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Hi Friend,

Welcome back to Fierce Calling! In today’s heartfelt episode, Doris sits down with her dear friend and sister in Christ, Cheri Fletcher, to discuss how to navigate grief conversations, honor precious memories, and find purpose through life’s deepest losses. After the loss of her daughter Annie in 2023, Cheri created Beyond “I Don’t Know What to Say” Grief Cards, a resource designed to spark meaningful conversations and keep memories of loved ones alive. Together, they talk about the importance of open communication in grief, and how your God-given purpose endures even as your roles in life change.

Whether you’re walking through grief or supporting someone who is, this episode offers encouragement, practical tools, and a powerful reminder: our purpose in Christ is eternal.

💡 Episode Highlights & Key Takeaways

• Grief shouldn’t be silent: Open dialogue, even with simple questions, can bring incredible comfort to those mourning. Sometimes, just asking “What has this week been like for you?” means more than “How are you?”.
• Everyone’s grieving journey is unique: Cheri’s experience highlighted that roles in life may change, but our purpose—to glorify and magnify God—remains eternal.
• Support can be simple and brave: Reaching out, mentioning a loved one’s name, or just showing up with a kind gesture makes all the difference. “Communication doesn’t have to be complicated, even if grief is.”
• Our roles may change, but our God-given purpose stays the same

If you or someone you know is walking through loss, check out these conversation cards shared at cherifletcher.com, and let’s be intentional about supporting each other. 🌻

#GriefSupport #Purpose #FierceCalling #Connection #Legacy #Faith

🤝 Connect with Cheri

• cherifletcher.com and find her Beyond I Don’t Know What to Say grief cards. Don’t forget to enter the discount code “Welcome 10” for 10% off! And that’s evergreen!
• A quiet place in grief community
• Raise the Sail: Annie’s Hallmark Dream Realized

Cheri Fletcher is the creator of Beyond “I Don’t Know What to Say” Grief Communication Cards—a gentle tool designed to open the door to meaningful conversations that bring comfort, connection, and the sharing of stories that keep precious memories alive. Her prayer is that these cards help others move past silence and into presence. She holds a simple but profound belief: grief is complicated, but communication doesn’t have to be.

Cheri and her husband, Todd, moved to Cleveland, Tennessee, in 2020 after nearly 30 years in Washington. They are grateful parents of two married sons and their wives, and they carry the memory of their cherished daughter, Annie, who passed away in 2023.

After Annie’s passing, Cheri’s work deepened as she began giving language to the lived experience of grief. Drawing from her own journey through loss, change, and faith, she now walks alongside others who find themselves asking, “Now what?”—gently helping them move toward “What’s next?” with hope, honesty, and a spiritual game plan for the unexpected.

Through her writing, speaking, and community, Cheri reminds others that while our roles may change, our purpose is eternal—and that even in life’s hardest moments, we are not holding on alone… we are held.

She holds a simple but profound belief: Grief is complicated. Communication doesn’t have to be.

🙏 Your Story Matters

As always, remember—your journey, your fierce calling, and your honest story can comfort and encourage others. Where can you share your experiences this week?

Grace and peace,
Doris
Host, Fierce Calling Podcast

What Threatens to Steal Your Joy?

Check out Surrender the Joy Stealers: Rediscover the Jesus Joy in You 6-week Bible study rooted in John 15. You can find more info at https://dorisswift.com/book/

Let’s Stay Connected!

Find my free resources including Fear Fighting Bible Verses, Simple Tips for Sharing Your Faith, Surrender the Joy Stealers, Step Out of Your Doubt and Into Your Calling ebook, and more on my dorisswift.com homepage!

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Need a Speaker for Your Next Women’s Event? Conference, Tea, Christmas Event, Workshops, Retreats? I have a few dates still available in 2026, and booking for 2027 – 2028!

Check out my speaking page, grab my flyer, and let’s talk about me speaking at your next women’s event…

Thanks for Listening!

I hope this episode encouraged, inspired, and challenged you to cultivate community, live and walk in the value, purpose, and worth God gave you, and take action where your passion, compassion, and conviction intersect.

If you’re looking for a speaker for your next women’s conference, retreat, luncheon, or workshop, reach out and connect with me on my speaker page at https://www.womenspeakers.com/florida/edgewater/speaker/doris-swift

Let’s have a chat about your next event!

Stay tuned for more amazing content and remember to check the show notes for all the links mentioned.

Thank you for being a part of our community. We are grateful for your continued support and encourage you to embrace the unique gifts that make you magnificently you.

I hope you’ll join me next time when I talk with another guest who is taking action where her passion, compassion, and conviction intersect …

Until then friend, have a blessed week, and I’ll talk to you soon.

