Mark Wayne – Author and 'Warrior Poet'
Sometimes there is no justice only mercy
Exciting news! A couple months ago I was interviewed by Ronit Plank about my book “Cowboys Aren’t Supposed to Cry” and living through grief as a young man, and today is the air date!
I share my walk through cancer with my first wife, her death and aftermath of grief and the writing of my memoir > Cowboys Are Not Supposed to Cry. Listen to my story at And Then Everything Changed or any streaming platform. Know that you are not alone in whatever kind of grief you may have or be experiencing.
Airing this Tuesday, January 12 on the And Then Everything Changed podcast. I was blessed to be a guest and interviewed by host Ronit Plank, her intro on IG is below.
⚡️Next week @mwschutter joins me to talk about nursing his first wife through cancer, becoming a young widower, and what he’s learned about the man he was all those years ago and who he is now.
You can listen in on all the podcast platforms – ITunes, Apple, Spotify and so many others.
This spring you can read more of my journey in my upcoming memoir ‘Cowboys Are Not Supposed to Cry‘.
The line above is from my upcoming memoir ‘Cowboys Are Not Supposed to Cry’ to be published by Christian Faith Publishing due out in Spring 2021.
And the best thing you can do with death is to ride off from it? #WickedQuestions #Grief #Memoir #UpcomingBook #Wip
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“I could not kill her executioner; I could only tend to her now that she was on death row.” ~Mark Wayne ©2020 #Memoir #OneLine #NoContext #NoExplanation #Teaser
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“What do you do when the waves of finality wash over you and cover you in a different reality? Can one single moment define your entire life? A life is made up of a series of events, some happy, some sad, some magic, and some tragic. The tragic moments, the events filled with trauma, pain, and loss irrevocably change us forever. There is no going back from these events. We are undeniably not the same as we were before, so the question remains,— what do you do with that?” ©Mark Wayne
The above is an excerpt from my upcoming memoir ‘Cowboys Are Not Supposed to Cry’ due out next spring, exact date still to be determined. Here is a short list of updates of what has been happening:
Grief and loss changes us, how could it not and what do you do with that? #WickedQuestions #BlogPost #Memoir #UpcomingBook
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A short excerpt from my upcoming memoir ‘Cowboys Are Not Supposed To Cry‘ to be published by Christian Faith Publishing in spring of 2021 (emphasis below added).
“I only want her to not be in pain.”
He looked at me with a look of both sadness and resignation, his voice low and measured, “That is what I am focused on.”
I nodded in agreement, and he turned and walked away. I watched him stride down the hall his white lab coat flaying out at his sides. Standing for a moment alone, I collected myself midst the noise of the corridor.
Forcing myself to turn, I slowly walked back into the hospital room. I plastered a smile on my face and buried the fear so far down where I believed it could never be unearthed.
~Mark Wayne ©2020
I will be interviewed by Ronit Plank for her podcast ‘And Then Everything Changed’ this Wednesday, October 28th. The episode will be aired at a still to be determined date.
In preparation for my interview with Ronit I have binged listened to many past episodes. I encourage you to take a listen to great stories of resilience, courage and hope. Ronit is a skilled host and interviewer. All past and future episodes, including mine when it becomes available, are available on her website and many podcast platforms including:
The conversations Ronit has with her guests are real and vulnerable. Talking about personal history; those pivotal moments of their childhood and adulthood that defined them and the crucial and sometimes painful decisions they made that forever changed the course of their lives.
After listening to many episodes, my biggest takeaway is the all too often similar feelings and emotions that we all experience in life. Despite our often very different circumstances, beliefs, values and life stories the emotional toil often runs deep. Although, my life may often have little in common with many of the guests I feel a connection.
It is not a competition, and yet we all have or will experience pain in this life. #quote
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The question and the test is what will we do with the pain we experience in this life? Listen to some Ronit’s guests tell their stories and you will be inspired by the strength, courage and the resiliency of the human spirit. Thank you Ronit for creating this platform that allows others to share their stories, reminding us each that we are not alone.
#LiveYourDreams
The following is taken from the draft introduction to my upcoming memoir ‘Cowboys Are Not Supposed To Cry’ to be published in Spring of 2021.
Reconciling the Past
Embracing the Present
Redeeming the Future
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
~Matthew 5:4
“When we suffer loss, when it finds us in one form or another we must first reconcile our past. Second, we must embrace the present, our circumstances and play the cards life has dealt us. Thirdly, we must redeem our future, a vision with new dreams for a new life where there is no finish line. Forever changed we must move forward, a different person with a different trajectory we carry the past with us every step of the way.” ©Mark W. Schutter
Grief and loss changes us, how could it not? #Memoir #UpcomingBook #TrueStory
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What are your thoughts? How do you move forward following loss and what helps you?
Leave me a comment below and have a great day. Remember, you are the hero of your story, who else could be?
#LiveYourDreams
Though he slay me, I will hope in him. ~Job 13:14 #Encouragement #Faith #Motivation
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It has been a rough last few weeks. Truth be told it’s been a rough past few months and even the whole year of 2020. I am not even talking about COVID-19, stay at home orders, social distancing, fears of infection from the virus, racial and civil unrest or even the current chaos of our political system.
Simply said my family has watched a beloved member’s health slowly decline. So much so that in the end it is hard to see who they once were. Illness and disease can do that to you.
Yet we can still hold hope, for ourselves and others, of better days ahead. As Job’s faith stayed fast even during his trials, I pray that we can all do the same.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart. And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. ~Proverbs 3:5-6
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I have lost my faith, not my belief my faith. I have misplaced it, and it cannot be found. I will still search, searching no matter. I will hold my faith, with tenacity at best. I still will believe, crying out to you. I still will trust, your truth in my unbelief.
“I do believe; help my unbelief.” ~Mark 9:24
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This past week we lost our beloved dog, Sadee Jayne ❤ (See this week’s Wordless Wednesday photo of her.) She was the fourth member or our pack and we had twelve wonderful years together. Her death has rekindled many memories of grief for me. Thus leading me to lots of questions, similar questions to those I have written about in my upcoming memoir ‘Cowboys Are Not Supposed To Cry.’
I know I struggle not in losing my faith but in misplacing it if you will. It tends to ebb and flow when I allow my belief to be based on my emotions and what is happening to me and around me. Often building my faith on a precarious stack of rocks instead of on the rock. I believe we need to focus more on the truth that does not change.
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” ~Hebrews 13:8
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