45. A Young Mother's Journey to Heaven: Faith, Conversion + Finding Peace in the face of cancer

"For I know my Redeemer Lives."
The Book of Job, Chapter 19, Verse 25

Hear Part 2 of Jaylen Meyer's incredible Journey to Heaven, a young mother's story of overcoming addiction and finding Jesus through the Word of God.

How did she and her family face the cross of cancer?

The conclusion to her story, through the words of her dear friend, Catholic author, homeschooling Mom of 7, Charisse Tierney.

Stay tuned for this upcoming episode.

Available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and all podcasting platforms

https://veilandarmour.buzzsprout.com

Thank you + God bless

Photo credit: @sheilanonato on X/Twitter

To contribute towards the publication of Jaylen Meyer's story, please connect with Charisse on her website:
https://charissetierney.com

Your prayers are much appreciated!

Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and all podcasting platforms
If hearing this story blessed you in some way, please share with a friend. Thank you!

Highlights:
4:13 Jaylen hanging on in the hospital
4:34 God's purpose
4:42 Visitors inspired by Jaylen
4:58 All for the love of God
5:03 She was in love with Jesus
5:11 Refusing pain meds
5:20 Journey of Suffering & Redemption
7:43 Conversion
8:42 The Diagnosis
9:14 "You're so young, it can't really be cancer."
9:50 More tests
10:05 The doctor's call
11:09 Impact upon her family
11:30 Chemo
13:02 Christmas
13:32 Another surgery
13:54 Stage 4
14:45 Family vacation
14:53 Pilgrimage
15:25 "You're going to be able to do this"
16:11 Praying for spiritual healing
16:14 Interior preparation for final days
16:24 Rollercoaster
16:54 Coming to terms with the end
17:56 Coming to terms with God
18:39 Finding Peace
19:09 Final hours
21:05 Father Jarrod's Homily
22:17 Flowers on her casket
23:01 Did she heal from childhood trauma?
23:55 St. Therese
24:23 First class relic
24:58 Resurrection
27:24 Forgiveness
28:18 What can we learn from Jaylen's example?
29:41 Trust in God
30:57 Father Jarrod's visit
30:44 Bride of Christ in Heaven
31:40 Living faith out loud
32:54 Father Jarrod's Blessing
33:27 How to detach from the world
34:01 How is Jaylen's family?
35:34 Message for mothers who are struggling
37:57 You are not alone
38:80 Writing the book
41:36 Final prayer: Divine Mercy
42:50 Conclusion: Bible Reading - Book of Job

Chapters

• 0:00 Jaylen's Cross: Carrying Terminal Illness
• 9:15 Suffering Well: The Path to Holiness
• 14:31 Her Diagnosis and Journey
• 22:15 A Mother's Faith Under Trial
• 30:37 Interior Healing: Forgiveness and Freedom
• 38:25 Jaylen's Legacy of Faith for Her Family
• 43:08 Message to Struggling Mothers

Transcript

Sheila Nonato: 0:00

How did Jaylen carry the cross of her terminal illness? Can you please tell us?

Charisse Tierney: 0:05

Right, I've been thinking about this a lot too. How does one suffer so well? And I had talked to Nick about that, Because the comment he made was she surrendered everything.

Charisse Tierney: 0:20

And, yes, all of that she had done before the diagnosis certainly prepared her for that. It strengthened her. And Nick just said once she gave everything to God and surrendered everything. Everything fell into place and it just worked out so well. And I was like, wait, a lot of people would not see this that way. You know how do you call her getting a terminal illness and dying and leaving four young children working out well? You know, how do we justify that to a world that would certainly, for the most part, not see that in that way?

Charisse Tierney: 0:57

And Jaylen was very inspired by the spirituality of St. Therese, St. Faustina. I think she especially loved the childlike way of St. Therese, and I know this is familiar, this idea she had from the words of St Therese. But he said she would say that you know, 'This world is just a boat and we're just passing through and it's just made, we're just here for whatever it takes to get us to Heaven and to God.' And he said, "So if we're not made for this world,' then he said ,'it had to happen that way for her. She had to go through that. That was her boat, that she was on, that was her way of being purified and getting to God and to heaven.'"

Co-Host: 1:48

"Perfect love, castiel Alvier.

Co-Host: 1:50

When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, got into a boat and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea rose because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near to the boat. They were frightened, but he said to them," '\i\ is, I do not be afraid. Then they were glad to take him into the boat and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going. The Gospel according to Saint John, chapter 6, verses 16 to 21.

