A Million Times We Cry: A Memoir of Loss, Grief, Depression, and Ultimately Hope

The day after she and her husband moved into their first home, Stacey Wempe’s simple, ideal life in Saskatchewan was shattered. At daybreak, her aunt and uncle arrived at her new home to tell her that her twenty-two-year-old brother, Clinton, had been killed in a tragic accident a few hours earlier. Driving in thick fog to rescue his stranded girlfriend, he drove his truck into the side of a freight train traveling on a rarely used track.

This random, tragic event propelled Stacey into a downward spiral of depression and anxiety that lasted years. Prolonged grief extended to postpartum depression after the birth of her son and daughter. Her despair led to marital stress, intensified by her mother and father losing their battles with cancer. In the face of overwhelming sorrow, she struggled to move on but knew she had no alternative.

A Million Times We Cry is Stacey’s uplifting story of her fight to regain control of her life, find hope and joy, and move past her anguish. Seeking therapeutic intervention and subsequently displaying bravery and persistence, she embarked on a journey to become a Fearless Living life coach.

Ultimately, Stacey confronted the very things she had evaded--her fears, anguish, and insecurities--and embraced herself and her existence.

Drawing upon her life’s lessons and life-coach training, Stacey reveals her raw and poignant emotional healing journey that led to a life filled with hope and happiness. Her concluding insights into how others can start their journey to discover healing, hope, and joy are profoundly inspiring.

Stacey was born in Lampman, a small town (pop. 650) in Saskatchewan, Canada. Her grandfather was the mayor for many years and the family was extremely well known. He owned a farm equipment company called grimes Sales and Service selling everything from tractors to combine harvesters. Her father Mel took over the business when her grandfather died. Mel was a well-known and extremely popular figure in the province. In 1966 he became a pilot and would fly to customers with urgent parts for broken-down tractors, parachuting them down to the waiting farmer. In the mid 80s, Mel started another company, Southern Resources which sold pumpjacks which are used to extract oil from wells. Later with a new partner he started importing a unique new pumpjack featuring a curved walking beam with two counterweights. When Mel died, an obituary stated that, ＂The HG pumpjack changed the landscape of Saskatchewan.＂ Needless to say, the Grimes family were famous across the province.

In 1990, she witnessed the SaskPower accident the Shand Power Station which was under construction. Office staff were working out of trailers and a 65-tonne crane fell and crushed the cafeteria next to where she was working as a receptionist. Two people died and six were seriously injured. Stacey was only nineteen at the time.

Stacey has led a tumultuous life, one that has been plagued by grief, loss, and depression. Her brother died when he was 22 in a tragic accident. He drove into the side of a freight train in thick fog. The effect on Stacey was catastrophic and she went into severe depression. Four years later a close friend died in a motorcycle accident and another committed suicide. Tragedy seems to have followed her throughout her life.

After several years she sought psychological help and later decided to become a life coach to help others. During this period, she married a dentist and became a dental hygienist. Today, her and her husband run a highly successful and busy dental practice. She recently bought back her father’s business, which was set to close down, in order to ensure the future of its staff.

Her goal for the book, which contains coaching lessons, is to show readers that no matter what life throws at you, you can survive, thrive, and prosper.