Stroke of Faith: How One Woman's Near-Death Experience Led to Her True Calling-Part 1

Send us a text

Life can change in an instant. Kelly Orrico knows this firsthand. After surviving a catastrophic stroke at age 38 that nearly took her life, Kelly found herself questioning her purpose and why she had been spared when doctors had no explanation for what caused her stroke in the first place.

The story Kelly shares is nothing short of extraordinary. From the stranger who mysteriously appeared with her dog and entered her home to help, to the paramedic who broke protocol by taking her to the one hospital in Atlanta with the technology to save her, to the supernatural experience of feeling her late mother's presence during the ambulance ride – every moment seems divinely orchestrated. 

But the heart of Kelly's journey comes after survival. Battling post-stroke depression and constantly questioning her purpose, Kelly describes years of seeking direction through prayer and Bible study. The answer finally came when she recognized a critical gap in support for widowed parents after the initial wave of sympathy fades. Drawing from personal experience helping others and the biblical call to care for widows and orphans, Kelly founded the Widowed Parent Relief Project (WPRP), a nonprofit providing tangible, ongoing support when everyone else has moved on.

What makes this conversation particularly powerful is Kelly's insight into grief support. She explains why the common "let me know if you need anything" approach fails grieving people who are overwhelmed by decision-making and often don't know what they need. Her organization addresses this by providing specific, concrete assistance rather than vague offers of help.

The final confirmation of Kelly's mission came in discovering that National Widows Day falls on May 3rd – the very day that had haunted her questions about the timing of her stroke. In that moment, her entire journey clicked into place, revealing how her struggles had prepared her to serve others in their darkest moments.

Has Kelly's story stirred something in you? Consider how you might better support those grieving in your community, or reflect on whether you're living with the kind of purpose that acknowledges the preciousness of each day. Share your thoughts or experiences in the comments below.

For more information or to know more about the Shed Geek Podcast visit us at our website.

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube at the handle @shedgeekpodcast.

To be a guest on the Shed Geek Podcast visit our website and fill out the "Contact Us" form.

To suggest show topics or ask questions you want answered email us at [e-mail].

This episodes Sponsors:
Studio Sponsor: Union Grove Lumber

Making Sales Simple
Digital Shed Builder
iFAB LLC
NewFound Solutions
Solar Blaster 

Episode Transcript

Shed Geek (00:08):
Okay, welcome back to another episode of the Shed
Geek podcast and super excited,as usual, about today's guest
and I'll give you a littleplatform.
Normally you guys know that Isay hey, tell me a little bit
about who you are and yourself,and you're probably going to be

(00:29):
expecting someone on the otherside of that to talk about sheds
, whether it's sales andmarketing or manufacturing or
hauling or products or services.
And today we're going a littleoff script, we're going outside
of the shed industry but, asBilly Mays would say, but wait,
there's more.
The reason that we are doingthis is because of our buddy,
joe Ignis, and you guys haveheard Joe on the podcast or some
of his team a few times withthe Knowledge Gap and I got

(00:50):
invited down to Knoxville to theKnowledge Gap and got to listen
to Joe and, with any luck, youguys are going to see Joe at
this year's hopefully at thisyear's Shed Expo in Knoxville
because he's a local and we'retrying to connect him with some
of the folks there.
But wonderful sales guy.

(01:11):
We met him.
He says come on down, you gottacome down to my annual event.
I do.
I get to sit at my table, and Ilistened to Kelly, who's getting
ready to be introduced here,and her story was just so
impactful.
And if you guys are drivingtrucks today, driving sheds
around, driving nails intobuildings, whatever you're doing

(01:32):
, driving yourself crazy,sitting at a shed lot maybe, but
I think you'll be blessed byjust the conversation, because I
was blessed by it and I justthought, man, how can we use our
platform to expand her story?
Because I just really felttouched by it.

(01:52):
I felt like it was awesome.
So, we'll get into the detailsof that.
But, Kelly, as I normally sayto our guests, welcome and
please feel free to introduceyourself and a little bit about
what you do.

Kelly Orrico (02:06):
All right, thank you.
Thanks so much for having me on.
This is fun, this is exciting.
So, my name is Kelly Orrico andI'm the co-founder and
executive director for anonprofit called Widowed Parent
Relief Project we go by WPRP.
We sound like a radio station,but we're not, so we go by WPRP
Widowed Parent Relief Project.

Shed Geek (02:29):
So, this is a 501c3.
This is a project that youbelieve in very much, but
there's a whole story behind howyou came to this, as there is
with anyone, right.
You know, I always talk to theshed guys and say, did you wake
up one day and decide to startbuilding sheds or selling sheds,
or how'd you fall into thisworld anyway?

(02:51):
And some of them are second orthird generation, but for the
most part there's this reallycool story that God has sort of
like ordained to come true.
Right, you go through, you knowthis and this and this, and it
lands you somewhere.
You go through, you know thisand this and this and it lands
you somewhere.
It lands you in your purpose orit lands you in a moment where
you realize this isn't mypurpose and I need to go find it

(03:11):
and this is what I'm doinguntil I get there.
But your story, had it had suchan impact, I felt like me and
Deanna really talked about it alot.
We were leaving there, we weregoing to speak in Millersburg,
and we just kept talking aboutit.
But I wanted to kind of getyour story and what got you to
want to start a widowed parentrelief project.

Kelly Orrico (03:35):
Sure, yeah, that's a great question.
Yeah, definitely, many times inlife I feel like we have
different missions at differentperiods in our life.
When I was younger, I reallyjust wanted to be a teacher and
a mom for the most part, and Iwas that.
I really, I was that I havefour children.
I was a teacher most of my life.
As a young child, and kind ofsecretly in the back of my head,

(03:57):
I always wanted to create avillage for orphans.
I would go to sleep kind ofdreaming about what if we had a
community where we could takeall the kids that don't have
moms and dads that loved themand all the adults that want to
be able to love kids and putthem together and make a village
, and I would just dream aboutthis all the time.
When I was a kid, you know.
But people ask you what youwant to do when you grow up and

(04:20):
you say teacher.
Then that's what I was, and itwas great.
A little while later in my lifeI was a mom.
I stayed at home for most of mytime as a when the kids were
young, and then I tutored anddid some things on the side and
then eventually went back toteaching and somehow eventually
found a little bit ofdiscontentment there and I left.

(04:41):
We moved around a lot.
My husband's an entrepreneur,so we have moved.
I've packed my boxes 19 timesin 23 years.
Professional packers could havebeen in.

Shed Geek (04:51):
Wow, yeah, that's big .

Kelly Orrico (04:54):
That would have been my choice.
But yeah, and so my storyreally begins.
At this time, I was selling.
My husband owned a biddingsoftware.
If you ever go to a charityevent and you bid on silent
auction items through your phone, if you've ever seen that.
He helped launch a company thatdid that back in the day when

(05:15):
it was first getting started,and I ran, I sold that software
and went to all thesefundraising events and helped
them from the fundraising sideof their event, and so I have
been to so many galas and thatkind of thing and helped people
fundraise that way at the event.
And so, my story, though,really begins.
When I was 38, my mom my mompassing away.