With love and joy,

Doris

Transcript

Doris Swift [00:01:55]:
What is threatening to steal your joy? What is it that feels so heavy right now that you could barely stand? God has a plan and his plan is to surrender it. Surrender it to him. It might be a prodigal, it might be a relationship, a marriage, something with your job. So many things. We have so many amazing blessings, but there are so many things in our life that threaten to steal our joy. I’m Doris Swift, author of the award winning six week Bible study, Surrender the Joy Stealers. Rediscover the Jesus joy in you. And it helps women rediscover the overflowing, ever present Jesus joy within.

Doris Swift [00:02:40]:
Using personal and biblical stories I share, how you can identify your joy stealers, surrender them to God, reawaken the joy within and share the joy with others. You can do it on your own or with a group. If you’re looking for a Bible study for this summer, check it out, friends. Surrender the joy stealers. Rediscover the Jesus joy in you. It’s available on all the online retailers. It’s time to take your joy back. Welcome back to the show.

Doris Swift [00:03:13]:
Today I’m excited to welcome my good friend and sister in Christ, Cheri Fletcher. We are going to be talking all about something that you are going to want to listen in and you’re going to love what she’s created. They’re called Beyond. I don’t know what to say. Grief communication cards. And she designed them to spark meaningful conversations that keep precious memories alive. And that is amazing. After the loss of her daughter in 2023, Sheri now helps others navigate life’s transitions with faith, reminding them that while their roles might change, our purpose is eternal.

Doris Swift [00:03:51]:
And that is a very, very important truth for us to remember. She is wife to and they have two married sons and love the wives too, that, that they chose that God sent to them. And I just, I love these cards. We’re going to talk more about it and hear more about Cheri’s story. I love how, how the cards say grief communication cards were inspired by my journey to foster meaningful conversations and heartfelt connections between grieving families and their supporters. So that is beautiful. Cheri, welcome to the show. It’s so great to have you.

Cheri Fletcher [00:04:28]:
You forgot to mention that we were roommates.

Doris Swift [00:04:31]:
Oh, that’s right. We roomied together. Is that a word? Roomy?

Cheri Fletcher [00:04:35]:
It’s fun.

Doris Swift [00:04:36]:
We room together.

Cheri Fletcher [00:04:38]:
Roomy together at a conference. Yes.

Doris Swift [00:04:40]:
That was really great time to spend together and we got, we talked into the night and so it was really, really great. And so I’m just so thankful for you and I got to see again last year. That didn’t work out well for me because I had, you know, very major tooth issue and could not attend most of the retreat that we were at. But, but I still got a hug.

Cheri Fletcher [00:05:01]:
Oh, it was so sad. Yes. It was great to see you. And it’s. Thanks for having me today. What a treat.

Doris Swift [00:05:07]:
Yes. So I would love if you would share with our listeners today a little bit about your story and, you know, the cards that you created, which kind of falls into the question of where you’re taking action, where your passion, compassion, and conviction intersect.

Cheri Fletcher [00:05:25]:
Yes. Well, thank you very much. You know, my tagline, our roles in life will change, but our purpose is eternal. That’s been my tagline even before my daughter passed away. So now a lot of times our calling becomes, you know, our. We live out our calling. Right. And I’m, I’m learning that very actively.

Cheri Fletcher [00:05:46]:
But our daughter Annie, she was my firstborn and only daughter, and she had her master’s in social work, and she was also a singer songwriter in Nashville. And she told us at age 12 that she was going to live in Nashville. We lived in Seattle, Washington, for 30 years. And she, yeah, she was singing. She started writing her songs when she was about 2 years old. I would put her in timeout and she would go and start singing out loud about why she was upset in her timeout. And so she would sing why it was unfair and why she shouldn’t be in time out, and she would sing her woes. And so she started, you know, her singing songwriting journey early on.

Cheri Fletcher [00:06:34]:
And but at 12 years old, she said, I someday I’m going to live in Nashville. That’s what I’m going to do. And she did it. She got her masters and a week later took a job in Ohio because it was closer to Nashville. And within four, five months of that, she got a job in Nashville and moved. So she did it, and she was out there in 2019. And then in 2020, my husband’s job took us to Tennessee. And so we were able to move to Tennessee.

Cheri Fletcher [00:07:09]:
And one of our sons who was in school brought him with us as well. And then our other son stayed out in the Northwest for a while. Now he’s out here, too. But anyway, our daughter, In August of 2023, it was August 11, called and said, mom, I’m well, she hadn’t been feeling good, but at age 29, you know, trying to get them to actively see a regular doctor, she had mentioned just not feeling that great. But she was really busy Working on getting her own business license and doing social media and photography for other people in the. In the music industry. And she’s an amazing photographer as well. So she would go.

