On Sunday 26th June 2022, history was made when one of Portsmouth SDA Church's very own Jermila Sealys gave birth to her book entitled Letting the Pain Out.Jermila is a Grief Support Coach, Motivational Speaker, and NHS Nurse. She is a British Amy veteran with a BSc in Adult Nursing who took on the challenge to write her first book, Letting the Pain Out, after suffering pain, grief, and loss of loved ones through sudden death, for over six years. Losing her loved ones drove her to find the courage to step out of the dark hole of pain and grief and emerge with a new purpose, to live her life to her full God-given potential. Her latest book Letting the Pain Out, deals with coping with grief and reflects her approach to the pain of loss.
For Jermila, taking on this challenge was not an easy one. Her life turned upside down with the loss of her mother and nine other family members between 2016- 2021. With the wound of her grief still fresh and bleeding, she decided she could not keep living with the pain bottled up inside her anymore. So, she started pouring out her emotions onto paper. According to Jermila, it took a lot of tears, late-night and early morning writing to bring her book to fruition. During the writing process, Jermila was coached and mentored by Dr Nadine Collins for 1hr 30 mins via Zoom each week. The whole process took them seven months to publish the book.
During this journey, the power of God was witnessed time and time again from the minute Jermila first took pen to paper up to the day of the book launch. At each step of the way, it was evident that God was working hand in hand with the author. For instance, the book only arrived minutes before the book's blessing on launch day. Her faith was tested mightily when the book was set up with Amazon. Every morning for almost two weeks, she received messages from Amazon stating that more adjustments were required before the book could be published. They were repeatedly asking for the same thing which was already done.
Despite the many challenges, Jermila had faith that the book would arrive on time for the launch, so she and her mentor prayed for a miracle. God indeed answered their prayers, and He manifested his greatness on the day of the launch when the book arrived a few minutes before the scheduled time for the blessing and book signing. This was the first time Jermila had laid eyes on the book, and the tears of joy she was holding back gently surfaced.
In her book, there is a chapter takeaway at the end of every chapter. This book comes from a place of deep pain from losing loved ones suddenly. When you read this book, it will help you understand that:
- Every grief experience is unique and different, don’t compare your journey with others.
- Do not hide from the pain of your grief and loss; embrace the wave of emotions that come with it.
- Grief doesn’t magically disappear; it shows up when you expect it less.
- Death is a natural part of life, and the healing process takes time.
Currently, Jermila is working on a second book and creating her speaking platform to work with persons who are going through a similar experience and would like to let their pain and grief out in a safe space.
Jermila would like to take this moment to thank everyone who supported her at the book launch, including the church family and those who prayed and supported her during her trying times. Special thanks to Pastor Elliott Williams, Marjorie Moore, and Judith Fajardo for blessing the book, Maricar Medina and Co. for blessing us with a beautiful song, Marcia Adepojo, Davidzo, Amy and Carissa for helping with the decorations. Ashleigh for being the usher, Josanne Augustus for hosting the program, and Felicia as the creative designer, caterers, and cake lady. Finally, a huge thank you to Dr Nadine Collins, who helped make it all possible by coaching and encouraging her throughout this journey.
If you would like to get in touch with Jermila, please visit http://jermilasealys.com or email: jermilasealys@gmail.com.