(05:38):
She was just 63 years old, andshe died on May 3rd, which is my
oldest son's, was my oldestson's 13th birthday.
He's his name is Frankie, andthe morning that she of the day
that she died, on this May 3rd,I said something to my mom.
I said, mom, if you can find away to come back and tell me

(06:00):
that you're with me and thatyou're okay and all this heaven
stuff is for real, then do it.
And she said okay.
And I said, you promise?
And she said I promise, andI'll tell you.
I mean, I've had faith in Godmy life.
But you can hear throughout mylife, when I was raised
believing in Jesus and God, butyou can hear by that statement
alone, like where my faith wasright, like I needed proof that

(06:22):
this was real.
I wanted to know where you werewhen you passed, and so later
that night she made that promiseto me.
She said she would come back,tell me she was okay, and all
that heaven stuff was for real.
And when she passed away laterthat night, Frankie was holding
her hand when she passed and mymom was a nurse and she, Frankie
was her first grandchild andshe brought Frankie into the

(06:44):
world and so this was like a bigdeal, like the circle of life
of Frankie holding her hand andher um passing away at that
moment.
And it was.
It was a lot to handle, but um,but it was also beautiful and
same the same breath, right, andso, um, a little while later we
got a dog, about six monthsafter my mom died, and we swore,
my husband and I swore we wouldnever get a dog.
We are a dog.
About six months after my momdied and we swore, my husband

(07:05):
and I swore we would never get adog.
We are not dog people and thiswas like.
So our youngest at this timewas basically almost 10.
And we knew that, likeChristmas, this was coming in on
kind of the end of the wholemagic of Christmas wise right.
And so we wanted to make thisspectacular.
So we decided we're going toget a dog.

(07:26):
And on the way home from pickingup the dog, it was a.
We said it was a mini goldenretriever.
Well, I picked out a dog thatwas black, had big brown furry
eyebrows and like these giantpaws, and it was supposed to be
mini.
I can tell by the size of thepaws.
But CJ and I started gigglingwho's my husband?
And he's like what's so funny?
And I said you know, my momalways used to say that people's

(07:48):
dogs look like their owners.
And he goes yeah, and I'm likeI picked the dog that looks like
you.
It's not a golden retriever,you know.
And I said you know, we'redoing this just because my mom,
because friend told me she was.
You're trying to fill a hole inyour heart.
That's what people do.
They get dogs.
And I said you know, we'regetting this because of my mom,

(08:09):
and he goes yep, either that orshe's just sticking it to me one
last time.
So, we go home, it's Christmastime and the kids were so
excited they named him Slayerbecause he came on little bit of
rock star.
You know name there.
And now fast forward to this isactually May 2.
So, the dogs you know about sixmonths old or whatnot, and I

(08:31):
had a broken ankle and I'msitting on my couch, and this
day is a pretty phenomenal dayactually.
My daughter is, so Frankie wasabout to turn 14.
So, my twin girls, and theywere 12, and then Danny was 10
and a couple of things happenedthat morning that I just think
about all the time.
One is Gracie, one of my, oneof my twins did not want to go

(08:53):
to school.
She was like mom, let me takecare of you and I'm like honey,
I'm fine, you just want to skipschool, like go to school.
And I said, oh, but wait reallyquick before you go.
Can you run upstairs and get mycharger?
It's next to my, you know, so Ican have it next to my work
spot.
So again, it was on crutches,it was staying downstairs, and
she goes mom, my phone isplugged in right next to your

(09:15):
spot where you're working.
I was like, oh good, whichmeans there's a charger there.
A little bit while also laterin the morning.
Now it's time for the young one, Danny, to get on the bus and,
I kid you not, I'm giving him ahug, goodbye, and he goes to
pull away like normal kid.
It's time to get on the bus andI grab him, I hold him a little

(09:35):
bit longer and I thought tomyself, just in case today's my
last day here, you know, andobviously my mom's anniversary
is on my head this is tomorrowwould be her anniversary but I
held on to him for that momentand off he went.
And a couple hours later I'mtyping away, working, you know,
from home, and I hear the dogreally making some terrible
noises coming from the kitchenand I get on my crutches and I
hobble in there and he, for anunknown reason still don't know

(09:58):
why, but he vomited all alongthe perimeter of this kitchen
area of where he was in hislittle crated spot.
It wasn't created, it's just asection of the kitchen.
I'm like, oh my gosh.
So, I'm on crutches and I'mtrying to clean all this stuff
up and he's all starts makingthis noise again and I thought I
got to get him outside.
But we have no fence, he's notbeen trained on the perimeter or

(10:21):
anything like that, and I'mthinking, is he going to run
away?
I don't think he's going to runaway.
He doesn't feel good.
So, I take him outside and he'skind of doing his thing and then
it looks like he's starting todo better, and I want to get him
in because I'm afraid he'sgoing to run away.
And I take my crutch, and Istick it in the.
I had the leash on him, Iwasn't holding bend down.

(10:44):
I take the crutch and I stickit in the little, you know, the
little part of that leash.
And I was feeling quiteathletic because I did my first
try.
I was like nailed it, you know.
I leaned down to pick it up andwhen I kind of stood back up my
head just erupted, and I hadthis terrible, terrible pain in
my head.

ADVERTISEMENT (11:03):
Are you swimming in leads but struggling to close
the deal?
It's time to turn those leadsinto profits with Making Sales
Simple, the ultimate salestraining program designed
specifically for shed salesprofessionals.
At Making Sales Simple, weunderstand the challenges you
face overwhelmed by inquiries,unsure how to follow up, and

(11:26):
missing opportunities that canboost your bottom line.
Our proven techniques help youand your team master the art of
connecting with customers,building trust and closing deals
like never before.
Whether you're new to theindustry or a seasoned pro, this
training will sharpen yourskills, increase your
conversions and drive yourbusiness to new heights.

(11:47):
Don't let those leads go cold.
Invest in your team's successtoday.
Making sales simple, becauseevery lead deserves a closer.

Kelly Orrico (12:02):
Well, I get migraines.
So, I'm thinking, wow, I justgot an instant migraine, I need
to go in, I need to drink thismuch water, I need to take four
ibuprofen, and I usually take anap when that happens or at
least just close my eyes becauseI'll get those like ocular
can't see, kind of thing.
So I've got the leash and Istart to try to pull Slayer

(12:22):
inside and he starts burrowinghis paws into the ground and
he's a strong puppy and he's notletting me go and I said come
on, slayer, slayer, slayer myspeech is slurred and I'm
pulling him and pulling himbecause my head is killing me
and I just really wanted to getin there and get that out of
program and he wouldn't come in.

