East New York author Shenita Ramos is the definition of a champion, a woman who, when faced with seemingly insurmountable challenges, reached within and pulled herself out of the darkness. Her newly published book, The Sun Still Rises: A Journal for Living (available on Amazon), is designed to help others who are struggling to heal themselves too.
When her mother passed away in 2021, and she was diagnosed with lupus, an autoimmune disease, Shenita’s world was turned upside down. “I was in mourning, I was depressed, I was battling health issues,” she explained. “At the same time, I was trying to be strong for my sons as well as my sisters. I became robotic. Time kept passing; everyone around me seemed to be living a normal life, but I felt like I was drowning. I felt alone, even though my husband was there for me throughout it all,” she says – feelings that are all too familiar to those of us who have experienced them firsthand.
“One day while thinking about my mother, I remembered that she was a strong woman. She was a single mother of three little girls, living alone in New York City when her mother, who lived in Tennessee, passed away. She had to continue to take care of us while she was in mourning. These thoughts pushed me,” she said, of the way her mother’s memory inspired her to dig deeper. “I imagined her telling me to keep going. I knew I had to do better. I still had people that cared about me and depended on me. I started asking myself, ‘What would I tell someone that was in my situation?’ These questions led to me creating this journal,” she explained, the process of which became therapeutic for her.
As she worked through her feelings, Shenita came to realize that she was not the only one suffering through a traumatic experience and decided to publish her journal so that others feeling lost and alone could benefit from her guide toward healing. Designed to be used over a 12-week period, the journal is a beautiful workbook, which includes carefully curated prompts that encourage self-discovery, opportunities for reflection and the inspiration needed to rise above many of the challenges life throws our way. Whatever you are going through, the uplifting message of this book is that there is hope. In the rather candid and courageous words of the author, “No matter what we are going through, the sun still comes up each day. We can either let our pain and grief consume us or we can choose to keep living and try to get a little better each day, I chose the latter.”
What a wonderful gift to us all. Your mother as well as all who know you are proud. Keep it up, keep on writing