Sheila Nonato: 2:33

The strength of a woman and a mother knows no bounds. We see the example from Our Lady. We emulate her feminine genius, which she exemplifies in her humility, maternity, femininity and love for God, accepting His will with profound trust in God's plan. From Mother Mary's example as she looked up at her son Jesus on the cross, we see how the path to holiness is not easy. Our Lord, our Lady and the Saints have shown us that the path to sanctity is the path of the cross. As we celebrate the 30th anniversary of St. John Paul the Great's "Letter to Women, which honored women's feminine genius, we return to the incredible testimony of Jalyn Meyer, a young mother of four, who showed us the depth of her spiritual maturity and remarkable trust in God in her journey to heaven during her final days with her family and loved ones. Let's say a Hail Mary. In the name of the.

Sheila Nonato: 3:54

Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Do you want to start?

Co-Host: 3:58

Hail Mary, full of grace, full of mercy who stands in the sight of the Lord, In the name of Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen, In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen,

Sheila Nonato: 4:11

Thank you and God bless.

Charisse Tierney: 4:15

When she was entering her final weeks she was on hospice and it got to be where she was hanging on for two and three weeks longer than they really thought she would. And the hospice nurse said I don't know why she's still hanging on. I haven't really seen this before. And she's like, "I think God has some purpose for this. I just don't know what it is. But in that time people were visiting her and seeing her and being inspired by her and she would always say I don't understand why people are so inspired by me. And Nick said she just kept saying that. And he said I realized she was not actually doing this for anybody, she wasn't trying to look a certain way, it was all for love of God, it was all because she was in love with Jesus and we just got to be witnesses to that. And by the end, um, she was refusing a lot of pain meds. Um, he was told to give her, like I believe it was a half milliliter of of the pain meds around the clock every two hours. Of the pain meds around the clock every two hours. She would take only like 0.25 milliliters at night sometimes to help her sleep and that was it. She wanted to be very present to anyone that came to see her and to her family and her children. Um, by the end I, I, I think he said by the last couple of days, she days she wasn't taking any and I kept pondering that too, and I saw her three days before she passed and she was obviously very close and she was sleeping a lot of the time, but other times she knew we were there. She would do her best to try to say a few words to us. Um, but I was listening to something about redemptive suffering and they were saying that when Jesus was on the cross he refused the wine and part of the reason for the, the wine offering, was to kind of numb the pain or help maybe help them get through that ordeal. But they said he refused it. He wanted to enter fully into that suffering for everyone and I can't help but wonder if that was just part of her purpose as well, some redemptive suffering that was happening there.

Charisse Tierney: 6:46

I know she had so many family members and loved ones in her life that she prayed for and she wanted them to have a different kind of life and to love God as much as she did and turn their lives around, and it gave her an opportunity to offer a lot of suffering up for that. And we see the fruits. I'm still seeing fruits. There were some family members who asked about joining the church after she passed.

Charisse Tierney: 7:18

She has some cousins who will be joining the church this Easter and Nick said they were cousins who they didn't see very often or a lot, but they were at her funeral and they were just so moved by what they heard and saw of her and her at the end that they said we want to be better, we want to live different and we want to try to live the way Jalen did, and that prompted them to go to RCIA and they'll be coming into the church. And I have yet to still hear a lot more stories from people and prayers that have been answered and things like that. So, yeah, and I think it's that the idea of suffering well and suffering like she did, I think it's something that, um, all of us continue to work on. It's not easy, um, but when you think of a story like hers and think of her, it can give you some inspiration to keep trying.

Sheila Nonato: 8:29

That's beautiful. When was her diagnosis? What was, what was the diagnosis, and um, and how long did she have to sort of carry this cross of the illness?

Sheila Nonato: 8:55

of the illness.

Charisse Tierney: 8:55

Right, she was diagnosed in August of 2023. And I had, you know, been around her a lot just before that and everything I taught her kids piano lessons. I would see her there too. So we saw each other and talked frequently and she had said she didn't feel right, something didn't seem right with her stomach, something she just she thought I mean, you know, she thought it was something she was eating at first, or, and so did the doctors that she saw. They were like you're too young, it can't possibly be cancer. She was a very intuitive person. She just asked a doctor that Could it be cancer? She was a very intuitive person. She just asked a doctor that could it be cancer? She also knew she had a grandfather who had died of the same cancer and that it was a genetic gene in their family. So she had that instinct that it was possible, that that could be likely for her. But the doctor at first just said, "no, I just I don't see how that could be possible, you're so young. And so she encouraged them to test, do more testing and look into it more. And then the diagnosis did come that they had indeed found cancer.