(12:44):
So eventually I think he'sgoing follow me.
He's a puppy, he's not gonnastay out here, he's gonna follow
me and I've got to go get theibuprofen.
So, I hobble into the kitchen,and I do think that he follows
me and when I get into thekitchen I kind of fall like, so
I go through the garage you haveto go through the garage up two
steps I fall into the kitchentable, back into the wall.

(13:05):
I'm trying to grab the chair,but I can't see really.
I just like it's everything'sreally just blurry and I fall
into the table to the wall acouple of times and eventually I
get this chair, and I sit inthe chair and I.
It's one of those gatheringtables.
It's high seated, high.
And I just put my head on thetable and like the coolness of
it and I'm just resting therewaiting for this pain to go away

(13:28):
.
And I sit up and I go Schleyer,nope, still Schleyer.
And so now I'm like I need toget into the family room where
my workstation is, or myappropriate is, and I hobble
there and I'm thinking to myselfI wish Gracie was here today
because right now she wanted totake care of me, right Like I
had to get over the gate, likein the kitchen, I had to like

(13:49):
hobble over this stuff, and I'mlike really wish she was here
and I sit down and I take a sipof water and I grabbed the
ibuprofen and I go to lift myhand and my whole left side is
not working.
So, you think about how fastthis is happening Because I just
hobbled over there, my fingersare not moving, nothing is
moving on my left-hand side, andso now my head is rip roaring

(14:10):
and I'm trying to flip open thisibuprofen and it is not opening
.
I'm getting very frustrated.
So, I take the water, and Ijust start pouring it over my
head and I this is a normalwater bottle, and I slammed down
the water bottles.
Now it's gone.
I'm frustrated and all of asudden, I hear hello, hello, I
have your dog.
I was so confused because one Ithought Slayer followed me and

(14:31):
you kind of have to get pastthat kitchen door.
So, I still don't really knowhow I didn't shut that door
coming in.
Well, what ends up happening isI hear the story later from
this man.
This man lives a half a milefrom my house.
I've never seen him before.
He's walking his dog and Slayer, who did not run away, is
sitting on the edge of thedriveway.

(14:51):
And when this man comes by withhis puppy and starts to pass,
slayer gets up and startscircling him and he thinks this
is so weird, this puppy with aleash and no owner.
And he sees the garage dooropen, he sees the kitchen door
open and then he thinks I'mgoing to take this dog into that
stranger's home.
I just think like how manypeople would really do that.

Shed Geek (15:11):
Right yeah.

Kelly Orrico (15:13):
And he did.
And he comes in and he's kindof talking to me and I'm the
whole time wanting to talk tohim about how he got my dog and
finally, but my head is killingme.
And finally he says are you inpain?
And the word stroke would notcome to my head.
The word 911 would not come tomy head, which is pretty
remarkable because I think itwas two, maybe three weeks

(15:36):
before this moment.
I was part of the rotary where Iwas living.
At the time it was a suburb inAtlanta called Roswell, Georgia,
and the Rotarians there, theyhad a nurse come and talk to all
of us about the strokes of, orthe symptoms of, stroke.
And I'm looking around at allthe old time, 38, 39 years old.
I'm looking at all the oldtimers, like y'all better pay

(15:57):
attention to this.
And so here I am.
Now this is a couple of yearslater and uh, or shortly after,
you know, weeks after that, Ishould say Um, and I'm thinking
I need to tell him my speech isslurred.
If I tell him my speech isslurred, he's going to get it.
And so, he says are you in pain?
And I said my speech is slurred.
He says, well, I can see that.

(16:18):
Can I get you something?
I mean, I could always be thatway, and he just doesn't.
I, you know, he doesn't know me.
And so, I started cryingbecause I realized he doesn't
understand what I'm telling him.
And my, I really wanted to bewhen he said can you, can I get
you something?
I want to be like yeah, drugs,a lot of drugs.
That's really what I wanted tosay.
And I started crying and I saidI don't know if I should call a

(16:40):
doctor.
And he said what about yourhusband?
Do you have a husband?
Is he in town?
And I thought, oh, call CJ.
And I'm leaning forward to getmy phone that's on the cocktail
table.
And I'm thinking to myself he'snever going to answer this call
.
Like, again, I work for him.
If I Skype him, text him, hemight answer.
But like any phone calls he'slike I'll talk to you when we

(17:01):
get home.
You know what I mean.
So, I knew he wasn't going toanswer it.
And as I'm leaning forward, Ihear Gracie's voice Mom, my
phone is plugged in right nextto your spot.
And that phone again.
The kids were younger.
We had one phone that we sharedthat for the kids it was the
house phone and it was calledkids sell and I was like, oh, if
he sees kids sell in the middleof a school day, he's going to

(17:23):
answer this.
And so, I lean back, and Iunplug it with my right hand and
I hit favorites dad and I passthe phone, and I go CJ.
I'm thinking it's going to begreat.
CJ is going to fix everything,like he typically does.
And so, he sees kids cell andhe's like what the heck?
And answers the call.
He's walking into a boardmeeting with my brother, who he
owned this company with, and hesaid to me goes oh yeah, if you

(17:45):
called me, never, ever wouldhave answered that phone call.
So he's like, hey, now I getthis hello and this man typical
southerner, like sweetest man soI was walking down the street I
had my dog and I came upon yourdog and he's just kind of
slowly you know, we're fromChicago we're like fast movers

(18:06):
and, um, CJ's initial thoughtwas like the kids must have left
the phone in the park.
And then he started saying aboutthe dog and he's like.
And then he says I'm in yourhouse and he's like, there's a
man in my house, this is youknow.
So, what is this?
And then eventually it's to thestory, or her speech is slurred
, she seems like she's in painand, um, I'll tell you.
Okay, CJ and I are high schoolsweethearts and he's known me my

(18:29):
whole life and I will prefacethis with telling you I have
never been drunk at 10 in themorning, okay, ever.
And CJ asks this man, is shedrunk?
I was so mad.
I'm like why did you ask himthat question?
Why would you ask him thatquestion?
That's just not, that's so dumb.
And he's like well, I didn'tknow, your mom's anniversary is

(18:50):
the next day.
And I'm like so you think I'mdrinking, like what it just was?
Like blew my mind.
Anyways, thankfully, thankfully, the man says no, I don't think
so.
And he says well, is she havinga stroke?
And the man says I think so.
And he said, oh, hang up andcall 911.
They said I'm going to keep youon the line.

(19:14):
I'm going to call 911 on myphone, and so CJ's on the phone.
Eventually this paramedic comesto my house and he's talking to
CJ, he's talking to me and Ireally was tired, I just kind of
wanted to go to sleep.
But I'm talking.
What hospital do you want to goto?
I say I don't know.
I think about that nurse thatjust spoke.
It's a Northside hospital.
And CJ says no, she needs to goto Emory.
And I was like I really don'tcare, Emory's fine.