Cheri Fletcher [00:07:56]:
She. Her boyfriend was a singer, is a singer songwriter. So she would go to these concerts with the musicians, take their photos, and help them run their social media. So she was getting her business license and she was too busy to go to the doctor, Just too busy. And she would say, well, I’m just. I’ll take care of that. I’m just. In a couple months, I’ll have my license and I’m going to be good and I’ll go see a doctor.

Cheri Fletcher [00:08:19]:
But she would talk about stomach aches and whatnot. Well, on August 11th, she called and said, mom, I am actually coughing up some blood. And so I told her to meet me at the hospital Vanderbilt. And 12 days later, she passed away. It was a crazy two weeks. They thought she had pulmonary hypertension, and they were treating her for that. But that was a Friday that she went into the hospital. By, by.

Cheri Fletcher [00:08:49]:
By Wednesday, she was on ecmo, which is, you know, in a very, you know, it’s life support. And her oxygen was so bad that they couldn’t intubate her. They couldn’t run the tests they wanted to run. So they were trying to treat her the five different ways you treat pulmonary hypertension. And she wouldn’t respond to any of them. And what those days bought us were the ability to fly our one son out and my other son. It bought us time to spend time with her, not knowing that it was our last time, but it bought us that time. And they finally thought, well, we’ll just have to do a lung transplant because these aren’t working.

Cheri Fletcher [00:09:34]:
And on the 21st, they said, well, we’re going to get her ready for a lung transplant. And so they started all the transplant procedures. And on the 22nd, they said, we’re going to do. Now we’ll do a full body CAT scan to make sure she’s a good recipient. And then the Evening of the 22nd, they came in and said, there’s a mass on her ovary that we’re. We don’t know what that is. We’ll have to do a biopsy on that. So.

Cheri Fletcher [00:10:02]:
But they couldn’t do a biopsy the normal way because they couldn’t put her to sleep to do a biopsy because her oxygen was too low. And so they did one from the outside going in. And that was on a. I don’t know if that was the Tuesday night or the Wednesday morning. But she ended up passing away Thursday morning, the 23rd. And we didn’t get the results from that biopsy for about almost three weeks. And it ended up being colorectal cancer that had metastasized to her ovaries, got into her bloodstream and had filled her lungs. So it wasn’t the pulmonary problem, it was the cancer that had just filled her lungs.

Cheri Fletcher [00:10:47]:
And so it was a type of cancer that they say it’s kind of like a match. Once it’s, once it, you strike it, it just fills you up. And even if they had found it, they think it’s about 12 months. Even if they had found it 12 months earlier, they would have just said, we’re really sorry, you can’t even treat this. So I think it’s. If you’re going to look for a silver lining, good that she didn’t know that she was just going, going, going. And, and then she, she passed away on a Thursday and she got her business license on a Monday. So she made it to Nashville and she made it to self employment and she has songs out on the, on the itunes.

Cheri Fletcher [00:11:31]:
So she, she did it, she got, you know, she did it. But yeah, she was just a, a real driven little gritty girl. And so the cards, you know, when someone passes away, one of the phrases you hear is I don’t know what to say. Yeah. And you know, now as in your experiencing with your, your mom, there’s, there’s people that, you know, grief is an, is a hard thing. I think in our Western culture that we just don’t know how really. Well, there are other, other cultures that really do do lament and grief. Well, I don’t believe we do.

Cheri Fletcher [00:12:14]:
And there are people that don’t even address it. They would, they just are so scared of what to do with it because they don’t want to say something wrong that they just completely don’t say anything.

Doris Swift [00:12:22]:
Yep. They avoid it. And, and it’s interesting that you do say other cultures do it better than us. And I think, you know, I can see how that can be true. But you’re right because it, people feel uncomfortable because they don’t know what to say. And then oftentimes you all have probably experienced people even pulling away from you. Is that true too, Cheri?

Cheri Fletcher [00:12:46]:
Oh, yeah. Oh yeah. Oh, absolutely. You know, I think child loss is, it’s a different kind of scary because it’s not a natural order. And you know, people will say, oh, I can’t imagine what you’re going through, and actually you are imagining it. It’s the PA pain that you can’t imagine, and you don’t want to imagine. It’s painful to lose a parent, it’s painful to lose a spouse, but the, the pain of losing a child is something that you just. It’s just not something.

Cheri Fletcher [00:13:17]:
So when someone says, I can’t imagine, I think you actually are imagining it. It’s. It’s the pain that you just can’t go there. And so I tell people I’m probably the scariest person in the room. When I walk in, I see people go, oh, in their minds, oh, oh, that’s her. Like, oh, what do I say? I don’t know what to say. And they’re so scared to say something wrong. So.