Charisse Tierney: 10:03

Um, and yeah, nick said that that evening they got the call. They were both up all night just kind of in shock at first, um, and he said at first he thought, "kay, well, I've never heard of stomach cancer, I don't know much about that. It must be treatable. Surely this isn't that bad. She's young and healthy, you know. He said he didn't even get too worried about it at first, but then they were both talking and thinking about it more and he said they started to get all these appointments lined up. It was getting more real as the evening wore on, even like immediately the doctors, you know, we need to get you lined up for this, this and this. And he said by later that evening he realized they needed because she'd been homeschooling we need to figure out the kids like she's going to be going through treatments and won't have the stamina to keep homeschooling four kids and called his mom and he said that's when it hit him and he realized the significance of this and that they were really entering into something together here and he said we're going to need help with the kids and they very quickly decided to put their kids into the local Catholic school, which ended up being a wonderful supportive community for them through all of it and she started on some chemo treatments right away. She would go to Houston to a specialist there every couple of months or so to get checked up on and receive treatments and things, and this went on for a few months.

Charisse Tierney: 11:53

She had gotten diagnosed in August and by like Christmas time she was feeling pretty good. She was between chemo treatments and for a while I would go to their house to teach her children piano lessons, um to help them out, and I could tell um she was just so at peace with everything, um. It was only one time I saw her lose it with fear and anxiety about. It was before the diagnosis, when she was worried something was seriously wrong and we were talking at a book study and she said I just don't know what Nick and the kids will do if something happens to me and I'm just so worried that this really is something serious. And she was right that it was something serious. But ever, ever since then, she was always smiling. She seemed very peaceful, just trying to make the most of every day that they had together. I always felt like I was walking into sacred ground when I went over to their house and so, yeah, then it got to be Christmas she was feeling pretty good. I had seen her mother-in-law and she said we had a wonderful Christmas. Um and Jalen's really optimistic that they're going to beat this, you know, and um seemed like um.

Charisse Tierney: 13:16

The chemo was working for a while but then, um, it got to be moving into spring and then they found it had spread a little bit. I can't remember the specifics. She did have to go in and have her ovaries removed. They found a tumor there. So there were some setbacks that were starting to happen. And then by summertime, around July, she had been to Houston to have another scan and it was around that time they said it's stage four. It has spread. We can't really do much more. They had tried a lot of chemo. They had tried and they said they could tried a lot of chemo. They had tried and they said they could try a very aggressive chemo but it would make her so weak and not able to function very well and and they weren't even sure it would work.

Charisse Tierney: 14:19

And she knew what had happened with her grandfather that they had kind of gone to excessive or extraordinary measures to keep him going and ultimately it just resulted in him basically being a vegetable in a hospital bed for several months and then, before he died, finally, anyway. And she said I don't want to put my family through that, you know, um. And so I saw her in july. They decided her husband said we have to take a vacation as a family, um, and just do something fun, and while you're still able to function, you know. And so we.

Charisse Tierney: 15:02

I saw her just before she left on that trip and she had lost some weight, you know, of course she'd been through something, but she looked pretty good. She was pretty happy, perky and smiling, as always. And the thing she said to me was Nick got the kids all packed and ready for this trip and even packed our food all by himself. And she said I told him, see, you're going to be able to do this. And I thought, oh yeah, that's where this is going. Then you're really preparing him for when you'll be gone.

Charisse Tierney: 15:38

But they went on that trip and had a wonderful time. They visited a shrine to Rhoda Wise, who is I don't remember what phase she's at, but she's up for sainthood Um, and they visited that and, um, even the kids, when I talked to them, talked about that, and what a cool experience. That was how they really loved that Um and she, um later told Nick. She said, well, I didn't, I'm not praying to be healed physically anymore, I'm just praying that my soul will be healed. Like she was just really starting those deep. She had been anyway, but she was increasing her, her deep, internal preparations, um, but they also the kids talked about it, they rode roller coasters, they, they got to um, just do a lot of fun things together as a family and have wonderful memories now from that vacation, um, because it was after that.

