Defining abuse is a personal subject.  It may be physical abuse, mental abuse, child abuse – it takes many forms.  Do you know someone who may be going through this and don’t know how to help them or know what to say? Do you carry a burden for this person and want to help them?  Sometimes we just are not able to say or do anything, but just maybe, if you leave this book with them they can come up with a solution on their own and build their self-esteem.

This book came straight from my heart with a message I hope to reach any person who may be experiencing  abuse in their life – in any form.  I firmly believe God allows us to experience things in our life that are not pleasant, are sometimes down right hurtful in order for us to grow spiritually.  When we grow spiritually, then comes the need to help others.  And love others. Then comes the healing balm.  When we open these channels, doing it freely and of our own will, then the blessings come many, many times over.  It’s a wonderful circle of life, meant to be shared.  

How do you even start to write a book?  How do you put your thoughts and feelings on paper and make others understand what you have to say?   I think what I want to do is just share with you  how you can make a difference in someone’s life.  Someone that may really need you and maybe you don’t even realize they do.  Maybe you haven’t noticed that they are looking to you for help.

We all know someone who is involved in domestic violence in some form or another.   Maybe physical abuse.  Maybe mental abuse.  Maybe their children are abused.  Is it that verbal abuse that makes you hurt for them when you hear it, but you have kept still? 

They can come from any walk of life.  Perhaps you have a friend or a family member who feels they have no one to talk to.  Maybe it’s your neighbor.  Maybe it’s your child’s playmate and you see and hear the telltale signs.  Perhaps you are a doctor in an emergency room and this person is seen again and again for various injuries and you know that you know that you know what has to be going on, but they just will not share with you.  They will not open up and let someone know who is hurting them or why.  Perhaps you are  a lawyer, a counselor or a minister and know that someone is going through this terrible ordeal.  Just how do you help them? 

Often times you have probably tried to help that person and they have either refused your help or have kept going back into the same situation over and over again.  And then they get mad at you because you tell them what you think.  About that time, they are back together and they “say” everything is fine.  That’s when it’s so frustrating to be their friend.  But they can’t help this pattern.  It’s very easy to sit back and “should” on people - “You should leave him”, “You should want better for yourself”, “You should, you should, you should…”.   Do you know how saying this to them makes them feel?  It makes them feel even that much more insecure and makes them totally doubt their abilities in being able to support themselves or their children; makes them doubt getting along in the world alone and makes them look to the abuser for any scrap of comfort that they can find.  And they will always be disappointed.  Again and again.  It just mushrooms in their minds.  They feel there is no way out, so they choose to remain in that situation, day-in an day-out, hoping that it is going to get better. 

It is my prayer that sharing my story will help you to understand, if you are that friend or professional, how you can help restore a wounded, sore spirit and help direct someone back to a world of love, hope, peace and personal commitment.  By handing them this book and saying nothing, it may make a difference in their life.  Let’s pray that it does.

If you are that person, I want to assure you that the Lord loves you, we all love you and want a better life for you.  It is possible.  Your only limitation is yourself in this situation.  I hope reading this will give you that inspiration to do something about changing your life. 

Your story won’t be like mine.  It will take completely different twists and turns (but, I made it and so will you).  I want it to be enjoyable reading to you and an inspiration to help us all take care of each other, as we are commanded by our Lord. 

Let’s go for a stroll together… there will be several pathways, but they all lead to the same place – peace, contentment and the love of God. Come. Go down “My” Memory Lane with me.

Well, I have written for the sheer pleasure of writing for myself and to others, but never anything formally except family occasions, my father’s eulogy, etc.   I used to write a small-town news article for the local papers and some enjoyed hearing about the children when they were small and neighborhood antics.  That was the only time I was ever paid for my work.

My life as a wife, a mother of four, a grandmother of many, a mother-in-law, a friend, an employee and an employer are my credentials.  I think the best stories come from life experiences.  When we write about what we know first hand, this allows others to identify and relate their own stories.  It makes a camaraderie between the writer and the reader.  Perhaps you think of things that you wouldn’t necessarily share with someone else because they are so private, but you can identify with the story and, thus, open the channels in your heart and mind. 

A writer has a vision, a writer has a story to tell, a writer has a message, a writer has a love in his heart for his fellow man.  These things we want to share.