Cheri Fletcher [00:13:45]:
So we were coming up on the one year, I call them anniversary and you know, I have two boys and at the time they were newlyweds and our middle son had actually. He and his wife got married three months after Annie passed away. And in general, getting boys to talk

Doris Swift [00:14:04]:
is hard, for sure.

Cheri Fletcher [00:14:06]:
In general, you know. Yeah. How was your day? I don’t know exactly. How are you doing? Fine. And so we were, we said, you know, for coming up on the one year, we wanted to go somewhere as a family and just have some time together and be together on the one year. And I said to my boys, hey, I do want to sit down as a family and just say, hey, how. How is you? How was the year? I mean, we talk all the time, but let’s take a moment to reflect on how the year is. Has.

Cheri Fletcher [00:14:41]:
Has it been. Now, my boys are used to me writing all the, you know, I, I taught their church classes for years and I wrote all my own curriculum. So they were probably going, oh, no, mom’s going to write a lesson plan. You know, and they’ poor. Their poor wives or newlyweds are probably like, I don’t know what to do. So I, one day I thought, you know what? My boys like card games. And I. And I had kept.

Cheri Fletcher [00:15:08]:
As a writer, I, I keep all the cards that people, when they actually write something really nice, I keep it. And I had also screenshot really nice text messages and questions. People asked me that. I thought, these are really considerate and brave. To ask me a question is brave. And so I started keeping track of them in a document. So I opened up my document and I just took a bunch of the questions and put them on, on like I put them on staples and had them printed on index cards and just took them on this vacation and just had them on the. On the table, and anytime we’d sit down to eat, you could pull a card and answer the question.

Cheri Fletcher [00:15:47]:
And it just kind of start a conversation. And of course, I would answer the question different than each of the family members. So you learn something different about Annie. And, you know, one of the questions is, is there a secret that say that you can share now?

Doris Swift [00:16:00]:
You know, I love that question.

Cheri Fletcher [00:16:02]:
It’s kind of funny. Good.

Doris Swift [00:16:04]:
Yeah.

Cheri Fletcher [00:16:05]:
And so people started asking, I want those cards.

Doris Swift [00:16:09]:
It’s really cool.

Cheri Fletcher [00:16:10]:
And I, I, Yeah. And it’s just. I, you know, I’ll tell people. Grief is complicated, but communication doesn’t have to be. And I think as a griever, if you’re a griever and you’re listening, I really want to say, give those who say something stupid grace. Because at least they approached you. At least. At least it tried.

Cheri Fletcher [00:16:34]:
I mean, it’s better than people that don’t say anything. And. And they’re trying to relate to you and they’re trying to say something, and it was brave of them to approach you. It took a lot. So even if they say, you know, I’m sorry you lost your daughter, I know how it feels. I lost my dog. You know, just not quite. But you know what? They’re trying to relate.

Cheri Fletcher [00:16:57]:
It’s not. It’s.

Doris Swift [00:16:58]:
It’s their heart.

Cheri Fletcher [00:16:59]:
It’s not the same. And don’t say that to somebody. Yeah, it’s not, you know, if you’re listening, don’t say that to somebody. But if someone says that to you, try not to be offended. Just realize, okay, bl. I’m new to the south, but I’m learning. Bless your heart. Bless your heart.

Doris Swift [00:17:17]:
You.

Cheri Fletcher [00:17:18]:
You approached me, and that was brave. And I’m. I’m. I, you know, I appreciate that.

Doris Swift [00:17:24]:
That’s very beautiful and very encouraging and helpful in so many ways. And also, thank you for sharing the story about Annie’s health, you know, journey and what happened. Because, yes, people are so unaware that age doesn’t matter in a lot of these things. We think, like, oh, well, and even the doctors don’t send people for colonoscopies until they’re older. And so. So it’s important to be in tune to that. But it’s. It’s just a great reminder that we, you know, we just don’t know what tomorrow will bring.

Doris Swift [00:18:03]:
And so I love how you want to communicate. And the fact being that you have realized, too, in the ways that your. Your other, you know, your sons, they have their own grieving journey, you Know, and so. And because they like to play card games, that you design these that way and to pull cards, you know, when you all sat down for a meal, there it’s a beautiful box, and inside you just pull it open, and inside there’s these wonderful cards that have these questions on them. And I’d love to read some of the questions. And I, you know, I saw too, there’s a nice. I. I know Annie loves sunflowers, and you design these with sunflowers.

Doris Swift [00:18:52]:
It’s bright and sunny and cheerful looking and. And she just a beautiful, beautiful girl and talented and lovely, and her music is living on, you know, and she continues to bless people with her beautiful voice, and people can check that out. And, you know, at the end of the show, you can tell people how they can find those things too. But I love this one here is very helpful because a lot of times we’ll ask people how they are. And so in this card, it says, instead of asking, how are you? Ask what has this week been like for you? Yeah, I think that’s really good. And so how does that prompt you? Like what. In what ways does that help you?