(19:34):
And the paramedic says no, Idon't think you should go there,
I think you should go toKennestone Hospital.
Now, keep in mind, I've run somany fundraising events for the
city of Atlanta, right Like I'vedone so many hospital events.
I had never heard of Kennestoneand I was like that's fine,
wherever you take me out, that'sfine.
And later on, when afterwardsall of this, I spoke to a nurse

(19:57):
and she's like that's againstthe law.
Like you said where you wantedto go, he's supposed to take you
where you go.
And so, this wonderful manbroke the law and took me to
this hospital.
And there are 40 stroke centersin all of Atlanta, but there's
only one, Kennestone Hospital,that had the technology that
could do what needed to be donethat day, and so he broke the

(20:18):
law and took me there.
Well, here he is.
He scoops me out because I havea broken ankle.
My neighbor CJ, my neighbor,she was over, and I love when

(20:41):
she tells the story becauseshe's like this fireman scoops
her up and I'm like, wait, wait,pause.
And she's telling me this rightnow.
I'm like are we talking like agood looking calendar fireman,
or are we talking laughing?
And so you know, you got tokeep your humor about these
things.

ADVERTISEMENT (20:45):
Digital Shed Builder is an online shed
configurator that strives toprovide incredible visual
quality, fantastic customerservice and an amazingly low
price point, making it a perfectfit for any shed dealer looking
to increase their online sales.
Digital Shed Builder is simpleto use, taking less than five
minutes to integrate on yoursite.

(21:06):
The get a quote featurestreamlines your sales process,
showing you exactly what yourpotential customers need.
They offer a highlycustomizable experience that
accurately represents your brandand unique shed offerings,
working with you directly to setup everything you need in a

(21:27):
configurator, with no extrastartup cost, no lengthy
contracts or commitments and nohidden fees.
Digital Shed Builder has beencreated with quality, simplicity
and affordability in mind.

Kelly Orrico (21:45):
And so, what a sweet man,
And he puts me in on a gurney.
Once we are outside theambulance and I'm getting in the
ambulance and I can see the skyand I see Jesus's face and my
mom's face pop up and I startyelling at them both.
I said you would not do this toFrankie two years in a row.

(22:06):
Come on, the kids always yellat me and tell me that that's my
saying when they're notlistening.
Like you know, and like youjust wouldn't do that to Frankie
because my mom was Frankie'slike God person.
She was always the person thatwould talk to Frankie about
Jesus and he was devastated whenshe died and like still is.
This is a thing right.
So, anyways, I'm just likethinking you, this is going to

(22:30):
be Frankie's birthday tomorrow.
You just, you just can't dothis.
And then I, ever since I waseight years old, but we had some
religious class I was told thatif you have one minute to live,
say you're sorry to Jesus forall of your sins, proclaim him
as your savior and you will gostraight to heaven.

(22:52):
So, I've been practicing my 30second prayer since I was eight.
Like I mean, I've beenpracticing this.
So, after I was done, yellingat the Lord and my mom.
I thought my prayer.
So, I say my prayer and then I'mlike, okay, well, I'm still
alive.
So, Lord, bring smart doctors,steady hands, wise choices.

(23:14):
I really could use Dr Shepardright about now from Grey's
Anatomy.
I'm like, but he's dead.
So sorry if that's a spoileralert, shouldn't be.
It's been years but in my brainabout Dr Shepard, the
neurologist on Grey's Anatomy,and then I thought, oh, my
cousin Steve, he's a neurologist, but he's up in Michigan and
he's like my cousin-in-law andI'm like that's not going to be

(23:35):
good.
So, Lord, I just need a reallywise doctor and smart choices.
And they start telling meeverything that's going to
happen when I get out of theambulance and I start really
missing my mom.
I've never been in the hospitalwithout my mom.
I've had several miscarriagesthroughout my life.
She's been there for everydelivery.
On top of all that, and I start, but tears start kind of coming

(23:59):
down my face and they'regetting me out of the ambulance
and there's CJ and I wanted himto know.
I was crying not because of mystroke, but because I missed mom
and I was like I miss mom andhe's like I know, I know.
And they pull me into theemergency room, and it was just
like you would see it on TV,honestly, like it's in this back
room.
There's people surrounding meeverywhere and they asked me to
do all these things and I'mfailing every test.

(24:19):
You know, raise both your arms,like one arm goes up, and how
many fingers on this side I canmake.
I can see my right side, but Icouldn't see anything on my left
.
Nothing on my left was working.
So, they pull me into the getan MRI and at the same time they
pull CJ into this room and thisdoctor comes in and he says

(24:40):
listen, you can think of me as aplumber.
We gave her the Drano.
It's not working, we need to goin and snake the drain and
every second counts.
There's a new technology.
You got to sign right here.
And CJ says to this man he'slike are you the best plumber?
Who's the best plumber in thehospital?
And this man was in a suit andhe kind of like squares up a

(25:01):
little bit and he says I wasn'tsupposed to be here today.
I got called in for anemergency board meeting that
they interrupted to tell meabout your wife.
I'm the head of neurosurgery, Iam the best there is here.
And so, I said all right, youknow, signs the papers.
And they pull me out of the MRIroom.
And now I see their CJ is thereand with the doctor and he goes

(25:24):
to introduce me to Dr.
Caldi was his, is his name.
And I'm thinking I'm being sofunny.
You know I can't see anythingon my left and CJ's like this is
Dr.
Caldi.
And I'm like is there a DrShepard in the hospital?
He didn't think that was funnyat all.
And he's like Dr.
Caldi's taking care of you.
And he said okay, you know, saygoodbye to your wife.
And CJ was like this.

(25:45):
And then taps my forehead andthey start to wheel away and the
doctor stops the gurney and helooks at CJ and says you need to
give your wife a kiss.
And CJ looks at him and goesI'm not kissing my wife, goodbye
, no, go.
Hit a home run and he justturned around and walked away
and they started to wheel awayand all of a sudden I am like

(26:09):
again missing my mom, cause nowit's about to happen.
Right, it's all just about tohappen and all of a sudden this
like panic.
My chest just feels like a10,000 pounds and I think to
myself I've never had a panicattack, but I have a feeling
that's what is about to happenhere.
And my mom, when she was sick,read the devotional Jesus
calling.