Charisse Tierney: 16:40

Then, um, she started to really go downhill pretty quickly and Nick had said, when they had been to Houston and they realized he said I think it was on that trip back she and fully realized she was going to die, and he said she just got really quiet and he, he just he said do you? And they were well, they had been with the doctor and they had not gotten a prognosis when she was first diagnosed Cause, he said we just didn't want to know how long they thought she might have. We just wanted to live and do our best, said we just didn't want to know how long they thought she might have, we just wanted to live and do our best, but this had been 11 months since the diagnosis and he said, well, how long do you usually say people have with this particular cancer? And they said, well, we say 12 months, and at this point she's at 11 months and um and so and he had asked Jaylen, "is it okay, should we hear this prognosis? And she just said I don't care.

Charisse Tierney: 17:44

And she just kind of got quiet and he said the whole trip back she was really quiet and but the thought I had was that she was very recollected, she was just, and Nick said she was just checking her mind, she was taking it in, she was spending time with God, she was praying about it and he said then she said, well, if this is what God wants, it's for the best. And what's next? Where do we go from here? How do we prepare for this? And that was it. She accepted it and moved forward from there with what time she had left and move forward from there.

Charisse Tierney: 18:24

With what time she had left.

Sheila Nonato: 18:30

Wow, and I hate to ask.

Sheila Nonato: 18:32

But when did she pass?

Charisse Tierney: 18:33

So that was last October 21st, okay yeah, and, like I said, I'd seen her three days before that and so we were all waiting to hear. Um, and I was teaching lessons that night in my studio and it it was odd because we live in Kansas, we've been in a drought it like never rains here, and we've been in a drought it like never rains here and we had been in a really long stretch of no rain and maybe it had been in the weather predictions, but we weren't really expecting it.

Charisse Tierney: 19:11

But it just was pouring that day and raining and then we heard that she had passed that evening and someone said they heard that when it's raining, when someone dies, it means they go straight to heaven or something you know, kind of one of those little sayings. And but you really did, I did, I know others did to feel her presence. And Nick said that their family was there, she was at home. They had Father Bernie come in to pray with the family around the time she passed and after I think he was five at the time, five years old.

Charisse Tierney: 20:05

He said he, I mean, he's a kid, he's a very mischievous kid that you can't help but love. He's so cute. And he said he just had never really showed much emotion. I mean he was five, it was just his mom. All along I would see him in and out of her room when we'd be visiting her and talking to her, just like usual, you know. And he said it was that night that he he came in and he said you know, mom's gone. And he snuggled up next to her and he said he finally cried for like 30 minutes and then he dried his eyes.

Charisse Tierney: 20:42

Then he went out and he kind of went about his business and put the tv on and a little while later they came in. They said, well, they're gonna take mom now, trayton, do you, do you want to come back in for just a few minutes? And and he just said, no, she's already right here with me. And that was that and um, and. But she had taught them these things before she went. She had father said in his homily at her funeral, um, and told me to how impressed he was with how well she prepared them for it. And one of the things he said in his homily to Nick and the kids was he was like you are lucky kids and you are a lucky husband to to have had a mom and a wife like that, um. And so I think it's it's.

Charisse Tierney: 21:37

It's sad and tragic on the surface and it is sad that a mother was taken from her children when they were so young. But to get a glimpse of that childlike acceptance and faith when something like that happens is such a gift, being a catechist with cgs and having immersed herself so much in saint therese's spirituality, and and at her funeral, Trayton would go over to her casket and just kind of lean over and look at her and then he'd smile and um, the girls were enjoying getting to drop flowers on her casket. As I went down and Nick said he thought I wondered what people were thinking about my kids and how they were acting. I said I thought it was amazing. They were so joyful in knowing where she was. And of course they've had sad moments, of course they miss her and they've they've had to go through a lot of dark days since then. But that underlying joy is there. That's a lesson for all of us a lesson for all of us.

Sheila Nonato: 23:09

That's such a beautiful legacy that she has left of faith and joy and hope in the Lord. You had mentioned earlier that she was saying she was hoping to have healing for her soul. Did she mean healing from the abuse during childhood? Did she get that healing and did she also repair her relationship with her biological father?

