Episode 213: A Thousand Points of Light with Chris Jones
Episode 213: A Thousand Points of Light with Chris Jones
Chris Jones and his wife Natalie live in Salt Lake City, Utah, and are the parents of 4 children and grandparents of two. Chris is a fiercely creative entrepreneur who builds businesses and products that build people. He's a prolific writer whose work has been widely recognized as unflinchingly authentic, insightful, and an invitation to live a more examined life. Chris's work has since gained international attention as a place to journey into the often-misunderstood world of grief, healing, and the pursuit of meaning My interview with Chris today is all about grief, healing and trauma, something nobody wants to be an expert in from experience, but he's been through the trenches with after losing his 10 year old son Mitchell to Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy in 2013. Chris wrote,
“Among the recurring themes of Mitchell's Journey are discussions of faith, making sense of sorrow, and reflections on love and loss. I suppose one could add to those themes the singularity of grief, that after all is said and done, the journey of grief is traveled by one.” His perspective on loss and suffering is one that touched me deeply when Neil and I met him in Hawaii last year at a personal development retreat.
We also talk about Chris's work called A Thousand Points of Light – the idea that we all have points of light in our lives, even in our darkest moments, and they often intersect with the people around us without us even knowing.
I always learn so much from Chris and I'm really excited and grateful to share his wisdom and life experiences with you today too.
Time Stamps:
[01:41] – Chris Jones speaks about his son Mitchell and having a reoccurring impression that something is coming.
[07:38] – What did Chris do to start his healing journey?
[12:08] – How can someone mourn with others who mourn?
[15:57] – What is A Thousand Points of Light?
[24:35] – Chris shares his view on learning from trauma and how he redefines what role trauma plays in life.
[30:53] – How can we carry grief as time moves on?
[34:30] – “There are things we can do to exercise our minds and our hearts to become stronger.”
[37:38] – Are you being kind to yourself? Are you being kind to others?
Supporting Resources:
A Thousand Points of Light website
“A Thousand Points of Light: In Search of Tender Mercies” Video