(LEX 18) — Grief knows no stranger.
Everyone has felt loss, longing to have something or someone back in their life.
In the case of Palisa Williams Rushin, grief stems from losing her daughter Zephany.
“I was devastated. Many days I spent crying. I was angry, frustrated, felt powerless. My world had just been crushed," Rushin said.
Zephany was killed as a result of a fire at a Frankfort apartment complex in September 2021.
The 21-year-old was one of three people to lose their lives in connection to the tragedy.
“I would never see her get married, have a child, graduate from college. I prayed to have a daughter blessed with that and it felt like the blessing was just ripped away," Rushin said.
However, that doesn't bring Zephany back.
It's been a tumultuous three years for Rushin as she coped with the loss of her first born child.
“I had adapted and made some changes but again had suppressed my emotions so I decided to go to counseling," Rushin said.
"Through the counseling and prayer with my relationship with God, the support of family and friends the healing began to take place.”
That healing led to a desire to help others navigating grief, leading to a book.
Rise from Sorrow to Joy.
“RISE is actually an acronym that means reinvent, improvise, stay focused, embrace change," Rushin said.
"My goal was to uplift and encourage folks who are grieving. To help give them their hope their hope back and a desire to continue to live.”
The book walks readers through the process Rushin found that helped her release some of the pain of her daughter's death.
Rushin admits there is still pain, and it may never fully go away, but she finds solace in helping others navigate those tough emotions.
"There’s not a deadline to grief. So if someone tries to say you should be over it by now, I think that’s a horrible thing to say to someone who is grieving," Rushin said.
"I want to give back and share the story with others who may have also lost a loved one or gone through some type of adversity. Share the steps that I used to help them through their journey to fulfilling life and healing.”
