Traditionally the focus of summer self-care is all about getting our bodies ready for summer as we shed those winter layers. The atmosphere in the air is one of vacation time, with children being out of school, parents planning family vacations, and those who don’t have children, deciding what opportunities summer can bring them. Summer …
As the year draws to a close, we tend to get introspective, looking at what we have accomplished, what we hope to get done and what we will do differently in the coming year. Many of us may experience feelings of regret or find ourselves stressed, anxious or frustrated about where we are now. Since …
Nurturing is like breathing. Without breath we cannot live; without nurturing ourselves, we don’t connect with life. We often think of nurturing in the context of a mother caring for her child. Nurturing is the act of caring for and protecting your chosen charge to help them thrive. Most of us find it easy to …
What if each day was a new beginning to start over – a chance to recreate another new day, and a day that is better than the last?
You cannot help anyone else until your fill your own cup first. Nurturing yourself starts with putting yourself on your to-do list. No matter where you are right now, or what your financial situation is, you can still give time to your being. Nurturing yourself is the most healing action you can take for yourself.
When last did you practice the ritual of self- care? What does self-care mean to you? To some is might be making time to meditate or do some yoga. To others it could be taking time to be quiet and go deep within – finding their truth. However deep you choose to go, self-care is …
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
