Loving and caring for people is part of the human condition. We naturally and instinctively give to others. We are taught from a young age, through school and the example of those who raise us, what it means to love and to give to others. As a result of seeing this, we have adopted behaviors …
In this month of love, let’s fall in love with life again. While life can get crazy and overwhelming, there is also so much beauty and wonder to claim, if we have the awareness of it. No matter what the reality of life looks like right now, there is still much love and beauty when …
The most powerful love in this world is the love of self. It starts within and radiates out, attracting others to this field of love around us, and impacting everyone we come into contact with. When we can truly love ourselves, life is easier and more joyful, and we tend to gather people around us …
Love has so many meanings and layers. As we step into February, and Valentine’s Day advertising is everywhere, it makes us think of the traditional meaning of love. Society generally teaches that you are supposed to love your family, and love between two people is a commitment. Often love gets associated with duty. As a …
Through all our past experiences, we have accumulated learned behaviors we needed at the time to protect ourselves. We have had our feelings hurt, we learned lessons and created rules for ourselves. We have even learned things about who we are or found that we perceive ourselves in a certain way. All this past baggage …
We are three weeks into the new year and likely settling into a routine. Perhaps you have managed to implement some of your New Year’s wishes, perhaps not. This is the time we usually fall into the routines we had in place. You may have started off well and added that exercise routine or changed …
The start of the new year comes with a great deal of expectations. Many of us think about how we will do things differently, and what we want to change. As a result, we set goals and desires about where we will be and what we hope to accomplish. Perhaps you did this last year, …
The year has just begun and is perhaps already feeling layered. For some, the start of the year heralds the chance for new beginnings. However, if you are in stuck in place, it may feel heavy. Maybe there is no significance of the New Year for you – perhaps it is just another day. Many …
In two days’ time, we will find ourselves stepping into a new year. As the New Year dawns, I leave you with this reminder: You made it – you survived this year. You are still here, still breathing. The steady beat of your heart is your reminder that you are alive. You are a survivor, …
Whether you celebrate the upcoming holidays or not, this time of year evokes feelings in all of us. Perhaps it is a beautiful time of year, or maybe you find it stressful, and you feel blue. Here is a reminder of the beautiful Soul you are. You don’t need to earn the right to be …
This debut memoir chronicles a woman’s spiritual exploration and growth as she overcame a disturbing childhood and helped others heal.
Brought to America from the Dominican Republic as a youngster, Molina-Marshall should have led a happy life. Her father was a diligent worker, and his large family wanted for nothing. But the author recounts that her dad had a drinking problem and was a serial philanderer. Molina-Marshall’s long-suffering mother left him for a woman. Then it was all downhill for the bright, 12-year-old girl, who was shuttled between foster care and relatives. According to the author, she was sexually abused by the husband of one of her siblings. This resulted in Molina-Marshall becoming alienated and moody. By 15, she simply tried to survive. In her favor were grit and a restless intelligence. She quit school, rented a room, and found a factory job. Time went by, and for a while she was happily married. Yet when her husband left her, her life truly began. She turned to religion for answers but decided that blaming God for her woes was a cop-out.
In this absorbing and moving memoir, Molina-Marshall’s vivid storytelling is fearless. She frankly discusses the truths she discovered and the indignities she suffered. These admissions are disclosed with a touch of resignation and plenty of bite. However painful, everything she experienced was a lesson, and she bravely realized that she was part of the problem: “The fear of being hurt, rejected, or abused often led to me feeling lonely and misunderstood. No one knew the agonizing pain I felt being trapped in my thoughts and anger. I was becoming my biggest threat.”
The author skillfully recounts her intricate spiritual journey. To deal with her psychic wounds, she searched for an inspirational system. Her open-mindedness led her to the interfaith concept—cherry-picking from various religions and spiritual movements, yoga, and Indigenous beliefs as a way of finding peace. Along with her female partner, she built a therapy practice, making use of every spiritual element that aided her and others. The road was bumpy, and she found that women of color in same-sex relationships were not welcomed everywhere. To do good works—and finally live on her own terms—she effectively overcame bigotry.
An engrossing, cathartic account of empathy and success through determination and confidence.
Pub Date: May 3, 2022 | ISBN: 978-0-578-38315-6 | Page Count: 264 | Publisher: From Trauma to Triumph | Review Posted Online: June 13, 2022