Cheri Fletcher [00:19:47]:
Yeah, well, when someone asks, you know, how has this week been for you? It tells me they actually want to know, because how are you? Is just kind of a hello, and I’ve got to go. Like, I don’t have time because we’re so used to how are you?

Doris Swift [00:20:01]:
Good.

Cheri Fletcher [00:20:02]:
Yeah.

Doris Swift [00:20:02]:
It kind of goes together. Yeah.

Cheri Fletcher [00:20:05]:
Yeah. And but when someone says, hey, how has this week been for you? To me, that means they really want to know because they care. Yeah. And so you’ll tell them, like, for, for me, you know, we just celebrated bereaved Mother’s Day. And then you’re going to go into Mother’s Day. And so those are. Those are heavy. And so you’re trying to focus on my, my boys and what they want to do for me.

Cheri Fletcher [00:20:32]:
But then also, then you’re also remembering the times, you know, when you had your daughter there. And so there’s. There’s waves. They call them emotional ambushes. It’s like, you know, you’ll be doing good and then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, you’ll just get a memory or you’ll see. I was driving into this parking lot and this car went by, and the. The person driving looked so much like her, so much like Annie. It just, it.

Cheri Fletcher [00:20:59]:
It just like catches you for a minute. And so, you know, just to share those moments with somebody. And I’m learning, too. There’s a book called the Body Keep Score, that this really has affected my. My pain levels, my anxiety levels, my. I’m jumpy. And so when you talk about it, for me personally, it’s like getting that out and it’s like, oh, that felt kind of better to share that. And so when someone says that, how has this week been for you? It’s like, that’s a gift.

Cheri Fletcher [00:21:34]:
Thank you and thank you for asking for it.

Doris Swift [00:21:37]:
And I love it too, because it kind of, I don’t know, for lack of better way to say it kind of chunks it down. Because even if you say, how are you feeling? Or how are you doing? It’s kind of the same as how are you? Because that’s just so broad and like, you know, where this kind of breaks it down into like, like, what got you through this week? You know, how did you do this week? You know, what things happened this week? You know, and so it’s a little bit easier to look at it in terms of a time frame versus overall. So I think that’s really, really great. I love that. And, and a lot of these are about the person who is grieving, and a lot of them are about the person who they’re grieving for, which I think is also very important. And that a reminder that you want to talk about the person that you loved. Yeah. You want to do that?

Cheri Fletcher [00:22:39]:
Yeah. I saw a thing on social media that says you post pictures of. You post new pictures of your child. I post the only what I have or the ones I have. And yeah, you know, just so many people see us posting pictures of our deceased child and they’re like, oh, why are they posting that? It’s like, well, because there’s still our child. We still, we. We don’t have, going forward memories. You know, we don’t have the, the newer memories, but we still have what we have in our heads.

Cheri Fletcher [00:23:15]:
And so, yeah, we still want to talk about them just as much as, as everyone else does. And these, you know, these cards are not just for the family that lost a loved one. They’re for the supporters. Because if. If you’re uncomfortable and you’re going to see me and you’re like, oh, I might see Cheri at this event. I’m just going to ask her how her. How has your week been? Or, hey, what was, you know, what is something that Annie did? Like, a friend called me one day and she’s like, I just took my son driving on his. For his, his permit.

Cheri Fletcher [00:23:47]:
It was terrifying. What was it like to teach Annie to drive? I Mean, how cool is that? Yeah. Yeah.

Doris Swift [00:23:53]:
And what a blessing, too, that when someone asks you a question that’s just obviously from one of your cards, it’s like you’re seeing the fruit of what God’s doing through these creative cards that he’s given you. And, you know, I love to, you know, these other questions, they’re all so amazing. And I like this one here. What was the one I was going to bring up here? So what do you wish your friends or family knew without you having to explain it?

Cheri Fletcher [00:24:28]:
Yes, that I do want to talk about her. I think people are like, oh, I don’t want to. You know, she seems happy, so I don’t want to say anything. And I’ve been to several situations where not one person has brought her up, and that’s very painful to meet. And as a grieving person, I’m very careful of. Of an event that I’m at, and I don’t feel appropriate. Like, if I came to your event, I would not bring up my daughter because we’re there to celebrate your event. And so I, I’m not there to come and, you know, come in and bring my, my issues in there.

Cheri Fletcher [00:25:09]:
But if someone at your event said, this was a beautiful wedding, I bet you miss Annie. How sweet is that? Yeah, no, but. But I’m not going to come to your wedding and go, I sure wish my, you know, my daughter would have been married, because that makes you feel bad. That ruins your event. But if you acknowledge this was a beautiful event, I bet you miss Annie. That’s just kind. And it doesn’t make me sad. It acknowledges that I’m already sad.

