Season 4
Ep. 45: The Word and the Wild
with Kym Garraway-Braley
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KYM GARRAWAY-BRALEY is an artist with a zest for life that is vividly portrayed in her paintings, which feature vibrant colors along with everything she loves from God's creation. Her favorite subjects include florals, fruits, botanicals, wildlife, and children's themes, which she beautifully illustrates so that they seem to leap out at you. This creative artist is never one to claim praise for her work. She feels that her talent is a gift from God. "It is God's talent and God's Glory," she says.
In addition to being an artist, Kym is a wildlife rehabber and part of the wildlife rehab group Wild at Heart. Kym has rescued hundreds of animals in her lifetime. Through this work, the Spirit of God has taught her many lessons about love, compassion, brokenness, and restoration.Kym is also the author of the book The Word and The Wild. This devotional book tells the stories of some of the animals Kym has worked with. But mainly, it's a book that will ground you in scripture and teach you about the love of God.You can find out more about Kym by visiting her website at www.kymgarraway.com, or by finding her on Facebook.
JASMINE COCHRAN is an international speaker, writer, and inaugural Democrats Abroad Global Black Caucus Poet Laureate Jasmine Cochran who brings stories to life. She enjoys traveling near and far, laughing too loudly, and taking naps. Her family of four lives on the Mississippi Gulf Coast where they settled after five years of living abroad. After assisting more than 20 authors in birthing their literary dreams, Jasmine is giving life to her own.
Keep Waking Up in the Mourning is an extended eulogy of Greg Walls, an attentive father, community advocate, Vietnam veteran, NASA retiree, star athlete, husband, grandfather, and friend. Between treatments and check-ups, Jasmine interviewed her father to gather material that would become a book about his eclectic life.
This collection of father-daughter experiences will move and entertain you while highlighting the stresses of a loved one’s final moments and the trying days after loss. Its insights help Jasmine navigate her way through grief and continue a life that does justice to her father’s teachings: accept things as they are so you can act accordingly; when life rages, keep your composure; fight the good fight; eat the donuts; and when you don’t know how to carry on, keep waking up in the morning.
In this episode, Susan is joined by her husband, Stewart Eaton, her brother-in-law, Fletcher Eaton, and sister-in-law, Susan Eaton. Together they discuss why belonging and connection are so important and how we can go about the process of repairing ruptures that occur in our relationships. Using John Ortberg's book I'd Like You More if You Were More Like Me as a guide, they also bring their own professional expertise from the world of therapy, education, and pastoral leadership to the table (as well as plenty of laughter) to make this an episode from which you're sure to benefit.
Feeling overwhelmed? In this episode you'll learn about spiritual and physical practices that bring rest, peace, and restoration to you body, mind, and spirit. For even more on this topic, you can listen to Susan's conversation with Tammy and Whitney from 2020 at this link.
WHITNEY R. SIMPSON holds a certification in Spiritual Formation from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary and is the founder of Exploring Peace Ministries. She is a trained spiritual director, retreat facilitator, and experienced yoga and meditation teacher. Whitney has authored two books: Holy Listening with Breath, Body, and the Spirit and an Advent devotional, Fully Human, Fully Divine. She is also a Deaconess in the United Methodist Church and serves as a campus minister with the Wesley Fellowship Campus Ministry at Cumberland University.
Between her 20's and early 30's, Whitney experienced multiple health crises including melanoma skin cancer, stroke, and brain surgery. During this time of healing and recovery, she began to seek God's peace and deepen her relationship with God while exploring contemplative prayer tools. You can find out more about Whitney at her website exploringpeace.com.
TAMMY KOLBO is the owner of The Yoga Room in Hattiesburg, MS and a Certified Yoga Therapist with The International Association of Yoga Therapists. Tammy believes that yoga practices are effective as alternative and adjunct therapy for the prevention of illness, the management of symptoms, and a companion on the road in recovery. She also currently serves as a Senior Consultant with the Gulf Coast Trauma Institute.
In 2005, Tammy began work at Pine Grove Behavioral Health Women’s Center teaching yoga and wellness principles to women in recovery from eating disorders and chemical dependency. She eventually developed the Behavioral Health Yoga Therapy Program at Pine Grove Gentle Path, now called Gratitude, where she currently works with men and women in recovery from multiple addictions, including relationship and sexual addiction. In June of 2022, she added Pine Grove’s Professional Enhancement Program and Next Step to her weekly agenda. You can find out more about Tammy at her website https://theyogaroom-ms.com/about/.