(26:29):
Mom, when she was sick, readthe devotional Jesus Calling.
And so, I start saying okay,Jesus Calling, Jesus Calling,
Jesus Calling.
And all of a sudden, these Bibleverses start flooding my brain.
Okay, I mean, you heard wheremy faith was prior to this.
I don't have memorized Bibleverses in my life at this time.
Those are not my words, that isGod's words.
And yes, I've read through someJesus Calling devotionals, but

(26:53):
I've never memorized any Bibleverses at this point in my life.
And so, it's like be still.
Have no fear, I am with you.
And it was like bam, bam, bam,bam.
And all of a sudden, this peacejust comes over my body.
I take his breath, and I said,okay, Jesus is holding my right
hand, Jesus is holding my righthand, Jesus is holding my right
hand.
And that was again what my mom,every time I would go visit her

(27:15):
, she would say that to me.
Don't you worry, hon.
Ever since this started, Jesushas been holding my right hand.
And I'm not kidding, I wouldlook, and I would be like I wish
I could see it.
You know.
And so here I am.
It you know.
And so here I am.
It's engraved on my mom'stombstone Jesus is holding my
right hand.
So, I said, okay, just hold myright hand.

(27:37):
And all of a sudden, my handgets super warm, and it feels
like someone is squeezing myhand and I.
It is so real that I am certain.
I am certain that I am likethinking to myself I'm going to
look at my hand right now and Iam going to see Jesus's hand.
That's how real it was and thatis what I thought.
And they looked down at my handand I see my mom's and it come.

(27:58):
I gasped Again because I'mexpecting to see.
It was that real that I expectedto see something and I expected
it to be Jesus.
And it was my mom's.
It was her nails, it was herring, it was her, her knuckles.
And I laugh.
Now this has been about almost10 years and I'm looking at my
own hands telling the story andit's like my hands are starting
to look like hers, you know, andI thought, oh my gosh, and at

(28:19):
that time I gasped and thisnurse leans down and kind of
yells in my ear Are you allergicto anything?
A hundred times that day theyasked me if I was allergic to
anything.
A hundred times that day theyasked me if I was allergic to
anything.
They asked CJ if I was allergicto anything.
Both of us no, no, no, no.
And she asked me this question,and I go yes, I'm allergic to
anesthesia.
And she goes oh, she's allergicto anesthesia and like there's

(28:40):
chaos is ensuing now, like we'rein the OR, we're, like you know
, in the room, and then I justsee a lot of movement and noise
and I just kind of smiledbecause I'm like I'm going to be
fine.
Those words have never left mymouth.
I'm allergic to anesthesia.
My mom was always the one totell the doctor she's allergic
to anesthesia, right, so I havethis big smile, like I feel his

(29:01):
peace, like my mom is with me.
Clearly, my mom is with me, I'mgoing to be fine.
And they put me on the table,they strap me in, they keep me
awake and they go in through mygroin with this like little
teeny, camera of sort that'slike a closed umbrella picture,
and they go through my heart upinto my brain and I'm just

(29:24):
laying, there, you know, and Idon't really feel anything.
And then all of a sudden thereis this scraping by my eye and
it's painful, and I come kind ofshooting off the table and the
straps catch my head I hadtotally forgotten that I was
even strapped in and I, like myhead goes back down the table
and I go my eye and the doctorsays I know, we're right by your

(29:48):
eye, just hold still.
And I'm thinking hold still,you have a stick in my brain.
Like I should not even be ableto move.
Why am I able to move?
And so then, I'm like okay,don't and I'm thinking to myself
don't breathe, don't breathe,don't breathe, don't breathe,
don't breathe, don't breathe,don't breathe, don't breathe,
breathe.
I mean, I was so afraid to moveat that point because I was

(30:10):
like I'm gonna like brain damagemyself, you know, and so I'm
just being as still as I can andthen all of a sudden I feel
more scraping by my eye and Ivery calmly said my eye and my
speech came out perfect.
And he said I know, we'recoming out, we're coming out,
just hang in there.
And eventually pulls the thingall the way out of my groin,

(30:32):
sits the bed up and says OK,Kelly, raise both your arms,
touch your nose right hand,touch your nose left hand.
How many fingers this side?
How many fingers this side?
Nail all the tests.
And I like to joke around thatI'm.
I'm a kind of a perfectionist.
I said annoying student that,like always, wanted to get an A,
so like I like to pass my tests, you know he's like OK, let's

(30:53):
see you smile.
And I was nervous about thistest because again, a hundred
times a day they would ask me tosmile and every time I would,
everyone's response was exactlythe same.
It was, they had this face.
And I would think to myself Ididn't do good on that one, you
know, because my smile was mysmile.
And I would think to myself Ididn't do good on that one, you
know, because my smile was mysmile.
And so, he said, let's see yousmile.

(31:13):
And I grin because I am afraid.
And he goes let's see yourteeth.
So, I just let out like allright, let it go, let it rock
and roll.
You know, let out a beamingsmile and the whole OR erupted
in claps and cheers and I meaneveryone went absolutely crazy.
And the nurse leans down and shegoes honey, today was your day.

(31:35):
She's like someone was lookingout for you and I just started
weeping.
I'm like it's my mom, it's mymom.
Like I mean, this was, this wasMay 2nd.
They let me light the Christmastree that year.
They named me patient of theyear.
They all thought I was going todie and two days later I walk
out of this hospital like youwouldn't know that I had a
stroke.
There were little things that Iknow, and I still know to this

(31:55):
day, like there's some littlethings that are off and it's
great.
I can always blame it on mystroke.

ADVERTISEMENT (32:02):
At iFab LLC, our passion is welding, fabricating
and design.
That's why, in 2015, we beganto commercially market our
product to the shed, portablebuilding and minibarn industry.
Our product is primarily usedto build trusses.
Our truss saw system cutsboards in one motion and our

(32:23):
truss press system installs andpresses the gusset plates to a
finished truss.
We custom fabricate jigs thatassure perfectly symmetrical
truss setup without error.
We also have other productsdesigned to help your shed
builder increase quality,efficiency and save money.
Our precision door table willbuild your custom doors square

(32:46):
every time and easily adjust tobuild any door.
For products like these orother custom fabrication
services for your barn shop,visit ifabllc.
com or call 563-422-7496, orsimply email us at ifabllc@gmail

(33:08):
.
com.

Kelly Orrico (33:11):
The day that I was going to leave, the doctor
comes in and he said well,there's two parts to this story.
One is the day before I leftwas May 3rd, right, so May 2nd
was my stroke, they saved me.
May 3rd I'm still in thehospital and my family comes and
Frankie's there and CJ brings acake and we're blowing out
birthday candles on his birthdayand I always cry and I think

(33:31):
about the story, because thispart of the story, because that
was my thing, right, like, letme be here for my kids.
And um, and then, and then,when something like that happens
, you're like why, why am Ialive?
What am I supposed to be doingwith my life?
Like, how did you, how did allthis happen?
Right?
You're just a little like to bedoing with my life.
Like, how did you, how did allthis happen?
Right?
You're just a little likeyou're silenced.

(33:56):
You're really really justsilenced.
And, um, the next day when we,when we leave, the neurosurgeon
comes in and he goes.
Well, I talked to your cousinSteve today and I'm like Clavido
, he's like, yeah, I'm like fromMichigan.
He's like, yeah, I'm like how,why?
Again, he's my cousin-in-law, Ijust knew he was a neurosurgeon
and he goes.
I studied under him at LoyolaUniversity in Chicago.

