mental illness

Tips for Dealing with Tragedy, Sadness, & Poor Health Over the Holidays.

December 9, 2021 by Hans Blake, CFA, CPA

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Despite Christmas being a cheerful time of year, many people find the holidays very depressing. Shelly experienced tragedy on Mother’s Day when her son Jonathan passed away. During this episode, Shelly Hamilton gives tips on how to deal with tragedy, sadness, and trials during the holidays. She highlights the value of speaking the truth to yourself to stay grounded and encouraged.

As Shelly mentioned, practicing self-talk and redirecting your negative thoughts to others and the blessings in your life can help as you deal with grief and the loss of loved ones. One of our core values at Intelligent Investing is Compassion, and as we work with other widows, I want to share some of our resources. You can visit investedwithyou.com, search our blogs by topic and find another blog titled “10 Tips for Caring for a Spouse or Parent who has become a child.” If you’d like to learn more about Intelligent Investing or would like to become a client, click here.

Shelly Hamilton recently published a book titled, “Always Only Good.” This book details Shelly’s journey of faith through her son Jonathan’s mental illness shortly after his death in 2013. You can purchase the book here.

If you haven’t subscribed to our podcasts, you can go to our podcast page and choose whichever method you want to download them. While you are there, you can go to our blog page and subscribe so you can get our latest Intelligent Insights directly in your inbox.

Shelly Hamilton Bio

Shelly Hamilton, the daughter of Frank Garlock, married Ron Hamilton aka “Patch the Pirate” in 1975. They have managed Majesty Music and written sacred music for children and adults since they joined the ministry in 1978. Shelly currently ministers at Majesty Music as pianist, composer, arranger, and recording producer. In 2013, their son killed himself after years of struggle with mental health issues. The family’s public struggle and acknowledgement of mental health issues has reached people around the world. Most recently her family faces a new challenge: Ron Hamilton’s early onset of dementia. Her insight and music will encourage anyone facing the challenges of life.

In January 2018 Majesty Music announced their third generation of leadership. After years of waiting for God’s timing, Ron and Shelly transitioned the ministry over to their son-in-law Representative Adam Morgan and his wife, Ron and Shelly’s daughter, Megan.

Balancing Work, Life, and Ministry

June 17, 2021 by Hans Blake, CFA, CPA

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Reading Time: 2 minutes

On this episode of Intelligent Money Minute, we’ll be interviewing Shelly Hamilton on balancing work, life, and ministry. There’s nothing more all-consuming than running a business. Shelly and Ron Hamilton faced an interesting situation because their business was also their ministry. During this episode, Shelly stresses the importance of enjoying your family and life while balancing all these areas. In fact, Shelly believes including their kids in the business brought them closer as a family.

If you’ve been listening to Intelligent Money Minute, you’ll realize the phrase “Time is Money, so Invest in every minute” is so true. Our time is our number one resource and limited. One of the 4 unique factors that separate us from other advisors and firms is that we maximize time. We do this in a number of ways, but the goal is to be able to maximize our clients lives. We strive for excellence and efficiency so our clients don’t have to waste their time. If you’d like to learn more about Intelligent Investing or would like to become a client, please visit investedwithyou.com and click on the “Get Started” button.

Shelly Hamilton Bio

Faith in the Midst of Transition: Losing a Spouse to Alzheimer’s

May 20, 2021 by Hans Blake, CFA, CPA

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Reading Time: 2 minutes

During this episode, Shelly opens up about the challenges of losing her husband to Alzheimer’s. Retirement looks a lot different than what Shelly and Ron had imagined. Instead of enjoying time off work and worldwide traveling, Shelly has cared for Ron whose battled dementia for many years. As we talked, Shelly stressed how important it was for her to continue believing in God’s sovereign plan for her life. Often, she reminded herself that she’s on assignment and that taking care of Ron is part of that mission.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, it is estimated that 10 million baby boomers will develop Alzheimer’s. Of those who reach the age of 85, nearly one in two will get it. One of our most popular blogs on our website, is “10 Tips for Caring for a Spouse Who Has Become a Child” You can find this blog, by heading to “Blogs” and click on the “Healthcare” category at the top.

As Shelly mentioned, facing the trial of when a spouse becomes a child is not something you want to handle all alone. If you are a husband or wife who doesn’t have a financial advisor or planner, I can’t urge you enough to find one that you can entrust to become involved in your finances. We’d love to grab a cup of coffee or have a quick phone call if you find yourself in this situation. We’d be happy to listen to your needs, and whether we may be a good fit to be your financial stewardship partner.

Shelly Hamilton Bio

Faith in the Midst of Tragedy: Losing a Child to Mental Illness

March 18, 2021 by Hans Blake, CFA, CPA

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Reading Time: 2 minutes

During this episode, Shelly opens up about the mental illness that ailed her late son Jonathan. Around 19 years old, Jonathan Hamilton took an acne medicine that sent him into a clinical depression. Upon further examination, the doctors diagnosed Jonathan with schizophrenia. After seven years with no solutions, a Christian psychiatrist found a combination of medicine that enabled Jonathan to function. During this period, Jonathan penned beautiful songs published by Majesty Music and began working again. Fifteen years into his illness, a generic version of his medication became available, which removed the insurance coverage of Jonathan’s specialized medicine. Unknown to Ron and Shelly, Jonathan chose to go off the generic medication and tragically took his own life on Mother’s Day. Losing their son rattled Ron and Shelly’s world. In the midst of their tragedy, they remained strong in the faith believing in God’s providential plan for their life. Jonathan left a lasting legacy and a testimony that has touched the lives of many.

As Shelly pointed out in her life verse, the Just shall live by faith. You may be wondering why this episode is on a financial podcast, and the reason is that death and tragedy are all part of life. Many facing trials and tragedies turn to faith, and we hope this has been an encouragement to those who are facing similar trials including mental illness, suicide, or the death of a child. One of Intelligent Investing’s Core Values is Truth, and we believe that speaking the truth in love is a way to show compassion on others. Sometimes the truth hurts or is hard to say, and we hope this episode has been an encouragement to those facing similar tragedies. Be sure to subscribe to our Intelligent Money Minute podcasts to hear our many interviews with Shelly and her family by going to our podcast page.