Joy Overcame Sorrow By Jerry Woodbridge

My first writing recollection is when I created a story about Jamie, the dolphin, as a child, probably in 2nd or 3rd grade.

I have always enjoyed journaling to help me process my thoughts or feelings. I also wrote poetry as a teenager. I contributed to my high school newspaper as a writer and editor for Englewood High School in Jacksonville, FL. When I received the call to teach in the 10th grade, my career focus shifted for almost 40 years. My teaching experiences ranged from teaching every grade K-9 to facilitating undergraduate and graduate courses to serving as a dissertation chair.

In 2004, my family endured a devastating loss when my husband passed away unexpectedly from undiagnosed colon cancer. Journaling helped as I struggled with my new identity as a widow and single mom. I was able to use my journaling when I self-published my non-fiction book in 2010, Trading My Sorrows for the Joy of the Lord. I refer to my first book as my version of a widow's devotional book. I was seeking to understand how God saw me as a widow. His Word provided hope, guidance, and healing amidst the chaos of my grief and emotional turmoil. Other widows and widowers offered to share their stories with me and were included in Trading My Sorrows.

Then, I met a woman on social media looking for speakers for her TEDX conference, pre-Covid World. She offered a small group of us, most businesswomen and speakers, to have backstage passes where we could experience the preparation for our own speech on stage. It was not to be! The group did not understand my topic based on my feelings of being stuck in grief until I did something brave and tried something new: ballroom dancing. I spoke about how ballroom dancing not only helped my body physically get moving but also joining a new social group who knew Jerry, as myself, and not as a part of a couple, was refreshing.

Again, there were blank-faced stares. I elaborated and explained that I was a teacher and had helped support a fifth-grade boy in my class who was still grieving the loss of his dad. That is when they challenged me to write a children's book on grief. I was annoyed, as I had traveled from Colorado to Connecticut and was leaving empty-handed without my speech invite. Yet, that small, annoying gem of an idea for a children's book would not disappear.

I began many writing attempts, attended writing groups and conferences, and occasionally, I would pull it off the shelf and start writing again. How could I take my own experiences with loss and help children through writing? Non-fiction did not work because I was an adult, and that genre would not be engaging for children. There were plenty of picture books for the preschool – 3rd graders. The middle-grade readers were always my favorite group to teach, so I decided on that age group and the fiction chapter book format. There were also very few fiction books for this age group where readers could read about the loss of a loved one or friend from a 4th-grade girl’s perspective. Ralph Waldo Emerson quoted, “Sorrow looks back, worry looks around, but faith looks up.” That is when everything came together.

"Taking back my territory!" was the mantra I accepted to immerse myself in social media, which is considered essential in book marketing. I graciously admit that without connecting with other authors, my book may still be on the shelf as an unpublished manuscript. I met some incredible authors who consented to be beta readers for my manuscript and encouraged me to move forward with the message of helping children who had lost loved ones.

Since I was inexperienced in writing fiction, I had the same writing struggles many first-time authors have, and it would go back on the shelf again until I could figure it out. Writing groups were helpful because I did not know what I didn't know. Terms like writing from a "point of view" and "show, not tell" were the constructive feedback I needed. Through social media and Hope Books, my beta readers also pointed out that my vocabulary level still sounded like an adult's rather than a ten-year-old girl's words. Every revision brought me closer to the finished product. Joy Overcame Sorrow will have been launched (June 10th, 2025) by the time this blog post is posted. Joy Overcame Sorrow can be purchased from Amazon, B&N, Walmart, and BAM .

About Jerry:

Dr. Jerry Woodbridge has lost loved ones and is a widow who did her best to support her children after they lost their father. As part of her healing process, she journaled her thoughts, feelings, and ideas, which eventually led her to write and compile these experiences into a book titled Joy Overcame Sorrow. She has also released Joy’s Journal, which is the perfect accompaniment for a young person who is processing their grief after losing a loved one.

With over 40 years of experience as an educator, she has also supported children in her classroom who have experienced the loss of loved ones. She spends her days advising, writing, caring for friends and loved ones, and playing with her grandchildren.

Connect with Jerry:

Email: drjlwoodbridge@gmail.com
Website: https://jerrywoodbridge.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jerry.woodbridge.7
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jerrywoodbridge7                                                                                        
Goodreads: Jerry L. Woodbridge (Author of Joy Overcame Sorrow) | Goodreads
YouTube Channel: jerrywoodbridge1749
Linked In: https://jerrywoodbridge.com/home
X: @WoodbridgeJerry