Guest Post by Lori Keesey, author of Always Think of Me, and The Accidental Blogger

Three years ago, I reinvented myself and became The Accidental Blogger…not because blogging ranked high on my bucket list, but because I needed a platform and figured stories about ordinary people who overcome adversity would do the trick.

Simply put, I could relate to the traumatized, and figured others could as well.

Bad things happen to everyone. Some situations are far worse than others: sudden death. Sexual, physical, and emotional abuse. Neglect. Addiction. Mental illness. Bankruptcy. Betrayal.

We can’t wrap our minds around the suffering and wonder if we’ll ever feel joy again. But as I discovered from my own experience and that of others, you can overcome and find hope.

In our imperfect, fallen world, you aren’t alone. The nobility of the human spirit can prevail.

The Revelations of Others

Since my debut, I’ve come to realize:

• Tragedy and adversity come in different forms.
• Reactions vary wildly, from disbelief and anger to deep sadness and regret.
• Tragedy can change or challenge your belief in God, prompting some to ask, “why me?”
• Some never get over it.

For all, life is forever changed. 

From Trauma to Purpose

In many cases, the experiences of the men and women featured in The Accidental Blogger mirrored mine. They tried to make sense of their adversity. By looking beyond and reaching out to others, they hoped someone else might heal.

For me, looking beyond started with a question. Why would God take my 33-year-old son, who was in the prime of his life when he passed?

Through prayer and contemplation, it struck me that he wasn’t taken. God had loaned him to me. My son, like everyone else, had a purpose, a special job that only he could do. Once my son completed his mission, God took him back.

That understanding gave me peace. It also inspired  Always Think of Me.

My debut novel is expected to release in February and addresses life’s purpose through the eyes of an aimless party boy and a deeply traumatized woman. It made sense that The Accidental Blogger would continue the novel’s theme of hardship and purpose by spotlighting the stories of real people.

As Rose Kennedy once said, “Life isn’t a matter of milestones but of moments.” Blogging was never a milestone, but the consequence of a moment…a moment I wish had never happened.

My heartache isn’t unique. Bad things happen to everyone. The question is: what do you do with those moments? How can you use them for the greater good? I reinvented myself.

Lori Keesey considers herself among the lucky. Recently retired, Lori enjoyed a 40-plus-year career as a writer and now has time to pursue her childhood dream of writing fictional characters who make a difference.

A story that Lori Keesey wrote and illustrated about three puppies lost in a hatbox piqued Lori’s interest in writing at the tender age of six. And an introduction to Scout Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird many years later sealed the deal. Lori decided then that she wanted to write fiction. Many, many years passed—and hundreds of novels were read—before Lori realized her goal with her debut novel, Always Think of Me, which Mascot Books plans to release early next year.