Doris Swift [00:25:40]:
Yeah.

Cheri Fletcher [00:25:41]:
Yeah. And so I think there’s just. I think in this world there’s gotta be grace on my end and on your end.

Doris Swift [00:25:49]:
Yeah.

Cheri Fletcher [00:25:51]:
And. And just for the griever to realize how awkward it is for. For someone else, and then for someone else to realize that I’m just dying for you to, to talk about. And the cards aren’t just for a lost child. I mean, you know, you’ll. You’ll sit down with someone and ask and you’ll hear a story about your mom you might not have known.

Doris Swift [00:26:13]:
That’s true. And it’s just, you know, these are just so precious. And, you know, I love how you said that you. You’re not going to go to an event and talk about it, but it would bless you if people would mention her name and in the way that you had described. You know, I bet you miss Annie. You know, it kind of just Helps remind you that people love you and are thinking about you and want to acknowledge the beautiful life that she had here on earth and that she continues to have eternally with Jesus, which is so important. Another open door for faith conversations.

Cheri Fletcher [00:26:55]:
So, yes, you know, a beautiful verse is he who started a good works in you, he’ll continue it until he comes. That means the work he started in your mother and in my daughter, he’s still working those things like the calling that he gave your mom, the calling he gave you, the calling he gave me, the calling he gave Annie, he’s still going to live out. So the message, the calling he put in your mom is through you and through the things she said and the people she impacted, that calling is going to continue until Jesus Christ, until the day of Jesus Christ, not till she dies. The calling goes on.

Doris Swift [00:27:38]:
Wow, that’s beautiful. That is such a beautiful thing, you know, to think of it beyond, you know, what we usually would take that verse as for its meaning and that there’s a legacy and there is fruit that continues, you know. And so because we have life in Christ because of him, that we’re alive in Christ, and because we know that if we look at like something that here on earth, like for example, if a tree is cut down, it doesn’t continue to bear fruit, but if we go from this earth to Jesus, the fruit still continues to abundantly blossom and bloom in ways that we would never even imagine. So that is beautiful and so encouraging. And I hope that really does bring a lot of encouragement and hope to someone who’s listening right now that really needed to hear it, because I don’t think that people hear this or listen in by any accident because, you know, perhaps they have wanted to reach out to a friend, but just hasn’t done it yet because they just don’t know what to say. I mean, sometimes we know things that we can do, like, I’ll bring them a meal, or I will watch, you know, their other kids for them, or I’ll walk their dog for them, or, you know, different things that we can do to help them. But as far as conversation, it’s. It’s just hard.

Doris Swift [00:29:19]:
And I think we just overthink things a lot.

Cheri Fletcher [00:29:24]:
Do you overthink things? You know, even before Annie passed away, I. I didn’t like it when someone told me to hang in there. I used to go, like, is that comforting? Like, you know, we’re like, when you’re having a bad day and your parents go, well, hang in there. I’m like, I’m already having a bad day now you want me to hang? Like, how. You know, how is that comforting? I’m going to. I can only hang on for so long, then I’m going to fall. And, you know, and then after Annie passed away, I was just like, no, don’t tell a griever to hang in there. But be.

Cheri Fletcher [00:29:56]:
But I’ve always told people, no, the Lord tells us over and over and over in the Bible that he’s holding us. He’s holding us. We are held in there. We are held in there. We are not hanging in there. God is holding us in there. And if you can just find ways that people. Through a phone call, through a text, through someone showing up and walking your dog.

Cheri Fletcher [00:30:17]:
I had a lady one day knocked on my door and she handed me my dry cleaning because I had for, you know, I’d forgotten I had dry cleaning. And she’s like, I went to pick up my dry cleaning and I saw, like, a whole bunch of yours, so I just picked it up. Yeah, that’s God holding you in there. God is like, I see you, and I have a friend, literally every day since Annie has passed has texted me, and all she says is, held.

Doris Swift [00:30:43]:
Yeah, held.

Cheri Fletcher [00:30:44]:
That’s it. One word, held. And that just means I’m thinking of you. You are. You are on my mind. You are held in there. You are held.

Doris Swift [00:30:52]:
Like a touch, you know, like a touch from heaven. You know that people are thinking of you. And, yeah, it’s so true. And especially around the harder days, the harder dates, you know, that’s important, too. And, yeah, so this is really, really hard for people. But yet these cards will help open up communication and will help people reach out and then know what to say, you know, and so these cards, like, here’s another one. What’s something you wish people would ask you about? Right now, you’re asking the person, what should I ask you? So you’re kind of opening up that doorway of conversation.