(34:18):
I was his intern.
I was like what?
Because I'm in Atlanta, Steve'sin Michigan, this is all
they've eaten years ago.
And I'm like gosh, if they werejust sitting there and he's
eating them and thinking, justthink, one day you're going to
save my cousin's life, right.
Like fascinating and I'm justlaughing.
I'm like, of course, this ishow the story ends.

(34:43):
Like I have picked the storyapart backwards and forwards in
so many ways and if you take out, do today or alive, either one
Right and so for a long timeafter that, as I'm
psychoanalyzing all of this, andhow did all this happen?
Why am I alive?
Picking this piece apart, itdrove me absolutely crazy that
it was on May 2nd and not May3rd.

(35:03):
This is my mom and um, but Iknow that she kept her promise
to me and what's so cool is Iwrote that story down to my
cousins after my mom died, howshe made that promise to me.
So, I have this documented freestroke right, and then I have
the stroke and her holding myhand this like amazing

(35:24):
supernatural experience thathappened in me living and me
being able to say she kept herpromise.
You know it's like look, thisis like proof.
And so fast forward as time'sgoing by, me going.
So why am I alive?
What am I going to do with mylife?
What, more importantly, like,what am I going to do with the

(35:44):
minutes that I have left here?
Because they have no idea why Ihad my stroke?
They still, to this day, don'tknow why I had my stroke.
People always love to ask thatquestion and I love that
question because you do want toknow, like, is that going to
happen to me?
And I didn't have one riskfactor, like not one on the list
.
And they ran me through allthese tests and I'm like it's
got to be from my broken ankle.
And the neuro is like no, it'snot because the clot was so big.

(36:08):
It was not a clot that wouldhave come from those small
artery veins or however.
It's all formed down in that inyour ankle just wouldn't have
been that little.
Those are little Anywho.
Um, I'm way beyond my expertise.
But he kept saying no.
So, we kept searching for why,because you're afraid you're
gonna have another one.
You know Right and so we neverfound out why and eventually I

(36:29):
just gave up.
I'm like I do not want to gosee another doctor ever again.
The Lord had me here and that'sthat.
So, then you're like, well,what am I going to do with the
minutes that I've left?
And eventually God moved us toKnoxville for my husband's job.
We sold that company and hemoved us here to Knoxville,
Tennessee, and, um, I was like,should I start teaching again?

(36:52):
What should I do?
What should I?
I wanted to do somethingmeaningful, and CJ is like rest,
recover.
I mean there were a lot ofthings that weren't right.
You know, my physical thingswere okay, but like up here, not
so good.
And he's like just rest,recover.
And I'm a doer, I've alwaysbeen a doer, and I just, again,
I have this ticking time bomb inthe back of my brain.

(37:12):
So, I kind of fell into thisdepression, feeling loss of
purpose, loss of meaning, Idon't have a self-worth.
My kids are getting older, nowthat that time Danny was going,
it was a seventh grader and theold kids were in high school,
and like our life, life, lifephases are like a tornado.

(37:32):
I got four kids in four yearsand like I've already got one
that's a junior in high schooland like they're going to be
gone before you know it and theydon't need me anymore, like all
these things you think, rightas a mom, which are just really,
really dumb thoughts and notfrom the Lord, that's for sure.
I've learned.
So eventually, thank God.
I had a friend who was like whydon't you come to this Bible
study with me?
I haven't done Bible study likea really many, many, many years

(37:55):
.
So I said, ok, I'll go.
And the Bible studies weresaying everything.
My first one was saying what CJwas saying be still, wait on
the Lord.
And the second one was God isworking, you just can't see it.
And I started to tell my grouplike I feel like I'm supposed to
be doing something and I don'tknow what it is.

(38:16):
Everyone's like you shouldwrite a book.
I'm like it's a story.
I have a story I don't knowabout a whole book worth of
stuff you know.
And so, the third one was listento the Holy Spirit and obey,

(38:42):
and I can tell you I have Bibleor prayer journals writing to
the Lord just begging God totell me what am I supposed to do
, and if you tell me, I promiseI will obey, but just don't make
it too hard.
That's always the stipulationsthat we give you know.
It's like don't, don't, don't,don't, you know, deliver me from
it.
Instead, it's like well, whynot give you the power to go
through it?
You know, and it's like, butwe're always like don't make it
too difficult, don't make itthat hard.

(39:02):
What does the Bible say?
The testing of our faith is,you know, perseveres by the.
The testing of our faith iswhat builds perseverance and
builds conviction.
You know, like we need thosetrials and tribulations.
So go ahead, I'm, I'm enjoyingthe story.
It's, it's so true.
And, like you think, likeduring those years of my Bible
study and this depression thatwas just this looming, looming

(39:24):
depression all the time.
And I'll tell you one thingsidebar is like at nighttime,
when I would go to sleep wheneverything was quiet and you're
tired.
You know, your brain is tired,your body is tired.
You're cooking, you're doingall these things as a mom and
now, like the busyness goes awayand like all of these like evil
thoughts are piling in my brainthat are straight, definitely

(39:45):
not from the Lord.
And it didn't matter, Like Ijust couldn't get them out.
And so, I put on we have theBible app on my phone and
there's, it'll read it to youout loud and you can set a timer
.
And I finally said to myhusband I said, do you, do you
mind if I put this on kind ofloud, for like it'll go off in

(40:08):
five minutes and it's just goingto read the Psalms to me and us
, because he has to listen to ittoo.
And he said, sure, and thankGod he did, because that
loudness of God's truths waslouder than the voices that was
going on in the back of my headand I, telling you I still use
it to this day and it helped meovercome the darkness.

ADVERTISEMENT (40:30):
Running a business can feel like trying to
balance a dozen plates, exceptnone of them are actually plates
and one of them's on fire.
Enter Newfound Solutions.
Think of us like your businessBFF, always ready to lend a hand
with whatever you need.
Have you always wanted to startyour own rent to own company,
but don't quite know where tostart?
RTO partners is here to help,overwhelmed by all the moving

(40:52):
pieces and running your own rentto own program.
RTO Smart is a software thatencompasses everything you need
on one platform.
Or leave the rent to own up tous and focus on what's more
important to you.
Newfound rentals has youcovered with traditional
rent-to-own options for yourcustomers.
Shed Connect understands thecomplexity of the digital
marketplace.
We take the hassle out ofonline sales and unlock the full

(41:14):
potential of your brand.
With CoCreative, we'll makeyour brand look so good your
audience won't be able to lookaway.
Newfound Solutions fivepowerful sub-brands helping you
succeed across every aspect ofyour business.
Visit newfoundsolutions.
com today and let us do thebalancing so you don't have to.

