Our Story

Hi there!

My name is Karen, the founder of Just One Simple Hope. Thank you so much for taking the time to get to know me and our mission here.  This passion project was sparked over 16 years ago after my best friend gave me a beautiful ring for my birthday.  It wasn't just that it was a gorgeous piece of jewelry, it was the thought and heart behind it. You see, we had lost my Dad to cancer in the late night hours the night before my birthday.  It was an extremely difficult and painful time in my life. She wanted to give me something special. She wanted me to have something that would have meaning, a piece that I could look at as I  journeyed through grief, and feel joy because it represents love. 

Fast forward to December of 2016.  My world crashed and my heart broke into a million pieces when I lost my only child, Josh, to suicide.  He had struggled with depression since his early teens.  But he was a warrior, a fighter, and he battled daily to find ways to feel better.  I'm still unable to put into words how painful and lifechanging losing Josh was for me and my family. In one of his last texts to me he wrote "Maybe I can be a story to someone depressed and help one or two people when my story's told."  That was his hope.  

The days crawled by, but the years flew as I navigated through my new existence without my son. I found faith in the Lord and He held me up.  Even in deep grief, I knew that I wanted to help people who suffered from mental health issues, especially those that have been affected by suicide.  Shortly after we lost Josh, my friend gave me two special pieces of jewelry. Two silver rings, one with my son's name and the other with my grandson's name. What a blessing he has been!   She later told me she had searched for something that had meaning.  Something special to show me how much I was loved. I received gifts from family and friends, all who were finding a way to let me know they were thinking of me, that they cared.

Through my journey of healing, I often looked for items to give to people who I knew were struggling. This included anything from jewelry to candles.   My heart had been broken wide open. But God finds a way to bless us even in the darkest times. I now felt more compassion towards others than I ever had before. I found that I wanted to offer the same types of meaningful gifts to those that need it, for themselves or others.  I wanted to honor my son and his hope to help someone. A lightbulb went off in my head and Just One Simple Hope (J.O.S.H.) was born.  

Going through tough times, going through grief, depression, stress isn't going to be healed by jewelry or any "thing," but the thought and heart and love behind it can help. Receiving something from someone means they thought about you and care about you. It helps a person to feel seen.  It acknowledges them and possibly something they're facing that is challenging.  It could be a way to open up conversations that might be otherwise difficult.

This is just the beginning as we are starting small and building from here.  Our hope is to build a community that supports each other's mental health and provide information and resources to help with that.  As we grow our dream is to help individuals and/or families that have been impacted by mental health struggles and to help contribute to the ongoing studies and research that is needed.  Everyone deserves to be seen and heard and receive the help that they need.

Thank you so much for stopping by to learn a little about me and our store and our mission.   If you have any suggestions for things you would like to see here, questions or comments, please drop a note to hello@justonesimplehope.com.  

Remember, you matter!

Blessings from,

 

Karen and Josh

and your new friends at Just One Simple Hope