Cheri Fletcher [00:31:46]:
Yeah, I, you know, people. What do I wish they would ask me right now? I’m very lucky because of these cards. I have a lot of people making sure they’re asking me questions. But, you know, it’s Mother’s Day. What’s a great Mother’s Day gift that Annie gave you? What is something, you know, funny? Annie, you know, singer, songwriter. She was great with words. She would write me silly little poems, or she would, you know, on. On Instagram, on hers or on mine, she would post a song, you know, and so those are fun questions.

Cheri Fletcher [00:32:19]:
What did they do for your birthday. I always, you know, I make sure I put people’s dates on my calendar. So when I look at it, it’s like, okay, this is the date that they. This is. This was their loved one’s birthday. And I would just text them and go, hey, you know, what was their favorite dessert for their birthday? What was their favorite meal? What was their favorite. What would they have wanted for their birthday this year? They were going to be, you know, 30. What would you have done for their 30th birthday?

Doris Swift [00:32:44]:
Yeah, it is important and. And put things on the calendar so you remember, too, because you’re remembering them and then you’re remembering the person that you want to reach out and touch. And. Yeah, I think that’s so important. I have a sweet, dear friend at church. Their family had a great loss, you know, of a child. And it. It started and happened actually on our anniversary when we were away.

Doris Swift [00:33:12]:
And so that date is something we have in common. And so every year, you know, I just send her, like, a heart, you know, and, you know, thinking of you, you know, we have that thing there. And so it’s. It’s hard, but it’s, you know, to see how God brings people through, the grieving changes. It doesn’t go away, but how God can do things and have you create things like this for people.

Cheri Fletcher [00:33:42]:
Thank you.

Doris Swift [00:33:43]:
Community is so important.

Cheri Fletcher [00:33:45]:
It’s so important.

Doris Swift [00:33:46]:
Yeah. And so I would love if you could share any last thoughts that you have about anything that you feel on your heart that God wants you to say, and then tell us, you know, how can the listener find these cards? How can they find it? Because another thing, too, that I meant to mention earlier is, you know, in this day and age where we have our phones that we can video and take pictures, where we didn’t, you know, always have that handy before, and there’s a lot of videos that you’ve shared different special times, like when Annie wanted to surprise you with something or, you know, precious memories of that. And so when we see that, we can also get to know her a little bit more, you know, and kind of be part of that, which is very, very special. So I love when you do that. And so, yeah, so. So tell us what God has on your heart to share to someone that’s listening and how we can, you know, get these cards out to people. And.

Cheri Fletcher [00:34:46]:
Thank you. I wanted to go back to the tagline, especially with your. With your platform on purpose and calling. You know, our roles, we get so. Which is natural. We get very invested and caught up in the roles that we have, whether that is the job. We’re in a position. We have a title.

Cheri Fletcher [00:35:10]:
We have. Those are roles. And in each role we bring our calling. But our purpose. Our purpose in life is to glorify and magnify God. That’s. That’s our purpose. That’s your purpose.

Cheri Fletcher [00:35:27]:
That’s my purpose. We’re all. We all have the same purpose, and that is to glorify God. We do it through our calling, which is different. Your calling is different than my calling. But our purpose with that calling is to glorify God. But we take our calling, which will never, ever change, into the roles we have. But the rules end, and they change.

Cheri Fletcher [00:35:53]:
And so many people, when those rules end, believe that their calling is over. And you’ll hear people say, I’ve got to find my purpose. I’ve got to find myself. And I’ll ask them, what role in your life just ended because you don’t feel relevant, you don’t feel validated. And that’s what the enemy wants you to think. But our roles in life will end, but our purpose is eternal. And so that’s why, I mean, God says, the work I created in you, you know, I. I will see it through.

Cheri Fletcher [00:36:24]:
Yeah, just give me. Glorify me through it, and I will see it through. Even when you aren’t here, I will see it through. And so my role as Annie’s mother is no longer active, but she. I will see her again. My. The purpose of my role was eternal. And so whether you’re in a season that you, you know, you’ve lost a job, you’ve lost a marriage, you.

Cheri Fletcher [00:36:52]:
You’ve lost something, and a role has ended. God will. Might give you a season of wandering in the wilderness. You might have a season of waiting. But the calling he’s given you, what he’s put in you, the good works that he planned, the masterpiece that you are is there. It’s an eternal purpose. And so that role is over, but your purpose is eternal. And I just, you know, it doesn’t make the pain go away, but he’s there with you.

Cheri Fletcher [00:37:24]:
He. He’s going to take that calling into another role, and he’s going to see it through. And so I just. That’s what I. And, you know, that’s what keeps me going, is just knowing, okay, God, you know, plus, I’m too stubborn to let the devil even think he has a chance. But just, yeah, just to know, you know, my. My roles in life will change. They’ll end.