Kelly Orrico (41:33):
The next Bible study was the book of James and
chapter one, verse 22, says bedoers of the word, not hearers,
only lest you deceive yourself.
And once again I startedyelling at God.
I'm like I've been asking youfor years what you want me to
do, and you won't tell me.
Don't tell me.
I'm deceiving myself.
Like, just tell me what youwant me to do.

(41:55):
And he had a really good laughat that because just a few
verses later, like duh, theanswer is right there, but of
course I don't see it Right.
And a few weeks later I sat outvery sadly, are my daughter's
softball coach from Atlanta,passed away from COVID, and CJ,
for two nights in a row, ispacing the floor and I'm like

(42:16):
what's wrong?
And he said I can't stopthinking about the mom.
And I said I can't stopthinking about the kid again,
like I'm a teacher, my heart isfor children.
Well, CJ, his heart is forwidows, because he lived through
almost losing me number onewith kids and we rely he and we
relied on our community to helpwith a lot of things.
You know, during that, duringthat time, driving the kids,

(42:38):
meals, um, all of that kind oflike stuff all of them are in
sports.
So, um, and at the time I'lltell you when we do this, this
is, we do this as people whodon't know how to help grieving
people.
So, at that time we werehelping a widowed at the.
I would call her an acquaintanceof ours from Chicago.

(43:00):
We went to high school together.
She was a freshman, CJ and Iwere seniors, and we knew each
other a little bit, you know,but we both played softball.
When I was a senior, she was afreshman.
We were in student council.
Same thing and her story shelost her husband.
She had twins they're highschool sweethearts.
Her husband died of the sameblood disease my mom died of,

(43:20):
and she got cancer six monthsbefore her husband died.
And at that time my best friendfrom first grade was diagnosed
with breast cancer.
So, like everything was soclose to my heart and we're
following her story onCaringBridge.
And when her husband passed away, CJ's like we got Kelly, you
should call her.
Her name is Kate, you shouldcall Kate.

(43:42):
And I'm like, no, no, and he'slike what you should call Kate.
And I'm like, uh, no, no, andhe's like what you, you should
call her, you get it.
And I'm like, no, I don't, Iwill do nothing but cry I will.
I'm not, I will not be any goodfor her and I would not know
what to say.
This is like all way too closeto home and besides, post-stroke
, I was emotional wreck like I,like I still to this day.

(44:02):
I'm pretty good right now.
We'll cry at the drop of a hat,right.
So, I'm like, no, I'm not goingto be good for her.
Well, he couldn't take it.
He's like we need to dosomething and we the way God
works had previously helpedanother widowed mom on our
baseball team in Atlanta wholost her husband.
What do we do?

(44:25):
What do we do?
We do meal trains.
We bring people meals for likeone month, right, the community
comes together oftentimes to dothat and maybe you might do a
fundraiser and that's what wedid for this family.
And then after that it's likeyou don't know what to say and
you don't know what to do andpeople don't.
And I said this to Kateeventually, so I'll tell you
that later.
But so, CJ decides with Kate,we need to do something more

(44:46):
than what we did for this mom inAtlanta, because this is not
going to be enough.
Like she's got these littlekids, she's got cancer.
He decides we're going to docleaning services for her, and
we'll just pay for that.
And I was like, great, I don'thave to talk to her and we're
helping her in some way, shapeor form.
That's what was going on in myhead Meanwhile, at the same time
asking God what's my purpose inlife?

(45:07):
What am I supposed to be doing,right?
So here we are now, oursoftball coach passing away, and
I said well, do you want to payfor cleaning services for her
too?
Like we got Kate in Chicago,we'll have her in Atlanta.
He's like I don't know, let mesleep on it and think so.
The next day I'm driving and I'mlistening to this audible book,

(45:28):
and in the audible book itquotes the book of James
Ironically right, of course,ironically and it says chapter
one, verse 27.
And like my ears perk upbecause I mean I remember 22,
like we, the Lord and I, werewrestling, you know.
So, I'm like.
What does 27 say?
And it says the truest form ofreligion is to care for orphans
and widows in their distress andremain unstained by the world.

(45:52):
And chills just ran up and downmy body and I thought is this?
It?
Is this the worst of what I'msupposed to be doing?
Because CJ's heart's for widows, my heart's for orphans, and I
knew that I was supposed to bedoing, because CJ's heart's for
widows, my heart's for orphans,and I knew that I was supposed
to start something.
I felt the calling that I wassupposed to start something and
I knew that it had to align withCJ's heart because he would be
the one paying for it, the onedoing it right.

(46:15):
It's like we got to both of usgot to be on board, plus, like
our family was, structure wouldchange, with me going back to
work and whatnot.
So, um, so, anyways, I that so,so anyways, I went home and I
started researching is thereanything out there for widowed
parents?
And I found that there reallyis nothing out there on a
tangible level, like what wewere thinking about, what we,
the cleaning services, and likethis, like actual instrumental

(46:37):
help.
Nothing out there.
In fact, I find this paper thatinterviewed 45 widowed parents
and one of the things that saidon there is that many widowed
parents feel isolated, abandoned, that they lose their friend
support because people don'tengage and people stop talking,

(46:57):
and for many different reasons.
You know.
One you're young.
This year, your support groupis young.
They don't know how to handledeath, okay.
Two you're young, mortalitybecomes very real, which could
become very scary.
It's no different than peoplesaying why, why did that stroke
happen to you?
People want to know that, thatI could lose my husband too at
this early, and I have thesekids and that's very scary for

(47:20):
me.
And so they stop.
And you know there's that.
There's that element People areafraid they're going to say the
wrong thing, they don't seeanything.
Yep, the big one is, peoplewant to help but they just don't
know how and what we all do.
Now that I'm older and weunderstand grief and more
experience with grief, we alltypically do the same thing.
Anything I can do, just let meknow, just call me anytime,

(47:43):
right?
We all say that we all do thatand we'll do the things.
In the beginning We'll do themeals and that kind of stuff,
and then after about a month,two, three, if you're lucky, the
doorbell stops ringing, thephone stops ringing, it's
crickets in your house andyou're left with this deafening
silence of and now people whohad been saying tell me how I
can help.

(48:03):
They feel like I've said it, Idon't want to bug her, like I
don't want to bring it up.
And when we're saying that to awidow who is grieving, they
have no idea what they need.
They need everything.
The answer is everything, and Idon't know is what.
The answer is right and so thebest thing we can do is whatever

(48:26):
is in your skill set, just doit.
You know, drop off.
If you have some funds, dropoff some gifts on the doorstep,
drop off chocolate, drop offpaper towels and toilet paper
and like those kinds ofnecessities to say, hey, I'm
available Monday, Wednesday andFriday.
I'm going to pick up your kidsone of those days and take them

(48:48):
to the park.
Which day works for you, youknow.
If you don't tell me, then I'mjust going to come over and show
up and you can clean or go tobed or do whatever you want, and
I'll just watch them at thehouse.
But like I want to be there foryou, they can't.
They have a trouble makingchoices, they are on choice
overload.
Their brain is in brain fog.
Making decisions is very, verydifficult.