Charisse Tierney: 23:31

Mm-hmm, right, so I love the story of her biological father, yeah, and I believe she must have received the healing as far as the trauma she experienced in her youth, because when I saw her at one visit three weeks before she passed, she talked about St Therese and St Therese she'd had a vision of St Therese leading her into God, the father's lap, and so I believe all of that was somehow repaired and healed for her personally by God to be able to accept God as her father Um, and she said then she um um that at that visit, when I was with her, um, a member of our diocese brought in a first-class relic of Saint Therese, and Jalyn was able to place that around her neck and she said I'm so happy she's here with me to take me to heaven.

Charisse Tierney: 24:37

And at one point she said I feel like a little child.

Charisse Tierney: 24:39

And she smiled and I thought I don't think she would be healed from the trauma in her childhood and be able to say that at the same time. So there was obviously something that happened there for her to be able to be happy and joyful and feeling like a little child, child, um and with her father. Um, yes, she had reached out to him to see if he could come to a benefit dinner that, um, her school was having for her, her children's school, and I think he was going to come. But then he he's was making excuses for why he couldn't and, um, she was upset. She was like don't do this again. You know I've been through this and now I'm dying and this is like one of my last wishes is that you're here to support me. And so finally he said well, I'm going to come right now, I'm going to come see you. And at that point she was going into the hospital to have her lungs drained because that was part of one of the symptoms and the side effects, and the problem she was having as she was going was her lungs were filling with fluid. So she went to have them drained periodically, but then she stopped doing that too after a while. But he said I'm going to come see you right now. And she said why I don't want you here right now. I'm going to have a very difficult procedure done. I'm not going to be in a good position to talk with you. But he insisted that that was the time he was going to come see her, and so he did.

Charisse Tierney: 26:11

He showed up at the hospital and Nick was there. Her husband was there with her. And he came in and Nick was trying to figure out how to navigate all of this, like should I, you know, interfere and try to get him to leave or what? And he went out, stepped out to call his mom and talk to her about it a little bit, get advice on what to do. And she said well, you should honour Jaylen's wishes and you should ask him to leave. He could talk to her another time, but in the meantime her, her dad had gone into the room and Nick said I walked back in and I was going to tell him to leave.

Charisse Tierney: 26:45

But he said he was sitting there next to her bed and Jaylen was just lying there and they were just quiet. And he said I felt like I shouldn't interfere at that point. And he said then I looked and she just laid her arm down on the bed and she unfurled her hand towards him and he took it and they were just quiet and he said I didn't want to interrupt that moment, I knew something was happening. And he just let them be and they left the hospital and were driving home and he said she was kind of resting in the seat and he said that was really sweet how you just held your hand out to your dad, even though I know you didn't really want him there. And she said well, I just forgave him and I gave him to Jesus.

Charisse Tierney: 27:31

And she had said before that when she was reaching out to him she said I don't want any grudges on my heart. I don't want, I just don't. I don't want any of that Interiorly going on within me. She wanted to give it all to God and she did. And so I think in that moment for her that with God's help and God's grace and God's mercy, she was healed of those wounds that he had caused in her youth. So a beautiful moment.

Sheila Nonato: 28:11

Indeed, and I guess, as we're looking now towards Easter, what can we learn? I mean, there's so much to learn, but if there's sort of one or two things that we can take away from Jalyn's story as we're preparing ourselves for the cross, for Calvary and for Easter, for looking forward to the resurrection, what can we learn from her as we are sort of doing this preparation interiorly towards, yeah, such a beautiful, the beautiful Easter season?

Charisse Tierney: 28:49

Yeah, I was struck at her funeral. I'm a cradle Catholic and been to a lot of Catholic funerals and her funeral was the first time I ever heard a priest say we can be confident in where she is and I thought, are they allowed to say that? But of course we all agreed and I talked to him later about that and he said well yeah, she received all the sacraments.

Charisse Tierney: 29:18

She lived by church teaching. This is what the church teaches us that if you live in this way, you will go to heaven. That's the promise. We should have faith and trust in that. And he said, and she clearly surrendered everything to God. That was very clear that she was living for God. And so I think for us having, I know, for me trusting in that, staying close to the sacraments, having this renewed inspiration to be receiving the sacrament of reconciliation regularly, to be going to mass regularly, of course, to look into other devotions the church has so many different devotions to offer I've been trying to. She was, she loved the Divine Mercy, chaplet, the Divine Mercy devotion, you know, just choosing one to start with and trying to pick up an extra devotion, praying the rosary, um, all these beautiful things the church has to offer, um. But then there was also, um, I think, keeping the just trying to always keep that end goal in mind in everything that we do Not easy, but trying to do that, because that's where her attention really went to. It was all focused on loving Jesus and how she said she couldn't wait to be his bride. How am I going to get to be his bride in heaven one day.