Cheri Fletcher [00:37:48]:
But my purpose Is eternal.

Doris Swift [00:37:50]:
Wow.

Cheri Fletcher [00:37:50]:
That’s. That’s the message. I hope people.

Doris Swift [00:37:53]:
So beautiful. Thank you. It’s so encouraging. And Annie’s birthday’s this month too. I have it on my calendar.

Cheri Fletcher [00:38:00]:
Yes. May 20th. Thank you. Yes. Yes. And so my website’s so easy. Cheri Fletcher. Cheri with a C.

Cheri Fletcher [00:38:09]:
Cherifletcher.com. everything’s on there, the cards and information. Way to find me Annie. Her music’s Annie Lauren. And so really quick. I’ll try to make this quick when I don’t know if you remember my space. Yeah, like 19.

Cheri Fletcher [00:38:28]:
I don’t even know. Well, in our house, the rule was you. The. We didn’t even have laptops in their room. They couldn’t even have a laptop till they went to college. So there was a desktop in the kitchen. And when MySpace came out, Annie was so excited. But I said, you.

Cheri Fletcher [00:38:44]:
You can only be on it when I’m in, when I’m home. And I had it locked down. And you can’t even have a friend I haven’t met. Well, one day she said, mom, this girl, her name is Jordan, she friended me. But, mom, please, she’s from now, she wants to be a singer in Nashville. She. She wants to be all this. And I’m like, I don’t know.

Cheri Fletcher [00:39:00]:
That could be a man posing as this girl. And I said, well, I’ll say yes, but I. I gotta be on, like, I gotta see. Well, her name’s Jordan Mallory. She is a very well known country singer. When Annie got to Nashville in 2019, Jordan moved to Nashville too. And they met and so they were friends for like 10 years on, from MySpace to Facebook. And Annie wrote a song with Katie Reed.

Cheri Fletcher [00:39:27]:
Katie Reid’s an author and she wrote a book. Annie wrote a song for her latest book called A Bavarian Summer. And her. And she wrote this song with Katie. And last summer, Katie’s book came out, and Annie’s boyfriend and three of her best friends recorded it. And one was Jordan Mallory. And so I just love how the Lord, I tell people, look back on your grief journey and see all the ways the Lord himself went before you and put these people and things in place. And so the song’s called Raise the Sail and it’s, you know, on itunes and all that.

Cheri Fletcher [00:40:05]:
But her boyfriend was able to take out of the little recording that Annie made on her cell phone. And at the very end, you’ll hear Annie because she played it for Katie. And then at the end she was, I don’t know, something like that. And it’s on the Recording. It’s so special. So that’s. Yeah. So they can find that.

Cheri Fletcher [00:40:24]:
And I, I just still keep her social media up on Annie Lauren music, so thank you for asking.

Doris Swift [00:40:29]:
That’s so powerful.

Cheri Fletcher [00:40:31]:
And your listeners, if your listeners type in Welcome 10, they’ll get 10% off. And that’s Evergreen.

Doris Swift [00:40:38]:
Wow.

Cheri Fletcher [00:40:38]:
So.

Doris Swift [00:40:38]:
And that’s on your website, right, for the cards?

Cheri Fletcher [00:40:41]:
Yeah.

Doris Swift [00:40:42]:
That’s wonderful. Wow, that’s amazing. And, yeah, so I’m so glad that we were able to speak Annie’s name all throughout our show today.

Cheri Fletcher [00:40:51]:
Thank you.

Doris Swift [00:40:52]:
And, and I also want to mention, because the family that I was talking about at church, I want to mention Carter’s name because Carter, Carter was precious little guy. And, and, and so we’re, we’re believers and we have the hope, you know, in Christ. And so thank you so much for sharing your story and all the ways that people can be supportive of those who are grieving and those who are grieving to be able to navigate, you know, conversations and communication and with grace. And so I thank you so much, Cheri, for being on the show, and I hope to have you back on.

Cheri Fletcher [00:41:31]:
That would be wonderful. Thanks for having me.

Doris Swift [00:41:33]:
I just loved it so much. And friends, be sure to check out these cards. Grab some of these cards. You need them, you can give them, you know, to different organizations that would benefit by that. I know we have grief share at our church, so I’m going to share it with them. And so, yeah, just reach out. I’ll have the links in the show notes so you can find Cheri and you can find Annie and all those things that we talked about in the show. And I hope you’ll join me next time when I talk with another guest who’s taking action, where their passion, compassion, and conviction intersect.

Doris Swift [00:42:13]:
Until then, friends, have a blessed week, and I’ll talk to you soon.