Bahamian author Calliope Couchell-Wilson is helping to heal broken hearts and give people hope through her new book: Weathering the Hurricane of Divorce: Reflections of a Survivor.
Her recently released work helps people rise above the stigma of being divorced and guides them on the path to a more fulfilled and purposeful life.
Divorce – and separation of any kind, can be so painful, and can turn one’s life upside down -so much so that she likened it to a hurricane. The book delves into her stormy days of separation and divorce, but also shows the silver lining when she remarried and found love again.
“Anyone who has experienced some aspect of brokenness, breakdown, or break-up – indeed, anyone who has undergone some form of death or divorce, whether personal or social, physical or spiritual – will immediately connect with the content of this book,” said Father John Chryssavgis, Greek Orthodox Church, in the books foreword.
“In her story, Calliope Couchell-Wilson offers an open and mature conversation, simultaneously an honest self-reflection and a sympathetic exchange with the reader. This book is a step-by-step survival kit for the stages leading through and following after divorce, underlining ways of inner growth without undermining moments of intense challenge. I can identify with Calliope, when she writes: “I cling to memories of answered prayers in dark days of questioning everything”. Memories of answered prayers are moments of divine grace, where we surrender to God’s love and God takes control.” After graduating from Hellenic College with a BA in Religious Studies in 2002, Counchell-Wilson spent the past two decades working within the family life ministries of the Orthodox Church. During that time, she realized that everyone she knew has been touched by divorce, whether from a direct experience or through contact with a divorced parent, family member, or friend.
“As a survivor of divorce and other major life crises, I have often been asked to comfort and advise others facing similar challenges by sharing the tools for survival that helped keep me and my family stay afloat during difficult times,” she said.
“Some resources were obtained from general life experiences and some from the tried-and-true tools of my Faith. Little first-hand advice on divorce within the Orthodox Church is available. Usually, Church leaders, such as priests, who experience the horror of divorce and personal crisis are not in a position to publicly reflect on their experiences in detail due to the risk of causing additional pain or harm to those in their care, and many active Church members who experience such challenges leave their leadership roles. This book is intended to be a comfort to those struggling with the ramifications of divorce and to the people trying to support them – a reminder that they are not alone in this struggle, and it is possible to weather this storm.”
In 2011, following her divorce, Couchell-Wilson returned to live in Nassau, her birthplace, with her two daughters. She is currently the firm’s Compliance Officer and Office Manager.
She has served in the local Greek Orthodox Church on West Street, Nassau as one of the heads of Youth Education and then as Co-chair of Family Life Ministries. She happily remarried in 2018, gaining a wonderful son in the process.
Weathering the Hurricane of Divorce by Calliope Couchell-Wilson can be found on Amazon as a hardcopy as well as in Kindle format. It is also available at Logos Book Store, as well as Tanya Saunders Boutique in Harbour Bay; at Bahama Arts & Handicrafts on Shirley Street; and at the Greek Orthodox Church Bookstore on West Street, Nassau.
Source: Felicity Darville