Charisse Tierney: 30:58

And there was a moment when Father Jarrod visited her in the hospital it was again at another time she'd had her lungs drained and he was talking with Nick and she'd been gone longer than usual from the room to have the procedure done and the man that had taken her in the wheelchair to get the procedure done rolled her back in finally, and Nick said his demeanor was clearly very different than when he left with her, and even Father Jarrod noticed it. And Jaylen said oh sorry, we took so long. We had to stop and pray together for a while. And Nick's like that's all I know about that. But something happened with him that really changed him and I she was never afraid of that either, of praying with people, of she didn't care what people thought if she lived her faith out loud. You know how can we just live our faith and not be worried about what other people think? Um, can we not be afraid to say let me pray with you right now? You know living in that way.

Charisse Tierney: 32:01

And so then, after that moment, Father Jarrod was talking with her and he said well, and she was clearly physically exhausted from the procedure, she climbed back into bed and father said so how are you doing? And she said, "oh, I'm pretty good. You know, thinking physically I'm hanging in there. And then Father Jared said well, no, but how's your soul? And Nick said he could tell this is why he was there. You know how's your soul?

Charisse Tierney: 32:35

And Nick said it was just the best moment.

Charisse Tierney: 32:37

He said she just gave him that big, beautiful, beaming smile for the first time and and it felt like weeks that he'd seen that big smile from her, and she just said, "t's fine, I'm good and right there, father, like I think my work is done here.

Charisse Tierney: 32:56

And he gave her the apostolic blessing and then he proceeded to ask her to bless him and Father told me later he said that was a holy moment, um, to see someone who had gotten their soul to that point, and, um, and so, yeah, I, I think it's living our lives in those little ways that she did. You know how can I change the setup of my home to be more conducive to entering into God's presence? How can I detach myself from the world more? Maybe it's not getting a flip phone like she did, but we limit our time more, or something like that. You know, I keep trying to for myself, think of all. What are some little things I can do on a daily basis, but it's while keeping that big picture in mind. What, always? What's this ultimate goal? Um, and it's all, all through this lens of loving Jesus and allowing him to purify our souls in whatever way he deems necessary to get us to be with him one day.

Sheila Nonato: 34:03

How, how is her husband, how are her kids now?

Charisse Tierney: 34:06

They're good. Um, yeah, I'm I'm kind of amazed at how well they are doing and fortunately they've had a lot of community support. So they've had a lot of community support, so they've had a lot of meals brought in and things like that, which is wonderful. Um, I know Nick has said, you know, he's still trying to figure out the grocery shopping and some of these day-to-day things that she would always take care of.

Charisse Tierney: 34:30

Um and they've, I think they've found some local um grief support groups, types of things that have been helping them um along the way also, which is good. So it's been hard They've, but they've been seeking out the help that they need. It sounds like out the help that they need. It sounds like and um, of course, he thinks about her and he's and and her inspiration and her faith, and um is always striving to live in the way she did and um very motivated to get to heaven one day to be reunited. So I think the gift of faith that she left them is really helping them, probably more than anything, to keep moving forward day to day.

Sheila Nonato: 35:30

And finally, I'm hoping to get this episode for Mother's Day, to time it for Mother's Day. Do you have a message for mothers who might be, you know, having their own crosses to deal with, perhaps not as heavy as the one Jalyn carried with her stomach cancer and all the other challenges she faced in childhood and in her teen years, but for the mothers who are struggling, what can we learn from her story?

Charisse Tierney: 36:01

Yeah, I know. One thing she said to me at one of our last visits was we were kind of laughing about all the things she went through in her life a little bit and where she's come to, and she just said, "our kids will be fine, don't worry about them. God can take care of anything. And so I think, even in the crosses of our daily lives, I'm trying to remember that it's not all on me to make sure that my kids never have hardships, that they learn how to do their chores correctly, that they get their schoolwork done, that they, you know it's not all on my shoulders. He's carrying so much of that weight for us too.

Charisse Tierney: 36:48

And I often think of how we're just called to be faithful to our daily tasks, just like Jaylynn was. She was just faithful to be faithful to our daily tasks, just like Jaylen was. She was just faithful to what she knew she could do and she gave everything else to God. And one of her statements that rings in my ears always is just let go and trust in Him. Just let it go. And it's easier said than done.

