Joyce Hishaw-Willis
What makes Joyce Wildly Capable?
Joyce is an extraordinary woman, balancing her full-time role as Development & Communications Coordinator at Freedom Center OKC while building a successful, inclusive calligraphy business. After losing her husband, Frank, to COVID-19, she honors his legacy through her art, helping others express themselves and heal from grief. – ABBIE SEARS
What does your typical day look like?
Before my feet hit the floor, I spend a few minutes writing about something I am grateful for. This is a ritual that I picked up the first year after my husband died, and it’s the one thing that doesn’t change. You’d be surprised how much gratitude you can find, even in the midst of tragedy. My morning hustle starts on my laptop where I answer emails and address any new inquiries that have come in for my calligraphy and engraving business. My day job is the development and communications coordinator for Freedom Center. We are a small but mighty team of four full-time staff, and the work we do preserving civil rights history in Oklahoma is important and necessary. I enjoy what I do and am inspired every day by the organization’s mission and the incredible legacy of Clara Luper.
What’s been the biggest obstacle in your life so far?
Hands down, learning how to navigate grief while trying to live a “normal” life has been the biggest obstacle I’ve ever had to face. Grief is packed with landmines that show up out of nowhere to disrupt a perfectly good day. One minute, I’m happily performing my own version of Carpool Karaoke on the way to the grocery store. The next minute, I’m in the deli aisle of that same grocery store bawling my eyes out because I picked up my dead husband’s favorite hot links. True story.
What makes you feel proud?
When my sons tell me that they want to find a love like the one their parents had. Frank and I spent over 38 years together. That’s over 13,880 days, and it still wasn’t enough time.
One year from today, how do you hope you’re different?
One year from today, I hope to be not just surviving what I’ve been through but thriving more and making an impact, especially in my business. I hope to wake up each day looking forward to all the wins, no matter how small. I hope to understand that my life doesn’t need to be impressive or exceptional to be worth celebrating.
What advice do you wish you could give your younger self? How might it have changed your course?
You may have to relinquish the hopes and dreams you previously held and dream up new ones. I would tell her that one day you will face tremendous loss, and the only way out is through. If I had known early on in my grief that going through the entire painful process would lead me to a beautiful life on my own terms, I wouldn’t have been so hard on myself. Throughout it all, I learned that life is a blend of sweet and sour. You just have to take the bitter with the sweet, however it comes.
