might have something there for me filled my soul.
Substackers, Gigi is a woman of her word.
She had room for me at the table.
I sat beside a wonderful elder from the Bahamas, Miss Constance. She welcomed me as though I’d grown up in her home. She explained the items set before me, outlined the events of the day, and sat proudly on her throne as the mother of one of the many angels assisting Gigi throughout the summit.
I’ll resist the urge to tell you every detail.
But I will tell you this:
It was holy.
And it was healing.
Along with words of strength and fortitude from Gigi herself, the panel of speakers addressed healing from many directions—mental healing, physical healing, financial healing, relationship and marriage healing, trauma healing, addiction recovery, and even the role prescriptions can play in a healing journey.
What moved me most was realizing that God didn’t just provide something for me.
He provided something for me to carry back to others.
People I love.
People who are hurting.
People who are healing.
From the moment I arrived until the moment I pulled into my driveway twenty-five minutes later, that experience felt sacred.
Saturday exceeded my expectations.
I stepped out hoping to expand my wings.
Instead, God met me there.
He lifted me out of my shell and reminded me that healing is not weakness.
Healing is not selfish.
Healing is holy.
Healing isn't the cure.
Healing is the courage to keep walking until the cure finds you.
Thank you, Gigi Parker, for your generosity and benevolence.
May God bless you tenfold and magnify your light so that other women can find their way to it too.
Have you ever experienced a moment that felt both holy and healing?
I’d love to hear about it in the comments.
And if you’re enjoying these glimpses into my story, join my Memoir List for behind-the-scenes reflections, early excerpts, and updates on A Memoir of Refusing to Betray Myself Just to Survive. Click below.