Charisse Tierney: 37:17

Some days I'm better at it than other days, but it is comforting to to when you're frustrated and you're thinking everything's falling apart, my house is a mess, I just let it go Like I've done what I can. He'll fix it somehow, he'll or he'll help me get through it, or I'll learn from this. Or maybe it's meant to be part of my boat that I'm on to get to heaven, to just accept this as a cross and as a trial, but try to find a little glimmer of joy in that that it could be helping me get to heaven to be with God one day. But I think also knowing that you're not alone.

Charisse Tierney: 38:00

And I watched her as a mom struggling with things with her kids and trying to get their work done and running from her in the park when all she was trying to do was round them up and get them in the van to go get lunch. She was just like any other mom, you know, in that regard. And yet when she allowed God to work in their lives and even through such great trial and hardship think of her kid that I talked to, who said now he's not afraid of death and he's happy knowing where she is and he gets excited to go to church you know, anything is possible with God's grace and mercy and you're not alone. We've all been through it, even Jaylen.

Sheila Nonato: 38:49

Well, thank you for writing this book. You're still on the research stage, but do you have sort of a timeline of when you think you might be completed?

Charisse Tierney: 39:02

I don't have an exact date, I'm hoping. Um, yes, I'm still in the research phase. I'm hoping within a year or two. I am getting very close to getting it released. Um, but, um, yeah, in the meantime, I I'm very grateful to you for allowing me to share her story, because I know that that was part of her purpose too, that she just she really wants this shared and her husband is very excited to have it shared. Um, so I'm grateful to you for that. And um, yes, I'm very excited about the day when that book will be released and everyone can read it.

Sheila Nonato: 39:39

And where can listeners find you? Are you on I'm? I don't know if you're on social media. I know you have a website. Can you give us the website and any other? Yeah?

Charisse Tierney: 39:50

Right, that is Charisse Tierney dot com. Yeah, I think that's right, and that's actually a place where I have links to information about the music work that I do, the book work, the writing work that I do. It's kind of the hub of everything, so that's probably the best place to go. I have a Charisse's Music Studio Facebook page as well and a Charisse Tierney author Facebook page, so you can also find information and updates in those two places of kind of a GoFundMe or something for your book.

Sheila Nonato: 40:40

If listeners were interested in helping out in that way, to sort of help this book come to fruition, for the story to be shared, was there somewhere they could go that? Your website or?

Charisse Tierney: 40:48

On my website there is a link. You'll see a button where you can share stories about Jalyn. That would be a good way to get in touch with me. Send me an email, that would be wonderful. Yeah, we're still in the process of figuring out how to pull all those funds together for editing and publishing and all of all of the details that go into a book, so that would be great, um, awesome.

Sheila Nonato: 41:18

and did you want to conclude with a prayer?

Charisse Tierney: 41:22

um sure, yeah, I'm trying to think of a good one. Yeah, yeah, yeah, um, you'll probably just conclude with something from the divine mercy chaplet, the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit, amen. Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One. Have mercy on us and on the whole world.

Sheila Nonato: 41:46

Amen, In the name of the Father and of the Son, the Holy Spirit, Amen. um, thank you for your time and I'm sorry we went over time, but there's a lot to say about her, so I appreciate your time. And, um, I'm just curious, do you have sort of a cd of your music as well, or um, no, I don't really have like an album or anything on.

Charisse Tierney: 42:08

I have a Youtube channel where there's a couple of recordings of some things I've I recently. It's kind of scattered here and there, so nothing formal put together. Maybe someday Okay Okay.

Sheila Nonato: 42:23

Yeah, okay, well, yeah, thank you again for your time.

Charisse Tierney: 42:27

I appreciate it. Yeah, thank you so much. Really, it's a, it's a gift to get to speak about her and share this.

Sheila Nonato: 42:34

Thank you and I look forward to reading the book when, when it's a gift to get to speak about her and share this. Thank you, and I look forward to reading the book when, when it's completed.

Charisse Tierney: 42:40

Yes, yes, I'm working on it

Sheila Nonato: 42:41

Okay, yeah, so thank you again. Have a blessed, um holy week at Easter, you too. Yeah, thank you so much. And thank you to your husband.

Charisse Tierney: 42:48

Okay, I will thank him,

Sheila Nonato: 42:49

God bless.

Co-Host: 42:49

Thank you for listening to the Veil and Armour podcast.

Co-Host: 43:07

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