(49:14):
So, like giving an option ofyou can, I can do A or B.
You pick way easier than whatdo you want me to do?
Like that's just toooverwhelming, you know, for
someone who's grieving, and thisisn't just a widow, this is
anyone grieving.
So, anyways, I'm reading thispaper and I'm like this is what
I did to Kate and I feelterrible and I typically cry
when I tell this part of thestory, because I think of myself

(49:34):
as a loving human, you know,and that was a really terrible
thing to do, and so I text Kateand I said, hey, one, I need to
apologize to you, and I will dothat over the phone when I talk
to you, and I hope you'llforgive me for not ever talking
to you about this.
But two, I think that God'scalling me to help widowed

(49:55):
parents, and I was wondering ifyou would be willing to talk to
me about that which.
Can we set up a call, a videocall, and we are like best of
friends today.

ADVERTISEMENT (50:09):
Hello Shed builders, I'd like to grab your
attention for just a moment.
As we look ahead to 2025, onething is clear Customers will
have higher expectations thanever before.
Shed consumers have anunprecedented access to
information.
To stay competitive, you needto create sheds that are not
only high in quality but alsorich in innovation.
You might recall my friend, DanRheaume, one of my early

(50:30):
podcast guests, who introducedSolar Blaster fans, specifically
the Solar Roof Blaster.
Dan has been busy handlingorders and he's eager to speak
directly to shed builders abouthis groundbreaking products, to
shed builders about hisgroundbreaking products.
What stands out to me aboutDan's products designed
specifically for sheds like theSolar Roof Blaster and the Solar

(50:50):
Light Blaster, is how theyenhance the shed owner's
experience.
With the focus on quality, it'stime to start thinking about
adding features and benefits forthe end user.
Here at Shed Geek, wewholeheartedly recommend Solar
Blaster as the solution.
My favorite thing about theentire line of products the
support you'll receive from Dan.

(51:12):
Not only is he incrediblyknowledgeable about these
products, but he's also one ofthe most customer-focused
individuals I know.
He truly stands behind both hisproduct and his service.
We're searching for companiesready to elevate customer
satisfaction to the next level.
To learn more, just visitsolarblasterfans.
com and fill out some basicinformation for a callback, or

(51:34):
connect directly at 480-747-7097.
You can also check out the ShedGeek newsletter, where a click
on the Solar Blaster ad willguide you to a form for more
information and some cool videosshowcasing the products.
Let's power up innovation andelevate customer experiences

(51:56):
together.

Kelly Orrico (51:57):
So, God restores and redeems, and he did that,
which was beautiful, um, really,really beautiful.
And Kate was instrumental inhelping CJ and me build the
programs that we do for widowedparent, because so this is like
the, the I get some people thatI can help be on my board found

(52:18):
this with me.
I had a friend that was acounselor, so she helped me.
I had a friend whose sister was, um, a widowed parent herself
in a different state, so she hadthe insight of that, that, and
then we had Kate as actual widow, and so when it was finally
time to fill out the 501C3, wehad, I mean, I was really scared

(52:38):
to do this.
You know I mean, I don't know.
I do my master's inadministration for education.
I feel like that's likesomething you know, like I've
never run a nonprofit.
I do my master's inadministration for education.
I feel like that's likesomething you know.
It's like I never run anonprofit and so, but
interesting that the Lord had mego to all these fundraising
events, right, so I knew part ofthe fundraising element from an
event side at least.
So, anyways, I'm filling out501c3 and all of a sudden, well,

(53:03):
you have to fill out what codeyou are for the IRS, I.
And all of a sudden, well, youhave to fill out what code you
are for the IRS.
I'm like I can't figure outwhat code we are.
So, I'm on the computersearching.
Maybe there's another companythat can find it.
I'm like I just don't know.
And all of a sudden enter Satanand these thoughts in my head of
are you sure you want to dothis?
Are you sure you're able to dothis?
You talk backwards, you saywrong words all the time, you

(53:26):
cry at the drop of a hat.
You're not even a widow.
You don't have the right to dothis.
People are going to be mad.
You're going to say the wrongthing and I mean this pressure
again, like on my chest, like Icould not breathe is where I was
at, and at that exact momentthere's this little yellow Jeff
in the bottom right-hand cornerthat says National Widows Day
and I was like oh you can have afundraising event on that day.

(53:48):
When is National Widows Day?
It's like May 3rd.
May 3rd, the day for the lastfour or five years, however long
that was of me asking God whydid I not have my stroke on May
3rd?
Because it all made so muchsense?
My stroke on May 3rd because itall made so much sense.
Here we are that's NationalWidows Day.
I mean, I lost my mind.

(54:10):
I literally lost my mind.
I pushed away from the table,I'm like no one's in my house
and I'm like, out loud, I waslike Lord, lord, I promise I
will never let fear stop meagain, like at the exact moment
I was so afraid.
God gave me this to say stop it, this is not my mission, this

(54:33):
is God's mission.
He put this.
I told him I would obey if he'djust tell me what it is.
And this is it.
Like you, I have to obey, Ihave to do this.
So, I'm like I'm not gonna letfear stop me.
And that was that Just wentforward.
I mean, I still get afraid alot and I always rely back on
God.
But to your point, in hindsightof course hindsight is always

(54:54):
20-20, right it's like I lookback, and I had been opening
that Bible for three, four yearsfor God to tell me what to do
and what I found in those yearswas faith in him and knowing him
.
And if I did not have that, Iwould not be able to do what I'm

(55:15):
doing right now, what I've beendoing for the last four years
now Widow Parent Relief ProjectI would have lost steam, I
wouldn't have been able to havethat moment of I won't let fear
stop me.
I wouldn't have had that.
Yeah, you know like I needed togo through those trials, I
needed to go through thatdepression, I needed to seek God
in order to do this.

(55:37):
And still, to this day, likepeople are like, oh, it's
amazing, and I'm like I did notdo any of this.
Like it is astounding, I canshow you Bible or my prayer
journals of like Lord, we reallyneed I mean, fill in the blank.
And it's like one time I waslike we really need some funds,
like I feel like I'm worriedabout funds and I closed my
prayer journal and my computergoes and it's an email from one

(56:01):
of our volunteers hey, I justwanted to let you know I
submitted all my volunteer hoursto Motorola and they're going
to donate all this money to youbecause I volunteered.
I was like I just answered aprayer, like like that, I mean,
and I can tell you story afterstory after story of that.
And then it's like God is justthe one doing all of this.

(56:21):
You know, it's like I'm.
I just feel like I have a frontrow seat to watching him work.

Shed Geek (56:27):
Now, Thank you for listening to part one of a
two-part series.
Be sure to tune in next weekfor more engaging conversation
here at the Shed Geek Podcast.