Your Voice Matters

You are a gift to this world.  The experiences that have shaped you, have honed your innate gifts and talents, and you have also developed new strengths and skills.   This is your time to shine.

When we have been through trauma, using our voices and expressing our needs can feel like an effort. Your voice matters - being you is your power

Using your voice is a powerful force in healing.  You are saying yes to yourself, getting to know what you need, what you will and won’t accept, and reclaiming your space in this world.  What you need is the most important thing in your life.  

As we speak up and use our voices, we teach others how to treat us.  When we prioritize ourselves, others will prioritize us too.   Sharing our experiences also helps others to know they are not alone, and the sharing of support and strength in a safe community is a powerful healing catalyst.

Your voice matters. 

Every time we speak up, we acknowledge to ourselves that we matter, and we are taking a step forward on the path of healing. 

Here are a few things to keep in mind:

Honor your resilience:  We have all been through tough times.  We may still be on our healing journeys.  Whatever point you are at, honor yourself and your resilience.  You survived a deeply impacting experience and you are still here, still showing up every day.  No matter what has happened in your life, every moment that you show up is a win.  We all have innate resilience – it is only tested through traumatic experiences.  The act of showing up after a traumatic experience demonstrates resilience.  Every step we take on our healing path is another testimony of our resilience. Honor yourself for how far you have come, and celebrate every win along the way.

Your strength, courage and voice are gifts to the world: Every experience that shaped you added to who you are.  Every person you interact with is in some way impacted by you.  We all have so much to offer this world, and no two people, even if they have had similar experiences, can offer the same things.  Just giving a smile or a kind word can be deeply impacting for another.   Similarly, sharing your story can help someone heal.  Even the act of acknowledging your strengths changes your personal environment and makes a big difference to those around you.  Know that you are here for a reason and your life matters.

Acknowledge the lessons:  What have you learned about yourself from your experiences?   What skills and knowledge have you gained?  Make a list of what you have acquired through your tough experiences. You will likely realize how much you have grown, and through this exercise you will notice how many more gifts are waiting for you.

How will you use your voice today?

Many Blessings,
Santa

  

RUNNING THROUGH DARKNESS
MEMOIR OF A SPIRITUAL WARRIOR

BY SANTA MOLINA-MARSHALL ‧ RELEASE DATE: MAY 3, 2022

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